Pepi I must have acquired his throne at a very young age because he ruled for around 50 years- a very long time considering most ancient Egyptian men died before their 50th birthday. He even managed to escape a murder plot that one of his wives had planned! She disappeared shortly after the general Weni discovered her role... Pepi later replaced her with two daughters of an Egyptian nomarch. One of them gave birth to Merenre, who ruled as pharaoh for only 5 years after Pepi, and the other wife bore Pepi II who became pharaoh after Merenre.

Pepi I is remembered for his military campaigns and trading expeditions, which spread from Nubia in the south to the Sinai in the northeast.