There Are Few Cultural Icons As Famous As Queen Cleopatra, And Here’s Everything You Should Know About Her
There are few cultural icons as famous and influential as Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen. Her dramatic tale, often depicted in historical texts, novels, movies, television shows, and plays, continues to have a profound and enduring influence on pop culture.
If you have seen photos of Cleopatra or perhaps a scene or two from the Elizabeth Taylor movie but don’t know much about her story, here is a brief telling of her tale.
Cleopatra was born in Egypt in 69 BC – 68 BC. When her father, Ptolemy XII, died in 51 BC, she took the throne as co-regent alongside her young brother Ptolemy XIII. It is believed she may have married Ptolemy XIII, which, back then, was an old royal tradition back then.
Cleopatra was approximately 18-years-old when she ascended to the throne, while her brother was only around 10 years old, so she quickly became the more dominant ruler.
In 48 BC, Egypt became involved in the conflict between Julius Caesar and Pompey in Rome. Pompey had fled to Egypt’s capital, Alexandria, where he was executed under the order of Ptolemy.
When Julius Caesar eventually arrived in Egypt, his famous love affair with Cleopatra began.
The relationship benefited both of them, as Cleopatra wanted Caesar’s military protection and influence to stay on the throne, and he needed her wealth to pay off his debt and become more powerful in Egypt.
Cleopatra and her brother were having major conflicts and experienced a power struggle at the time. But, because of her close ties to Julius Caesar, there was a civil war between the two siblings, and with the Roman military on her side, Ptolemy lost the battle and was drowned.
Cleopatra retained the throne, and her younger brother, Ptolemy XIV, was named her co-ruler.
kharchenkoirina – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
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In 47 BC, Cleopatra gave birth to a son, Caesarion, who allegedly was her and Caesar’s child, although it hasn’t been confirmed. While Cleopatra spent some time in Rome with Caesar, after his assassination in 44 BC, she returned to Egypt when Ptolemy XIV died shortly after, so she ruled with her infant son.
In 41 BC, she met Roman politician Mark Anthony, who wanted to speak with her following Caesar’s assassination, as he had become a more powerful and influential figure in Rome. Although he was married, he and Cleopatra fell in love and had a lavish and eventful love affair as well as a political alliance.
Cleopatra and Anthony had three children together, but their relationship was quite complicated, as Anthony was back and forth between Rome and Egypt, battling Caesar’s adopted heir, Octavian. There was even a period where they didn’t see each other for three years.
In 31 BC, Cleopatra and Anthony combined forces to fight Octavian’s force in a sea battle on the west coast of Greece. Octavian and his forces were victorious, so a defeated Cleopatra and Anthony fled to Egypt, where Octavian had them captured in Alexandria.
The two defeated lovers decided to take their lives in 30 BC, leading to the end of her reign and one of the most dramatic love stories ever told, so dramatic and eventful that William Shakespeare wrote about it. Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire afterward, and the rest is literally history.
When many people think of Cleopatra, they think of her affairs with these two men and her stunning wardrobe and original style. However, it’s important to recognize that she really was an intelligent queen.
She was well-educated, knew how to make strong alliances, built up the Egyptian economy, and more.
There you have it – the basic information behind this complex and iconic queen’s life. When did you first learn about Cleopatra?
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