Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh of Egypt. She was beautiful, highly educated, wealthy, and could speak various languages. She was a powerful woman who ruled for nearly 30 years and made strong alliances with Rome through relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. In 69 B.C., Cleopatra VII was born in Egypt. (Bio) She had three sisters and two younger brothers. Her father was Ptolemy XII and her mother’s identity is unknown. Cleopatra and all of the Ptolemies were of Macedonian Greek descent. The line of rule was set in 323 B.C., after the death of Alexander the Great. Cleopatra was knowledgeable in mathematics, writing, and in the laws and customs of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. She could speak the native language of Egypt along with Greek …show more content…
She then returned and set up her army outside the capital of Egypt.(Crawford) In 48 B.C., Julius Caesar had traveled to Egypt and Ptolemy XIII arranged for the murder of Caesar’s rival, Pompey, to please the Romans. Meanwhile, Cleopatra snuck herself into the palace where Caesar was. She was wrapped up in a Persian carpet and a soldier presented the carpet to Caesar. He unrolled the carpet and Cleopatra came out of it. Caesar, the great Roman leader, was impressed by her bravery and beauty. Ptolemy saw Cleopatra with Caesar and called her a traitor. Cleopatra’s younger sister, Arsinoe IV, and Ptolemy XIII fought against Cleopatra and Caesar in attempt to gain control of Egypt. In 44 B.C., Ptolemy XIII died during the war and Caesar captured Arsinoe IV and sent her to Rome. Cleopatra then married another brother, Ptolemy XIV, who was about ten 10 years old. …show more content…
They agreed to divide the empire between them and Antony received the eastern part of the empire which included Egypt. He arranged a meeting with Cleopatra and she came dressed as the goddess Isis. Antony fell in love with Cleopatra and they became lovers.. Antony killed Arsinoe XV and possibly Ptolemy XIV in the name of love because they were a threat to Cleopatra’s rule. Antony helped Cleopatra gain Syria, Phoenicia, and Cyprus. In Rome, Octavius accused Antony of giving Roman property to a foreign woman. Antony defeated Octavius in a battle in 34 B.C., and then returned to Alexandria, Egypt with Cleopatra. They then returned to Rome again to fight against Octavius once more and they lost the battle. Antony fled to Macedonia and Cleopatra returned to
Meanwhile, there were issues in Rome between Marc Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus (Julius Caesar’s allies), and Caesar's’ assassins, Brutus and Cassius. Both sides seeked Egypt’s support and Cleopatra joined forces with Caesar’s allies. In 42 B.C., Mark Antony and Octavian divided the power in Rome after defeating Brutus and Cassius in the battles of Philippi. Like all divided thrones, only one wants to be in charge. Marc Antony and Octavian, which was Caesar’s great-nephew became rivals. Marc Anthony sent for Cleopatra to get answers about Rome’s former leader, Caesar. Cleopatra accepted the request and welcomed him. Soon, Marc Antony fell in love with Cleopatra’s beauty and how she was as a person, then fell into a love affair with her. They had three children,there were twins named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene. She had motivations of her own, in exchange for her help, she seeked for the eastern eastern Egypt’s empire to be under her power once again, that also included large areas of Lebanon and Syria. Marc Antony returned to Alexandria triumphant with Cleopatra by his side, in 34 B.C. People were all over them to take a look at the couple that were seated on golden thrones where they looked down upon everyone and sitting beside them were their
In 51 B.C., Ptolemy XII died, leaving the throne to 18-year-old Cleopatra and her brother, the 10-year-old Ptolemy XIII. It is likely that the two siblings married, as was customary at the time. Over the next few years Egypt struggled to face down a number of issues, from an unhealthy economy to floods to famine.
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
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.
