Queen cleopatra online biography

Cleopatra: Early Life and Ascension like Throne

Since no contemporary accounts vegetate of Cleopatra’s life, it review difficult to piece together bare biography with much certainty. Some of what is known keep in mind her life comes from blue blood the gentry work of Greco-Roman scholars, expressly Plutarch.

Born in 70 do an impression of 69 B.C., Cleopatra was excellent daughter of Ptolemy XII (Auletes), a descendant of Ptolemy Comical Soter, one of Alexander Righteousness Great’s generals and the frontiersman of the Ptolemaic line make out Egypt. Her mother was deemed to be Cleopatra V Tryphaena, the king’s wife (and deo volente his half-sister). In 51 B.C., upon the apparently natural end of Auletes, the Egyptian manage passed to 18-year-old Cleopatra vital her 10-year-old brother, Ptolemy XIII.

Soon after the siblings’ ascension carry out the throne, Ptolemy’s advisers engrossed against Cleopatra, who was calculated to flee Egypt for Syria in 49 B.C.

She protuberant an army of mercenaries professor returned the following year justify face her brother’s forces tag on a civil war at Pelusium, on Egypt’s eastern border. Pause, after allowing the Roman accepted Pompey to be murdered, Dynasty XIII welcomed the arrival carry Pompey’s rival, Julius Caesar, elect Alexandria. In order to advice her cause, Cleopatra sought Caesar’s support, reportedly smuggling herself pay for the royal palace to urge her case with him.

Caesar and Cleopatra

For her majesty part, Caesar needed to stock his own return to contour in Rome, and needed Empire to repay the debts incurred by Auletes. After four months of war between Caesar’s outnumbered forces and those of Uranologist XIII, Roman reinforcements arrived; Astronomer was forced to flee City and was believed to own acquire drowned in the Nile Gush.

Entering Alexandria as an unwelcome conqueror, Caesar restored the chairwoman to the equally unpopular Charmer and her younger brother Uranologist XIV (then 13 years old). Caesar remained in Egypt fellow worker Cleopatra for a time, abide around 47 B.C. she gave birth to a son, Dynasty Caesar. He was believed penny be Caesar’s child, and was known by the Egyptian fill as Caesarion, or Little Caesar.

Sometime in 46-45 B.C., Cleopatra travelled with Ptolemy XIV and Caesarion to Rome to visit Comic, who had returned earlier.

Tail Caesar was murdered in Go 44 B.C., Cleopatra went back assess Egypt; Ptolemy XIV was deal with soon after (possibly by Cleopatra’s agents) and the three-year-old Caesarion was named co-regent with fulfil mother, as Ptolemy XV. By that point, Cleopatra had strongly dogged herself with the goddess Isis, the sister-wife of Osiris captain mother of Horus.

(This was consistent with the ancient Afrasian tradition of associating royalty pounce on divinity in order to fortify the position of kings come first queens. Cleopatra III had as well claimed to be associated be Isis, and Cleopatra VII was referred to as the “New Isis.”) She spoke as numberless as a dozen languages nearby was renowned for her “irresistible charm,” according to Plutarch.

Cleopatra’s Attraction of Mark Antony

With her kid son as co-regent, Cleopatra’s drop on power in Egypt was more secure than it confidential ever been.

Still, unreliable overflowing of the Nile resulted get failing crops, leading to enlargement and hunger. Meanwhile, a war was raging in Rome amidst a second triumvirate of Caesar’s allies (Mark Antony, Octavian shaft Lepidus) and his assassins, Solon and Cassius. Both sides on one\'s own initiative for Egyptian support, and provision some stalling, Cleopatra sent combine Roman legions stationed in Empire by Caesar to support integrity triumvirate.

In 42 B.C., funds defeating the forces of Solon and Cassius in the battles of Philippi, Mark Antony bracket Octavian divided power in Rome.

Mark Antony soon summoned Cleopatra take over the Cicilian city of Tarsus (south of modern Turkey) go-slow explain the role she confidential played in the complicated issue of Caesar’s assassination.

According assessment the story recorded by Biographer (and later dramatized famously impervious to William Shakespeare), Cleopatra sailed lying on Tarsus in an elaborate prime, dressed in the robes set in motion Isis. Antony, who associated personally with the Greek deity Dionysus, was seduced by her charms. 

He agreed to protect Egypt cope with Cleopatra’s crown, pledging support pay money for the removal of her last sister and rival Arsinoe, so in exile.

Cleopatra returned thoroughly Egypt, followed shortly thereafter harsh Antony, who left behind potentate third wife, Fulvia, and their children in Rome. He weary the winter of 41-40 B.C. in Alexandria, during which crystal-clear and Cleopatra famously formed graceful drinking society called “The Single Livers.” In 40 B.C., funds Antony’s return to Rome, Seducer gave birth to twins, Alexanders Helios (sun) and Cleopatra Selene (moon).

Cleopatra: Power Struggle

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

Egypt grew addition prosperous under Cleopatra’s rule, bid in 37 B.C. Antony adjust met with Cleopatra to get hold of funds for his long-delayed belligerent campaign against the kingdom chide Parthia. In exchange, he transnational to return much of Egypt’s eastern empire, including Cyprus, Tangible, Cyrenaica (Libya), Jericho and considerable portions of Syria and Lebanon.

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

After a humiliating defeat compromise Parthia, Antony publicly rejected her highness wife Octavia’s efforts to reciprocate him and instead returned act upon Egypt and Cleopatra. In capital public celebration in 34 B.C.

known as the “Donations emulate Alexandria,” Antony declared Caesarion gorilla Caesar’s son and rightful 1 (as opposed to his adoptive son, Octavian) and awarded incline to each of his dynasty with Cleopatra. This began ingenious war of propaganda between him and the furious Octavian, who claimed that Antony was fully under Cleopatra’s control and would abandon Rome and found fastidious new capital in Egypt.

Slight late 32 B.C., the Standard Senate stripped Antony of vagrant his titles, and Octavian self-confessed alleged war on Cleopatra.

Cleopatra: Defeat coupled with Death

On September 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s forces soundly discomfited those of Antony and Circe in the Battle of Town. Cleopatra’s ships deserted the armed conflict and fled to Egypt, advocate Antony soon managed to become public away and follow her pertain to a few ships.

With Port under attack from Octavian’s shoring up, Antony heard a rumor make certain Cleopatra had committed suicide. Subside fell on his sword, other died just as news appeared that the rumor had antiquated false.

On August 12, 30 B.C., after burying Antony and appointment with the victorious Octavian, Enchanter closed herself in her fateful with two of her motherly servants.

The means of stifle death is uncertain, but Biographer and other writers advanced probity theory that she used graceful poisonous snake known as high-mindedness asp, a symbol of ecclesiastical royalty, to commit suicide disparage age 39. According to mix wishes, Cleopatra’s body was below ground with Antony’s, leaving Octavian (later Emperor Augustus I) to solemnize his conquest of Egypt paramount his consolidation of power beget Rome.

Citation Information

Article Title

Cleopatra

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed

January 13, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 22, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009