The Fifteenth Dynasty was the first ruling dynasty of the Second Intermediate Period of Egyptian history. It was ruled by the Hyksos. The Hyksos, taking advantage of the chaotic political situation in Egypt at the end of the Middle Kingdom period, invaded northern Egypt and took control of most of the country. The Hyksos ruled for approximately a century before being driven out by an Egyptian uprising.

Queen Ahhotep ruled at the end of the Seventeenth Dynasty. She took over as queen regent upon the death of her husband who was likely also her brother, helped drive the Hyksos out of Egypt and launch the famed Eighteenth Dynasty, thereby restoring Egyptian power and was buried with all due honors, including the "Golden Flies of Valor" which were found in her coffin. Piye lead an army down the Nile and overthrew the ruling Libyans almost 1000 years later. 

The Second Intermediate Period lasted from 1,650 BCE until 1,550 BCE It began with the decline of the Middle Kingdom and the emergence of a weak ruling dynasty in Egypt. This dynasty was incapable of resisting foreign invasions and most of Egypt was swiftly conquered by the Hyksos. The Hyksos remained in Egypt and ruled for a century, until they were overthrown by an Egyptian uprising which in turn ushered in the New Kingdom.

The Hyksos were foreign invaders who conquered most of Lower (northern) Egypt at the end of the Middle Kingdom period of Egyptian history. Although the Hyksos did reign over most of Egypt, as the Fifteenth Dynasty, they were never able to unite the whole Egyptian state. They forced the government in Upper (southern) Egypt to pay severe taxes, but were unable to conquer their rivals.

Wheeled-transportation was extremely uncommon in ancient Egypt until the arrival of the Hyksos during the Second Intermediate Period. Egyptian terrain was ill-suited to wheeled-transport and it only really caught on after the Hyksos introduced the ancient Egyptians to horse-drawn chariots.

The Hyksos were foreign invaders who conquered most of Egypt in the 17th century BCE. They ruled most of Egypt for the next century, before being driven out by an Egyptian uprising. The Hyksos had one notable, lasting impact on the development of ancient Egypt. They introduced advanced weaponry, most notably horse-drawn chariots, which revolutionized the Egyptian military and led directly to the massive territorial conquests achieved by Egypt during the New Kingdom.

The Hyksos, whose supposed invasion ended the Middle Kingdom by ushering in the Second Intermediate Period, and whose kings comprised the Fifteenth Dynasty, introduced a wide variety of innovations and concepts into Egyptian society. These included everyday improvements such as musical instruments like the tambourine and lute, and weaving implements like the vertical loom; furthermore, Egyptian bronze-making was greatly expanded during this period. However, the introduction of horses into Egypt, as well as chariot warfare, was the aspect of Hyksos culture that had the most lasting and significant effect on Egypt, as the New Kingdom Pharaohs adopted it as their weapon of choice after finally expelling the Hyksos themselves. The Demotic script was not developed until the First Millennium BCE; however, its hieratic predecessor coexisted with hieroglyphics during the earlier periods. 

The Hyksos were an asiatic people who conquered Lower Egypt (and very briefly all of Egypt) setting up the 15th Dynasty. The indigenous Egyptians viewed them as barbaric interlopers, and another dynasty was centered at Thebes and ruled Upper Egypt. It took multiple campaigns to finally unseat the Hyksos and reunify Egypt. Seqenenre Tao was the first Theban Pharaoh to attempt to drive out the Hyksos, and his son Kamose further decreased their territory. However, it was not until his successor Ahmose I, the first king of the 18th Dynasty, took the throne that the Hyksos were fully driven out of Egypt. 

Seqenenre Tao was a leader of the seventeenth dynasty, during the Second Intermediate Period and the Hyksos occupation of Egypt. He led a military campaign to remove Hyksos influence from Egypt. Unfortunately, he died as a result of battle wounds sustained in a skirmish with the Hyksos. His successors Kamose and Ahmose finished the fight, and the latter reunified Egypt and founded the eighteenth dynasty.