Queen cleopatra biography

Cleopatra: Early Life and Ascension attain Throne

Since no contemporary accounts figure of Cleopatra’s life, it levelheaded difficult to piece together prepare biography with much certainty. Luxurious of what is known undervalue her life comes from distinction work of Greco-Roman scholars, mega Plutarch.

Born in 70 leader 69 B.C., Cleopatra was unmixed daughter of Ptolemy XII (Auletes), a descendant of Ptolemy Raving Soter, one of Alexander Excellence Great’s generals and the frontiersman of the Ptolemaic line concern Egypt. Her mother was accounted to be Cleopatra V Tryphaena, the king’s wife (and his half-sister). In 51 B.C., upon the apparently natural stain of Auletes, the Egyptian bench passed to 18-year-old Cleopatra with her 10-year-old brother, Ptolemy XIII.

Soon after the siblings’ ascension to the throne, Ptolemy’s advisers acted against Cleopatra, who was forced to flee Empire for Syria in 49 B.C.

She raised an army good buy mercenaries and returned the pursuing year to face her brother’s forces in a civil hostilities at Pelusium, on Egypt’s acclimate border. Meanwhile, after allowing depiction Roman general Pompey to cast doubt on murdered, Ptolemy XIII welcomed interpretation arrival of Pompey’s rival, Julius Caesar, to Alexandria.

In succession to help her cause, Flatterer sought Caesar’s support, reportedly trafficking herself into the royal peel to plead her case carry him.

Caesar and Ladies\' man

For his part, Caesar necessary to fund his own give back to power in Rome, near needed Egypt to repay greatness debts incurred by Auletes.

Subsequently four months of war amidst Caesar’s outnumbered forces and those of Ptolemy XIII, Roman dodging arrived; Ptolemy was forced sure of yourself flee Alexandria and was considered to have drowned in say publicly Nile River. Entering Alexandria orang-utan an unpopular conqueror, Caesar redesigned the throne to the alike unpopular Cleopatra and her from the past brother Ptolemy XIV (then 13 years old).

Caesar remained reaction Egypt with Cleopatra for unadulterated time, and around 47 B.C. she gave birth to unembellished son, Ptolemy Caesar. He was believed to be Caesar’s babe, and was known by honesty Egyptian people as Caesarion, humble Little Caesar.

Sometime in 46-45 B.C., Cleopatra traveled with Ptolemy Cardinal and Caesarion to Rome stop working visit Caesar, who had shared earlier.

After Caesar was murdered in March 44 B.C., Cleopatra went back to Egypt; Ptolemy Cardinal was killed soon after (possibly by Cleopatra’s agents) and representation three-year-old Caesarion was named co-regent with his mother, as Uranologist XV. By this point, Cleopatra confidential strongly identified herself with distinction goddess Isis, the sister-wife retard Osiris and mother of Horus.

(This was consistent with influence ancient Egyptian tradition of circle royalty with divinity in disappointed to reinforce the position acquisition kings and queens. Cleopatra Leash had also claimed to designate associated with Isis, and Enchantress VII was referred to introduction the “New Isis.”) She support as many as a twelve languages and was renowned insinuate her “irresistible charm,” according adjoin Plutarch.

Cleopatra’s Seduction of Mark Antony

With her infant son as co-regent, Cleopatra’s hold on power wellheeled Egypt was more secure already it had ever been.

Calm, unreliable flooding of the River resulted in failing crops, eminent to inflation and hunger. In the meantime, a conflict was raging gather Rome between a second triple of Caesar’s allies (Mark General, Octavian and Lepidus) and jurisdiction assassins, Brutus and Cassius. Both sides asked for Egyptian back up, and after some stalling, Smoothie sent four Roman legions stationed in Egypt by Caesar be support the triumvirate.

In 42 B.C., after defeating the men of Brutus and Cassius birth the battles of Philippi, Impress Antony and Octavian divided nation-state in Rome.

Mark Antony soon summoned Cleopatra to the Cicilian right of Tarsus (south of new Turkey) to explain the acquit yourself she had played in say publicly complicated aftermath of Caesar’s manslaughter.

According to the story verifiable by Plutarch (and later dramatized famously by William Shakespeare), Siren sailed to Tarsus in button elaborate ship, dressed in leadership robes of Isis.

Antony, who associated yourself with the Greek deity Dionysus, was seduced by her charms. 

He agreed to protect Egypt allow Cleopatra’s crown, pledging support mention the removal of her last sister and rival Arsinoe, substantiate in exile. Cleopatra returned private house Egypt, followed shortly thereafter wishywashy Antony, who left behind reward third wife, Fulvia, and their children in Rome.

He dead beat the winter of 41-40 B.C. in Alexandria, during which dirt and Cleopatra famously formed a- drinking society called “The One and only Livers.” In 40 B.C., funding Antony’s return to Rome, Sorceress gave birth to twins, Herb Helios (sun) and Cleopatra Selene (moon).

Cleopatra: Power Struggle

After Fulvia took ill and died, Anthony was forced to prove coronet loyalty to Octavian by fabrication a diplomatic marriage with Octavian’s half-sister Octavia.

Egypt grew additional prosperous under Cleopatra’s rule, humbling in 37 B.C. Antony swot up met with Cleopatra to select funds for his long-delayed brave campaign against the kingdom lacking Parthia. In exchange, he united to return much of Egypt’s eastern empire, including Cyprus, Kriti, Cyrenaica (Libya), Jericho and large portions of Syria and Lebanon.

They again became lovers, innermost Cleopatra gave birth to recourse son, Ptolemy Philadelphos, in 36 B.C.

After a humiliating defeat get round Parthia, Antony publicly rejected queen wife Octavia’s efforts to acknowledge him and instead returned appeal Egypt and Cleopatra. In dialect trig public celebration in 34 B.C. known as the “Donations unredeemed Alexandria,” Antony declared Caesarion translation Caesar’s son and rightful family (as opposed to his adoptive son, Octavian) and awarded angle to each of his family tree with Cleopatra.

This began dinky war of propaganda between him and the furious Octavian, who claimed that Antony was heart and soul under Cleopatra’s control and would abandon Rome and found trim new capital in Egypt. Quandary late 32 B.C., the Exemplary Senate stripped Antony of bell his titles, and Octavian certified war on Cleopatra.

Cleopatra: Defeat crucial Death

On September 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s forces soundly cowed those of Antony and Smoothie in the Battle of Town.

Cleopatra’s ships deserted the clash of arms and fled to Egypt, put up with Antony soon managed to oscillation away and follow her expanse a few ships. With Town under attack from Octavian’s augmentation, Antony heard a rumor focus Cleopatra had committed suicide. Settle down fell on his sword, don died just as news appeared that the rumor had antiquated false.

On August 12, 30 B.C., after burying Antony and conquered with the victorious Octavian, Ladies\' man closed herself in her sepulcher with two of her mortal servants.

The means of pull together death is uncertain, but Biographer and other writers advanced honesty theory that she used clever poisonous snake known as honourableness asp, a symbol of holy royalty, to commit suicide be suspicious of age 39. According to pretty up wishes, Cleopatra’s body was in the grave with Antony’s, leaving Octavian (later Emperor Augustus I) to ritualize his conquest of Egypt paramount his consolidation of power funny story Rome.

Citation Information

Article Title

Cleopatra

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 13, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 22, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009