Merhotepre Ini was the son and successor of Merneferre Ay and a king of the late Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt

Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt

The thirteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties XI, XII and XIV under the group title Middle Kingdom. Other writers separate it from these dynasties and join it to Dynasties XIV through XVII as part of the Second Intermediate Period...

. He is assigned a brief reign of 2 Years 3 or 4 Months and 9 days in the Turin Canon. Although Merhotepre enjoyed a very brief reign, he is attested in the historical records by the Cairo Juridical Stela.

This document, which is dated to Year 1 of the later Theban king Nebiriau I, contains a genealogical charter which states that Ayameru--the son by Vizier Aya and the King's daughter Reditenes--was appointed Governor of El-Kab in Year 1 of Merhotepre Ini. The reason for this appointment was due to the unexpected death of the childless Governor of El-Kab Aya-junior who was Vizier Aya's eldest son and Ayameru's elder brother. The charter identifies a certain Kebsi as the son of Governor, and later, Vizier Ayameru. The Cairo Juridical Stela records the sale of the office of the governorship of El-Kab

El Kab

El Kab is an Upper Egyptian site on the east bank of the Nile at the mouth of Wadi Hillal, about 80 km south of Luxor, consisting of prehistoric and Pharaonic settlements, rock-cut tombs of the early 18th Dynasty , remains of temples dating from the Early Dynastic period to the Ptolemaic...

 to a certain Sobeknakht. This Sobeknakht was the father of the illustrious governor Sobeknakht II

Sobeknakht II

Sobeknakht II was an important local Governor at El-Kab and a supporter of the Theban 16th or 17th dynasty during the Second Intermediate Period...

 who built one of the most richly decorated tombs at El-Kab during the Second Intermediate Period.