Ramesses I in hieroglyphs
praenomen or throne name
nomen or birth name

Menpehtyre Ramesses I was the founding Pharaoh of Egypt's 19th dynasty. The dates for his short period on the throne are unclear, but 1320-1318 BC, 1295-1294 BC, or 1292-1290 BC are frequently given.

Originally called Paramessu, he was of non-royal birth, born into a noble family from the Nile delta region, perhaps near the former Hyskos capital Avaris. He was a career soldier, originally the chief of the archers (a position he inherited from his father, Seti), and ultimately general of the armies. He found favor with Horemheb, the last pharaoh of the tumultuous Eighteenth dynasty, who appointed Ramesses as his vizier. He also served as the High Priest of Amun – as such, he would have played an important role in the restoration of the old religion following the Amarna heresy of a generation earlier, under Akhenaten.

Horemheb himself had been a noble from outside the immediate royal family, who rose through the ranks of the Egyptian army to serve as royal advisor and, ultimately, pharaoh. Having no son of his own to continue his lineage, in the final years of his reign he named Ramesses as his coregent and, implicitly, his heir.

Already an old man when he was crowned, Ramesses appointed his son, the later pharaoh Seti I, to serve as his coregent. Seti undertook several military operations – in particular, an attempt to recoup Egypt's lost possessions in Syria. Ramesses appears to have taken charge of domestic matters: most memorably, he completed the second pylon at Karnak, begun under his predecessor.

Ramesses died after ruling for a brief period of 16 months, and was succeeded by his son and coregent. He was buried in Thebes's Valley of the Kings. His tomb there, rediscovered by Giovanni Belzoni in AD 1817 and designated KV16, is small and gives the impression of having been completed hastily.

At his accession, Ramesses took the praenomen, or regnal name, which is written in Egyptian hieroglyphs above. Technically transliterated, the name is mn-pḥty-r‘, which is usually realised as Menpehtyre, meaning 'Established by the strength of Ra'. However, he is better known by his nomen, or personal name. This is transliterated as r‘-ms-sw, and is usually realised as Ramessu or Ramesses, meaning 'Ra bore him'.