Shepseskaf

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He was Mycerinus's son and the last king of the Fourth Dynasty . He reigned no more than four years , and he tried to minimize the influence of the Re's priesthood , which had increased and become noticeable since Chephren's time . Also , the name of Re became a part of the names of this Dynasty's kings , not only as a means of respect , but the fifth name of the king that is the 'Son of Re' started to appear since the Chephren's time .
Shepseskaf , unlike all his predecessors , did not affix Re's name to his . This proves that he did not believe in the Re's cult because he found that Re's priests became very influential , not only on the religious affairs , but also on the country's political policy .
He chose a different religious policy for his reign , issuing a decree which safeguarded the funerary estates of the early kings . But he broke tradition by having his tomb at southern Saqqara , it was as a giant sarcophagus not a pyramid . This was not only for economic reasons , but also for emphasizing that he did not believe in the Re's cult . Furthermore , he abandoned the site of Giza . His tomb at saqqara is known as 'Mastabet Pharoh' . The tomb is 100m long , 72m wide and 18m high . On the eastern side of the tomb , he set up the mortuary temple , then the causeway , and the valley temple . However , the building was not completed , and Shepseskaf was not buried inside it .
He married Khentkawes , Djedefhor's daughter , who is described in her Giza tomb as 'the Mother of the Two Kings of Upper and lower Egypt' . No doubt , this inscription is a reference to Sahure and Neferirkare , that she was considered by the Egyptians to have been the ancestress of the Fifth Dynasty .
Shepseskaf does not seem to have produced heir by Khentkawes , unless one think of Djedefptah that was mentioned by Manetho , to whom the Turin Canon ascribes a reign of two years .
His wife had two tombs: one at Giza and the other at Abusir , near her son's pyramid . Her tomb's style indicates a return to the architectural tradition of the Third Dynasty . This apparent move , taken from the Heliopolitan tradition , also expressed Shepseskafs choice of Ptahshepses , the chief priest of Memphis , as the husband of his daughter Khamaat .
After the death of Shepseskaf , struggle took place between the members of the royal family , then one of them called Djedefptah ascended the throne and ruled for 2 years . During this trouble period , Khentkawes played a role in changing the royal family .