Which pharaoh is known as Ramses the Great?

The story behind the answer

Ramses II—known as Ramses the Great—earned the title through a 66-year reign (c. 1279–1213 BCE) marked by colossal building projects and high-profile campaigns. He commissioned Abu Simbel and the Ramesseum, spread statues of himself across Egypt, and fought at the Battle of Kadesh, later sealing one of history’s earliest recorded peace treaties with the Hittites. By contrast, Ramses I reigned briefly, Ramses III (20th Dynasty) battled the Sea Peoples but isn’t styled “the Great,” and Ramses VI was relatively minor.

Memory tip: think “Ramses II” as “two = too great”—the second Ramses doubled down on monuments and fame.