Ramesses the Fourth was the eldest son of Ramesses the Third. He succeeded his father after having saved the throne from his father's murders and punished the conspirators but he is considered to have been the first of a series of increasingly weak rulers.

Originally, he was buried in tomb KV 2 in the Valley of the Kings, but he was reburied in the tomb of Amenhotep the Second; his mummy was clumsily rewrapped and labeled by later priests.

The king's eyes were replaced by artificial ones made of small onions, a unique case in mummification. In addition, each nostril was covered with the skin of an onion; it is possible that onions were used for their well-known antiseptic qualities.