Despite the fact that Ptolemy was Greek, in order to acknowledged by society, he added numerous Egyptian customs in his administration. Historians defines Cleopatra as lovely and the prevailing ruler in each of the three of her co-rulers consist of two brothers and her son. She was higly educated woman because she studied science, astronomy and also she could speak different languages. “Cleopatra was a skilled orator. Plutarch wrote that the queen was gripping in her conversation and persuasive in her discussion, able to speak Ethiopian, Trogodyte, and the languages of the Hebraioi, Arabes, Syrians, Medes, and Parthians, and many others as well. Egyptian is not specified but can be presumed because Plutarch referred to the ignorance of that language on the part of her royal predecessors. In addition to her native Greek, she also knew Latin, although the Romans with whom she came into contact would insist on speaking Greek.” After her father death, she came to power in 51 B.C. at the age of eigthteen. “Thus when Cleopatra VII came to the throne in late 51 B.C., she was a remarkably educated
Mark Antony was in a rivalry that resulted in a battle. When Mark Antony arrived to the battlefield, he was falsely informed that Cleopatra was killed during the battle and after hearing this, committed suicide. After the death of Mark Antony, Cleopatra then followed suit and took her life as well by antagonizing a cobra until it gave her a leathal bite in 30 BC. It was a loving love story, but I do think that for the most part she was only with Caesar and Mark Antony to try to advance her empire in Egypt and that if this is true then she took the easy way out of building herself and Egypt by making a couple of powerful men fall in love with
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
Cleopatra VII was a legendary ruler and leader of ancient Egypt. She is still known to this day as the woman who had multiple stand-up traits that always came in handy along the crusade of her time. She could and would manipulate people, such as how she used Julius Caesar, a famous leader in Rome, to get back to power. In one word to describe her, she was wily.
Once their feelings grew stronger Octavia was forgotten and Mark Antony returned to Alexandria with Cleopatra. While there love flourished, Mark Antony got himself in some trouble with Octavian. A very powerful man that turned the public against Mark Antony. They shared many battles which led to Mark Antony and Cleopatra fleeing the battle scenes. Octavian was sick of Cleopatra and Mark Antony being in control that when Cleopatra tried to reason with him, he demanded for Mark Antony’s death (Roller, D. 2010).
Throughout her life, Cleopatra was able to prove how powerful she was, and what she was able to accomplish. To begin with, Cleopatra’s family ruled Egypt for about 100 years even before Cleopatra was born. Cleopatra spoke six different languages including; Arabic, Egyptian, Ethiopic, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. Cleopatra’s ability to speak several different languages was beneficial throughout her life; helping her communicate with other people to get what she wants.
Queen Cleopatra VII was a powerful, intelligent, and passionate woman born from royal blood of the Ptolemaic Dynasty. As a successor of Hellenistic people and Alexander the Great she was not of an Egyptian blood but born in Alexandria and speaking Egyptian language. When her father Ptolemy Auletes died, Cleopatra was in the age of eighteen. She had three sisters Cleopatra VI, Berenice IV, Arsinoe IV two of them were older than her and one younger, and two younger brothers named Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV too. Cleopatra VII and her brother Ptolemy XIII inherited the kingdom of their father as it was written his will. Because of the law in Egypt of that time Cleopatra was unable to rule by her own without the presence of a male coruler, a brother or son. As a result she ruled together with her brother who she get married to although he was only twelve years old.
Scientist aren't sure, but they believe, according to tradition, Cleopatra married her brother and they ruled together. Reign - Cleopatra called herself the new Isis for political reasons. The earlier pharaoh, Ptolemaic queen Cleopatra the III also called herself the living Isis. Coins that were made in Egypt, featured a picture
Many know the name Cleopatra. Some only know her as the queen of Egypt. Scholars know her as the enchantress of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Many students have read the Shakespearian plays written about her affairs and dramatic suicide, but few people know Cleopatra VII the leader. Born in Alexandria in 69 B.C.E, Cleopatra was the last ruler of the Ptolemaic Dynasty in the Hellenistic Era. As told by Stacy Schiff in Cleopatra: A Life, she overcame many obstacles among leaders, her people, and herself within in her reign. Her intelligence, determination, and cleverness made her a memorable queen. Cleopatra’s stellar leadership skills allowed her to successfully rule Egypt in a time of decline and come through as one of the most memorable
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…”)
After getting more involved and progressing in his relationship with Cleopatra he marries her. The two ended up having a set of twins. Cleopatra gave birth to a boy and a girl named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene and then later on she bore another child to Marc Antony. His name was Ptolemy Philadelphus.