Editing Djedkare Isesi (section)

===Impact of the reforms===
[[File:Mastaba Senedjemib Inti.jpg|thumb|right|The large mastaba of Senedjemib Inti, vizier under Djedkare]]

For Nigel Strudwick, the reforms of Djedkare were undertaken as a reaction to the rapid growth of the central administration in the first part of the Fifth Dynasty{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|p=340}} which, Baer adds, had amassed too much political or economic power{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|p=341}} in the eyes of the king.{{sfn|Baer|1960|p=297 & 300}} [[Joyce Tyldesley]] sees the reign of Djedkare as the very beginning of a decline in the importance of the king, in conjunction with the gradual rise of the power wielded by the high and provincial administration.{{sfn|Tyldesley|2005|p=238}} Concurrent with this trend is a process of decentralization, with local loyalties slowly superseding allegiance to the central state.{{sfn|Tyldesley|2005|p=238}} Since offices and the vizierate in particular could be inherited,{{sfn|Altenmüller|2001|p=600}} the reforms of Djedkare created a "virtual feudal system" as [[Nicolas Grimal]] writes,{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=79}}{{sfn|Sicker|2000|p=12}} with much power in the hands of a few puissant officials. This is best witnessed by the large, magnificent mastaba tombs that Djedkare's viziers built.{{sfn|Grimal|1992|p=79}} In this context, Djedkare's reforms of the ranking system might have been an attempt at maintaining a sprawling administration under control,{{sfn|Trigger|2003|p=211}} yet ultimately failed. For some Egyptologists, such as [[Naguib Kanawati]], this failure contributed in no small part to the fall of the Old Kingdom,{{sfn|Kanawati|1980|p=131}} but others, including Strudwick, believe the reasons of the collapse must be sought elsewhere as the power of an administration official never approached that of the king.{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|p=341}}

The reforms of Djedkare played an important role in flourishing of the arts during the later Old Kingdom, as artisans and craftsmen could now find many wealthy patrons beyond the king. This created a surge in the number of commissions leading to a general improvement of the artistic works. This also provided the artisans with a new wealth, which they used to build their own large funerary complexes.{{sfn|Altenmüller|2001|p=600}}