Throughout ancient times there has been many rulers who’ve made history. Two of the most famous female leaders throughout history have been Cleopatra and Elizabeth I. These two rulers had a big impact on their nations throughout their regime. With their intelligence and wits they did a great deal for their people. They both influenced their people and demonstrated that women could also rule a kingdom. Cleopatra was born around the time of 69 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt. She was part of the Ptolemaic dynasty and ascended the throne when she was 18 years old with her younger brother. Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533 in Greenwich England. Elizabeth I was declared illegitimate but she eventually claimed the throne at age 25. Cleopatra ruled from 51 B.C. to 30 B.C. and Elizabeth I ruled from 1558 to 1603. Cleopatra and Elizabeth I both defeated plots against them, were independent rulers, and were big supporters of the arts. However, although Cleopatra tried to maintain Egypt’s independence, ally with important Roman leaders, and be loved by her people, Elizabeth I helped her nation the most by …show more content…
When Cleopatra was having trouble with her brother, Ptolemy XIII, she saw Julius Caesar as a valuable ally in her fight for the throne. She ordered a servant to wrap her in a carpet so she could sneak into the palace and present herself to him. It is said that “the gesture won over Rome’s future dictator-for-life”. Julius accepted to help her and they became intimate and had a child together. Unfortunately, Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C. After his death Cleopatra formed a political and romantic partnership with Roman general, Mark Antony. They had three children together, and opposed an enemy named Octavian. In 30 B.C., Mark Antony was captured and forced to kill himself by Octavian. This resulted in Cleopatra’s death when she committed suicide after hearing that Mark Antony was
The conflict between the forces of the Roman Republic, Mark Antony, and Cleopatra against those of Octavian (later Augustus Caesar), the heir to Julius Caesar and the first Emperor of Rome, is the subject of the quote from the World History Encyclopedia about Cleopatra. The Battle of Actium, which took place in 31 BCE, marked the culmination of this conflict when Octavian soundly beat Mark Antony and Cleopatra's united army. In order to prevent the Roman invasion of Egypt, Cleopatra had a few tactical options. Diplomatic Maneuvers: In order to preserve her position as a regional power and forge alliances, Cleopatra may have undertaken more comprehensive diplomatic initiatives.
"For Rome, who had never condescended to fear any nation or people, did in her time fear two human beings; one was Hannibal, and the other was a woman" (Lefkowitz and Fant 126). During a time dominated by male rulers, Cleopatra VII Philopator (69 BCE – 31 BCE), the Last Pharaoh of Egypt, stood out among them all. With Egypt’s wealth at her disposal, she was “incomparably richer than anyone else” (Schiff 2). The amount of power a ruler had at the time of Cleopatra’s existence depended highly on the level of financial stability. However, wealth was not all Cleopatra was known for. She exhibited high militant leadership skills equal to that of her male counterparts to keep Egypt a prosperous country.
Cleopatra married another brother, Ptolemy XIV. Law in Egypt prevented women from ruling, alone which is why she married him. Even though she married Ptolemy XIV she was in love with Caesar. Cleopatra spent the next several months with Caesar travelling along the Nile. In 46 BC Cleopatra gave birth to Caesar’s son who was named Caesarian or little Caesar. She emphasized that it was Caesar’s child and Caesar never formally accepted paternity over the child. Even
Cleopatra was queen of Egypt, last swayer of the dynasty founded by Ptolemy, a Macedonian general of Alexander the Great, who took Egypt as his portion in splitting Alexander? s imperium. Her capital, Alexander, founded by Alexander the Great, was the centre of Hellenistic Greek civilization of the universe at that clip, every bit good as a great commercial centre. Although she imagined as a? beautiful and glamourous adult female today, she was non really beautifully depicted on antediluvian coins, holding a long hook nose, and masculine characteristics? ( Flamarion 181 ) .
In 51 BCE along with her brothers Ptolemy XII and Ptolemy XIV, she ascended the throne. Cleopatra ruled alongside her brother, who after the death of her father exiled her from the country. During her reign, she had formed political alliances and became romantically involved with Roman military leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. After the assassination of Caesar in 44 BC, Cleopatra soon formed a relationship with Mark Antony. Although this relationship would not last long due to.. .Her
There are plenty of beauty remedies ancient Egyptians used to use to keep their body looking flawless, youthful, and glowing and one person that is very famous for her looks was Cleopatra, and was due to her beauty remedies.
On September 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s forces soundly defeated those of Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium. Cleopatra’s ships abandoned the battle and fled to Egypt, and Antony soon managed to break away and follow her with a few ships. With Alexandria under attack from Octavian’s forces, Antony heard a rumor that Cleopatra had committed suicide. He fell on his sword and died just as news arrived that the rumor had been false.
Wanting to avoid yet another Roman civil war, Octavian did not want to pit Romans against Romans, and so he instead chose to ignore Antony and focus Rome’s suspicion and hostility on Antony’s wife — Cleopatra — instead (Schiff). Two themes dominated the propaganda spread by Octavian. The first being that Cleopatra had used sex to ensnare Antony and lure him away from his wife (and Octavian’s sister), Octavia, causing him to become totally subservient to the Egyptian queen who was now forcing him to oppose Rome’s best interests by giving Cleopatra and her children Roman territories; and the second, and arguably worse, theme was that Cleopatra’s true goal was not to secure the welfare of Egypt, but the subjection of Rome to Egypt (Burstein
Arrow come here girl, uh where is that darn cat, oh sorry I didn’t see you there, my guards never informed me I that I would have guest here today, I was just looking for my pet leopard arrow. That cat always sneaking off. But how rude of me to not introduce to myself, I am Queen Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile.
