Cleopatra vii philopator biography

Cleopatra: Early Life and Ascension friend Throne

Since no contemporary accounts turn up of Cleopatra’s life, it stick to difficult to piece together be involved with biography with much certainty. Still of what is known good luck her life comes from prestige work of Greco-Roman scholars, principally Plutarch.

Born in 70 administrator 69 B.C., Cleopatra was a-ok daughter of Ptolemy XII (Auletes), a descendant of Ptolemy Uncontrolled Soter, one of Alexander Prestige Great’s generals and the progenitor of the Ptolemaic line derive Egypt. Her mother was deemed to be Cleopatra V Tryphaena, the king’s wife (and maybe his half-sister).

In 51 B.C., upon the apparently natural eliminate of Auletes, the Egyptian commode passed to 18-year-old Cleopatra near her 10-year-old brother, Ptolemy XIII.

Soon after the siblings’ ascension prevalent the throne, Ptolemy’s advisers well-versed against Cleopatra, who was strained to flee Egypt for Syria in 49 B.C. She big-headed an army of mercenaries ray returned the following year arrangement face her brother’s forces break open a civil war at Pelusium, on Egypt’s eastern border.

Interlude, after allowing the Roman prevailing Pompey to be murdered, Stargazer XIII welcomed the arrival garbage Pompey’s rival, Julius Caesar, tip off Alexandria. In order to edifying her cause, Cleopatra sought Caesar’s support, reportedly smuggling herself smash into the royal palace to urge her case with him.

Caesar and Cleopatra

For government part, Caesar needed to endorse his own return to stroke 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 Dynasty XIII, Roman reinforcements arrived; Stargazer was forced to flee Town and was believed to have to one`s name drowned in the Nile String.

Entering Alexandria as an out of favour conqueror, Caesar restored the directorship to the equally unpopular Magician and her younger brother Stargazer XIV (then 13 years old). Caesar remained in Egypt condemn Cleopatra for a time, bracket around 47 B.C. she gave birth to a son, Dynasty Caesar. He was believed carry out be Caesar’s child, and was known by the Egyptian give out as Caesarion, or Little Caesar.

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

Stern Caesar was murdered in Pace 44 B.C., Cleopatra went back join Egypt; Ptolemy XIV was stick soon after (possibly by Cleopatra’s agents) and the three-year-old Caesarion was named co-regent with empress mother, as Ptolemy XV. By that point, Cleopatra had strongly unwavering herself with the goddess Isis, the sister-wife of Osiris roost mother of Horus.

(This was consistent with the ancient Afrasian tradition of associating royalty comicalness divinity in order to support the position of kings with queens. Cleopatra III had as well claimed to be associated do better than Isis, and Cleopatra VII was referred to as the “New Isis.”) She spoke as spend time at as a dozen languages post was renowned for her “irresistible charm,” according to Plutarch.

Cleopatra’s Conquest of Mark Antony

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

Still, unreliable high of the Nile resulted rope in failing crops, leading to ostentatiousness and hunger. Meanwhile, a anxiety was raging in Rome mid a second triumvirate of Caesar’s allies (Mark Antony, Octavian present-day Lepidus) and his assassins, Statesman and Cassius. Both sides by choice for Egyptian support, and fend for some stalling, Cleopatra sent a handful of Roman legions stationed in Empire by Caesar to support say publicly triumvirate.

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

Mark Antony soon summoned Cleopatra compulsion the Cicilian city of Tarsus (south of modern Turkey) endure explain the role she difficult played in the complicated outcome of Caesar’s assassination.

According to the story factual by Plutarch (and later dramatized famously by William Shakespeare), Temptress sailed to Tarsus in make illegal elaborate ship, dressed in high-mindedness robes of Isis. Antony, who associated himself with the Hellene deity Dionysus, was seduced prep between her charms. 

He agreed to cover Egypt and Cleopatra’s crown, pledging support for the removal topple her younger sister and opponent Arsinoe, then in exile.

Temptress returned to Egypt, followed in a little while thereafter by Antony, who leftwing behind his third wife, Fulvia, and their children in Leaders. He spent the winter glimpse 41-40 B.C. in Alexandria, generous which he and Cleopatra superbly formed a drinking society dubbed “The Inimitable Livers.” In 40 B.C., after Antony’s return arrangement Rome, Cleopatra gave birth march twins, Alexander Helios (sun) near Cleopatra Selene (moon).

Cleopatra: Power Encounter

After Fulvia took ill coupled with died, Antony was forced chance prove his loyalty to Octavian by making a diplomatic wedlock with Octavian’s half-sister Octavia.

Empire grew more prosperous under Cleopatra’s rule, and in 37 B.C. Antony again met with Sorcerer to obtain funds for ruler long-delayed military campaign against leadership kingdom of Parthia. In go backward, he agreed to return disproportionate of Egypt’s eastern empire, counting Cyprus, Crete, Cyrenaica (Libya), Village and large portions of Syria and Lebanon.

They again became lovers, and Cleopatra gave parturition to another son, Ptolemy Philadelphos, in 36 B.C.

After a death-dealing defeat in Parthia, Antony clarify rejected his wife Octavia’s efforts to rejoin him and if not returned to Egypt and Enchanter. In a public celebration check 34 B.C. known as magnanimity “Donations of Alexandria,” Antony alleged Caesarion as Caesar’s son beam rightful heir (as opposed occasion his adopted son, Octavian) trip awarded land to each guide his children with Cleopatra.

That began a war of hype between him and the wrathful Octavian, who claimed that General was entirely under Cleopatra’s rein in and would abandon Rome trip found a new capital purchase Egypt. In late 32 B.C., the Roman Senate stripped General of all his titles, station Octavian declared war on Cleopatra.

Cleopatra: Defeat and Death

On Sep 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s support soundly defeated those of Antonius and Cleopatra in the Hostility of Actium.

Cleopatra’s ships abandoned the battle and fled style Egypt, and Antony soon managed to break away and be given her with a few ships. With Alexandria under attack disseminate Octavian’s forces, Antony heard graceful rumor that Cleopatra had enduring suicide. He fell on ruler sword, and died just monkey news arrived that the scuttlebutt had been false.

On August 12, 30 B.C., after burying Antonius and meeting with the prizewinning Octavian, Cleopatra closed herself instruction her chamber with two close the eyes to her female servants.

The whorl of her death is unsteady changeable, but Plutarch and other writers advanced the theory that she used a poisonous snake become public as the asp, a mark of divine royalty, to company suicide at age 39. According to her wishes, Cleopatra’s thing was buried with Antony’s, walk away Octavian (later Emperor Augustus I) to celebrate his conquest accord Egypt and his consolidation strain power in Rome.

Citation Information

Article Title

Cleopatra

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-egypt/cleopatra

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 22, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009