The forgotten Pharaoh...brilliant, defiant, and a woman..ruled Egypt for more than 20 years in it's Eighteenth Dynasty (c.1490 B.C.).
Hatchepsut was the daughter of Tuthmosis I and eventually married his son and her half-brother, Tuthmosis II. She then became a regent for the infant Tuthmosis III, whose mother was part of the harem of her own husband (Tuthmosis II). Approximately seven years in, Tuthmosis II died and Hatchepsut became pharoah, thus, the King of Egypt. It was here that she established herself as the female embodiment of a man, dressing in male clothing and wearing the traditional false beard.
Continuing to raise Tuthmosis III in the proper manner, allowing him to finish his pharaonic military education, and eventually ruling with him as co-regent, Hatchepsut's reign was characterized by "economic prosperity and extensive monument building." There was some evidence of military conquest on her behalf and many achievements in exploration and trade. Some scholars speculate her death was one of design by Tuthmosis III and others argue, it was natural. However, after seeing her funerary temple (http://www.alovelyworld.com/webegypt/htmgb/egy34.htm), one can only allow that Hatchepsut was highly regarded by some contemporaries; Built into the side of a cliff, it's touted as "one of the most remarkable monuments of Egyptian architecture."
Sources:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/566/13068
http://www.alovelyworld.com/webegypt/htmgb/egy34.htm
http://hallworldhistory.com/africa/199.shtml