Ankhnesneferibra was daughter of Psamtik II, the third Pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty of Egypt, known as the 'Sais Kings' or 'Saites', after the city of Sais in the Nile Delta, from where they ruled. In 595 she was sent to Thebes, to become the adoptive daughter of Nicotris I, God's Wife of Amun (the leader of the Egyptian Gods)and ruler of the city, adopting the title of Divine Adoratrice of Amun (High Priestess of the Cult of Amun). Nictrotis was a daughter of Psamtik I, first Pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty and Psamtik II's grandfather, and as God's Wife of Amun ruled Thebes from 655 BC until her death in 585 BC, when Ankhnesneferibra succeeded her, becoming both Divine Adoratrice and God's Wife of Amun, until 560 BC, when Nicotris II, the daughter of Amasis II (fifth pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty and grandson of Psamtik II), became Divine Adoratrice of Amun, and adoptive daughter of Ankhnesneferibra.
Ankhnesneferibra ruled in Thebes from 585 until 525 BC, when Egypt was Invaded by the Achaemenid Persians under the Emperor Cambyses II, bringing the 26th Dynasty to an end. Cambysis re-organised the administration of Egypt significantly, incorporating it into his empire as a province, and abolished the roles of Divine Adoratrice of Amun and God's Wife of Amun (unfortunate for Nicrotis II, who by this time had been waiting for the role for 35 years).
The title of God's Wife is a curious one. It originally applied to the wives and mothers of Pharaoh's (who were seen as living embodiments of the gods), with no specific god being associated with the post. This appears to have been modified to God's Wife of Amun in the New Kingdom, with little initial alteration of the role. The role as understood in the time of Ankhnesneferibra appears to have been created by Ramasses VI, the fifth Pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty, who gave the titles of God's Wife of Amun and Divine Adoratrice of Amun to his daughter Iset, with the intention that she would remain an unmarried virgin and adopt the daughter of the next Pharoah as her daughter and heiress.
The God's Wife of Amun became the effective ruler of Thebes (ancient capital of Egypt) under Shepenupet I, the daughter of the 23rd Dynasty Pharoah Osorkon III, who adopted Amenirdis I, daughter of the Kushite invader Kashta as her daughter and Divine Adoratrice, thus securing her own political power and Kashta's claim to be a legitimate Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt, and founder of the 25th Dynasty at the same time. Kashta faced a rival claim to the throne from Tefnakht I, founder of the 24th Dynasty, which was also based in Sais, after the Kushites had conquered most of Egypt, including the traditional capital, Thebes.
For the Pharaohs of the 26th Dynasty the role of God's Wife of Amun was clearly an important one, and signficant to their claim to be legitimate rulers. The first Pharaoh of the 26th Dynasty, Psamtik I, was installed as a client Pharaoh at Sais by the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal, following the Assyrian invasion of Egypt, but secured independence when the Assyrians were forced to withdraw to concentrate on defending the heartlands of their empire against the Babylonians. A capable military leader, Psamtik I was able to drive out the Kushite Pharaoh's of the 25th Dynasty, smashing many of the monuments associated with their reign to assert his status as legitimate Pharaoh of Egypt.
At this time, Shepenupet II, daughter of the Kushite Pharaoh Piye (son of Kashta) was the God's Wife of Amun, and her niece Amenirdis II was Divine Adoratrice. Psamtik I deposed Amenirdis II, installing his daughter Nicotris I as adoptive daughter of Shepenupet II, Divine Adoratrice and heir to the title of God's Wife, but left Shepenupet II in place as God's Wife and ruler of Thebes, like Kashta before him using this act to legitimise his own reign.
