Tiy was a queen of the 18th Dynasty, married to Amenhotep III (1391-1353 B.C.). The daughter of Yuia, a priest of Akhmin, and Tuia, a servant of the queen , Mutemwiya, Tiy likely married Amenhotep while he was a prince. She is believed to have been only 11 or 12 years old at the time of the marriage.. She was intelligent and diligent, the first queen of Egypt to have her name on official acts, including the announcement of the king's marriage to a foreign princess.

After giving birth to Akhenaten and a number of royal daughters, Tiy urged her oldest daughter, Princess Sitamun, to marry the king. It is believed that she did this in order to ensure royal heirs to the throne

Amenhotep III built a pleasure palace for Tiy and for the members of the royal family at Malkata, on the western shore of Thebes. He retired to his own palace with his women and allowed her to see to the affairs of state with counselors and officials. Tiy was mentioned by the kings of several other lands in their correspondence, having been made known to them in her official dealings. She was widowed at the age of 48. Akhenaten retired to 'Amarna, and for a time Tiy lived there. Depictions of her show a forceful woman with a sharp chin, deep-set eyes and a firm mouth.