After Ptolemy XIII has his guardians revolt against Cleopatra, she was forced to flee to Syria, leaving the throne open to her brother and meaning she had to work to gain her power back. Cleopatra found an opportunity when Julius Caesar, one of the most powerful men in Rome at that time, arrived at Alexandria during his war with Pompey the Great. It was soon clear that Caesar and Ptolemy XIII were not amicable after Ptolemy presented the head of Pompey to Caesar, who, instead of being pleased with the defeat of his enemy, believed this move to be an insult to the greatness of his opponent. This gave Cleopatra the chance to create a connection between herself and Caesar, who prolonged his stay in Alexandria. Cleopatra smuggled herself in a rug into the palace where the Roman leader was staying, and impressed him with her intelligence, scheming and desirability that ran further, making her stand out from the rest of the women who tempted Caesar. It was not long before Caesar and Cleopatra began an affair, and he reinstated her power over Egypt, causing an end to the ruling of Ptolemy XIII and with it came the birth of Caesarion, their child and intended heir to the throne. Throughout this whole ordeal, it becomes apparent how calculating and knowledgeable Cleopatra was on how to influence the leader of Rome and to become appealing in a way that would
After Ptolemy XIII’s death, Caesar restored Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIV, her youngest brother, as rulers of Egypt. In 47 B.C., Cleopatra gave birth to a child that was believed to be Caesar’s. The child was Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor Caesar, but was known to the Egyptian people as Caesarion, which means “Little Caesar.” In 46 to 45 B.C. Cleopatra, Ptolemy XIV, and Caesarion traveled to Rome to be with Caesar. He was murdered soon after in March of 44 B.C. They returned to Egypt where Ptolemy XIV died soon after their return. (“Cleopatra VII’s Childhood…”) Cleopatra feared for their lives because of the Caesarion posed to Octavian. (“Cleopatra: The Woman…”)
Cleopatra was a woman. “Cleopatra stood at one of the most dangerous intersections in history: that of women and power. Clever women, Euripides had warned hundreds of years earlier, were dangerous” (112). The number of successful female leaders up until this day is drastically smaller than the male ones, and even now in 21st century the stereotype of a leader is a male. How did Cleopatra manage to go around this stereotype and become such a successful ruler? She got the men of her time obsessed with her. When thinking about power, we should remember Aristotle’s saying, “Yet what difference does it make weather the women rule or the rulers are ruled by women? The result is the same”. Cleopatra managed to be a ruler herself, while ruling the most influential men of her time. No one before, or after Cleopatra was ever able to do this again, but to this day she is a role model. She proved that not only men can be in charge and that women can do as much as a man
The author, Don Nardo, says that Caesar and Cleo went from being political partners to them being lovers. Cleo and Julius went from acquaintances to lovers; they had a kid together so when the council stabbed Julius 23 times, killing him, she automatically knew that she would have to run to protect the kid and herself. “Meanwhile, she was anxious to acquire Egypt’s throne and urgently needed his backing in her contest with her younger brother. Therefore, Cleopatra and Caesar would each benefit significantly from a mutual pact at that moment in time. As it happened, they not only joined forces politically speaking, but also became personal friends and lovers.” (Nardo 26) This quote speculates how Cleopatra was trying to use Caesar to get an advantage in gaining power over her brother and everyone else. Cleopatra was the most affected by Julius Caesar’s death because when he was killed, she lost all of her allied powers and led Rome and Egypt into a war, but she was very significant in the time
Cleopatra was a noteworthy Egyptian Pharaoh whose legacy and role was shaped by her experiences and achievements in ancient Egypt. It can be argued Cleopatra was a significant figure and her role and legacy was formed by her experiences, achievements because she stood for a symbol of power and strength in a time where society was male dominated. Cleopatra’s personality and early life impacted the beginning of her rise to power and in 51 BC she became sole leader of the Egypt. The key events in Cleopatra’s reign and the role she played during the alliance between herself and Caesar impacted on her reign. External factors informed her motives, which pushed her to make decisions during her rule, as it significantly impacted her relationship with Mark Antony. Cleopatra’s legacy had short and long-term effects; the consequences of her decisions pushed her to commit suicide, the events and choices she made during her life portrayed her significance.
Following Caesar's assassination, which Cleopatra's presence in Rome may have provoked, Cleopatra had an affair with another Roman leader. Marc Antony was planning a campaign in Parthia and was in desperate need of money when he called upon Cleopatra to question why she had allied herself with some of Rome’s enemies. Antony’s need for money proved to be a lucky break for her. Plutarch claimed that Cleopatra went to this meeting deliberately scheming to seduce Antony and some even claim that she purposefully broke up the alliance between Antony and Octavian. Cleopatra's belief that Caesarion would be accepted as Caesar's heir if she was successful in eradicating Octavin may support this claim. At this meeting Cleopatra requested for Antony to take control of her troubled territory in Cyprus. She also