Merenre I was the oldest surviving son of Pepi I and Ankhenesmerire II, the Ankhenesmerire that Pepi I married during the second half of his reign.

He had a daughter, Iput II, but the name of the mother of this child is not known.

The 40 years credited to him by the Turin King-list is probably due to a bad restoration or interpretation of the papyrus. There may have been a confusion between his prenomen, Merenre, and that of his father, which was Merire. It is now generally believed that Merenre I's reign was short, some 7 to 9 years.

In his 5th regnal year, Merenre I travelled to the 1st cataract in the South of Egypt, to receive tribute from the Nubian chiefs. The governor of Elephantine led several military campaigns into Nubia during his reign.

His name has also been found in the Wadi Hammamat and in the alabaster quarries of Hatnub, indicating a continued mining activity in these two regions.

His pyramid, in Saqqara South, appears not to have been completed. The mummy found inside the pyramid would be the oldest known royal mummy, if it actually is Merenre I's.

- History -

Merenre I represented as a sphinx offering two jars of wine.