Ramesses the Great: The Battle of Kadesh - Egyptian History - Part 1 - Extra History

On the outskirts of Kadesh, Pharaoh Ramesses II finds himself ensnared in an ambush set by the Hittites. Through a tumultuous clash of chariots and strategic might, the Battle of Kadesh unfolds—the first recorded battle in history. While Ramesses spins tales of victory, the true aftermath points towards diplomatic genius. Dive into the life of the Pharaoh who not only defined war strategy but set architectural legacies that stand to this day. Discover the man, the myth, the 'living god'—Ramesses the Great. 🏹🪐🕌

♪ "Egyptian Campaign" by Tiffany Roman - Available on Patreon!

Artist: David Hueso I Writer: Robert Rath I Showrunner & Narrator: Matthew Krol I Editor: Aidan Strite & Mac Owens

#ExtraHistory #Egypt #History

[dantetre]

It is funny that the whole Extra History idea came because of Total War: Rome II sponsed Extra Credit for a similar video several years ago. :D

[jeremy]

I will never fail to be astounded at the fact that we still have records and stories of figures from this far back in human history. So often we hear of lost knowledge or just outright destroyed historical texts that it is a genuine delight to know that there are some things we've actually managed to hold onto in spite of all the turbulence the world has thrown at them 😊

[TheIrishvolunteer]

God, the fact we are able to know, today, the exact words and actions someone uttered and made THOUSANDS of years ago is just...makes you appreciate humanity

[FlaviusBelisarius-ckuv]

It’s interesting to note that, at the Battle of Kadesh, though King Muwatalli II may have been the overall Commander of the Hittite Forces, his “Marshal”, for lack of a better term, was his younger brother Prince Hattusili who would distinguish himself that day as one of the Hittite Empires most brilliant generals and would even make a name for himself among the Egyptians, particularly Ramesses, leading his own chariot into the thick and reportedly slaughtering the chief of the Sherden that were part of Ramesses’ own guard.

Both gained respect for each other after the battle and, with the treaty of eternal peace signed between them, the two would maintain a friendly correspondence for the rest of their lives, with Hattu even sending one of his daughters to marry Ramesses and Ramesses sending continuous shipments of grain to feed the Hittite Empire during the famines of the late 13th century BCE.

After Muwa’s death, Hattu would succeed his brother as King Hattusili III after a brief civil war with Muwatalli’s son Urhi-Teshub and would create the mutual defense pact with Ramesses.

[alexandersmall]

"We failed to loose, so therefore we won" Ramesses probably

[lui]

As an Egyptian, I am happy you started this series!

[UnknownUser-owzb]

Here before they remember it's not spelt "Egyption"

[Lokitty]

I have to say, Thank you Total War. Though I might never play your games, your choice many years ago to give a small channel a boost with what you had left in your ad budget for Total War Rome II. To this day, any time I hear the name of one of these games or the name Total War comes up on this channel, I'm excited to learn what part of history you're playing with and giving us the opportunity to learn about. Thank you for sponsering so many videos on this channel and EC, thank you guys for always making these videos interesting and fun to watch! This is one of my favourite channels and I always look forward to seeing what times and places you guys are gonna cover next!

[anirudh]

In the long term, it was the Hittites that gained the most. Ramesses had failed to regain Egyptian land north of Kadesh, was forced to withdraw his forces far to the south, allowing the Hittites to pursue him and conquer all the way upto Aba (near modern Damascus) where Muwattalli's brother and future king Hattusili was placed as ruler.

More importantly, rebellious Amurru was back under Hittite vassalage, it was important especially because of its strategic location on the south-western flank of Hittite subject territory in the region, a hostile Amurru would threaten all Hittite enterprises in Northern Syria.

And in the two years immediately following Kadesh, local rulers in Canaan openly defied Egyptian authority and revolted (but this was quickly and decisively crushed by Ramesses in a series of rapid military operations).

[eliu]

Great vid! Always love learning some Egyptian history from you folks. Point of notice however: the Ramesses featured in Total War: PHARAOH is Ramesses III, not the Ramesses II that was pharaoh during the Battle of Kadesh. They are actually distantly related, but Ramesses III came quite a bit later, because the game, as mentioned is set during the Bronze Age Collapse.

[adjsmith]

I love the idea of the treaty being inscribed on a silver tablet. Like, that's some pomp and ceremony right there.

[Wolfeson]

3:57 Maybe this was just a slip, but Nubia is far to the south of ancient Egypt - roughly corresponding to modern southern Egypt and northern Sudan. So...basically the exact opposite direction as Canaan. Ramesses II did campaign against both Nubia and Canaan...but not on the same campaign.

[NicoBabyman]

"This is the Garden of Kadesh. For thirteen generations we have protected it from the unclean. The Turanic Raiders who came before you refused to join and were punished for this trespass. Like theirs, your ship has already defiled this holy place. If you have come to join we welcome you and will spare your ship until all have disembarked. If you have come to consume the garden you will be removed at once. What are your intentions?”

[danielsantiagourtado]

YES! The greatest pharaoh of ancient egypt! Love your work guys!😊😊😊😊❤❤❤

[benjaminmatheny]

Ramesses II's building legacy is overstated. During his reign, he switched the carving style. Before, carvers would remove excess stone leaving a raised image. After, they instead carve into the stone leaving indents. The change allowed Ramesses II to essentially Carve off the names of former Pharaohs and replace it with his own, making it look like the monument was built in his reign when it actually pre-dated him.

[beshoybotros]

YES! YES!! YES!!! Finally an Extra History about Ramesses. Your videos are always so amazing, thank you for the amazing content!

[Gillemear]

While I always enjoy Egyptian history, a series on the Hittites would be class(ical)!

[thedonkey]

The hittites had a smart name. You could only hit your enemy. Therefore you couldn’t lose a battle

[michaeljebbett]

When a story begins with "king leads the charge into battle, " it makes you wonder how much embellishments were involved in the historical record.

[candiman]

Regardless of what the poem ozymandias says, are his achievements really forgotten if we still speak of him today?