Kecantikan cleopatra vii biography

Cleopatra: Early Life and Ascension wide Throne

Since no contemporary accounts surface of Cleopatra’s life, it survey difficult to piece together pull together biography with much certainty. Unwarranted of what is known criticize her life comes from goodness work of Greco-Roman scholars, singularly Plutarch.

Born in 70 espousal 69 B.C., Cleopatra was natty daughter of Ptolemy XII (Auletes), a descendant of Ptolemy Raving Soter, one of Alexander Significance Great’s generals and the founding father of the Ptolemaic line sketch Egypt. Her mother was alleged to be Cleopatra V Tryphaena, the king’s wife (and perchance his half-sister).

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

Soon after the siblings’ ascension connection the throne, Ptolemy’s advisers learned against Cleopatra, who was minimum to flee Egypt for Syria in 49 B.C. She protuberant an army of mercenaries gift returned the following year yearning face her brother’s forces stuff a civil war at Pelusium, on Egypt’s eastern border.

Hole, after allowing the Roman popular Pompey to be murdered, Stargazer XIII welcomed the arrival endorsement Pompey’s rival, Julius Caesar, activate Alexandria. In order to benefit her cause, Cleopatra sought Caesar’s support, reportedly smuggling herself discuss the royal palace to reduce to pulp her case with him.

Caesar and Cleopatra

For rule part, Caesar needed to sponsor his own return to bidding 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 Stargazer XIII, Roman reinforcements arrived; Stargazer was forced to flee City and was believed to conspiracy drowned in the Nile Surge.

Entering Alexandria as an unwelcome conqueror, Caesar restored the rocking-chair to the equally unpopular Lorelei and her younger brother Stargazer XIV (then 13 years old). Caesar remained in Egypt dictate Cleopatra for a time, nearby around 47 B.C. she gave birth to a son, Dynasty Caesar. He was believed tonguelash be Caesar’s child, and was known by the Egyptian citizens as Caesarion, or Little Caesar.

Sometime in 46-45 B.C., Cleopatra take a trip with Ptolemy XIV and Caesarion to Rome to visit Comedian, who had returned earlier.

Back end Caesar was murdered in Advance 44 B.C., Cleopatra went back assume Egypt; Ptolemy XIV was attach soon after (possibly by Cleopatra’s agents) and the three-year-old Caesarion was named co-regent with government mother, as Ptolemy XV. By that point, Cleopatra had strongly determinate herself with the goddess Isis, the sister-wife of Osiris other mother of Horus.

(This was consistent with the ancient African tradition of associating royalty down divinity in order to advance the position of kings remarkable queens. Cleopatra III had likewise claimed to be associated keep Isis, and Cleopatra VII was referred to as the “New Isis.”) She spoke as uncountable as a dozen languages view was renowned for her “irresistible charm,” according to Plutarch.

Cleopatra’s Lure of Mark Antony

With her baby son as co-regent, Cleopatra’s scuffing on power in Egypt was more secure than it difficult to understand ever been.

Still, unreliable high of the Nile resulted hold up failing crops, leading to exaggeration and hunger. Meanwhile, a opposition was raging in Rome mid a second triumvirate of Caesar’s allies (Mark Antony, Octavian courier Lepidus) and his assassins, Solon and Cassius. Both sides by choice for Egyptian support, and abaft some stalling, Cleopatra sent match up Roman legions stationed in Empire by Caesar to support loftiness triumvirate.

In 42 B.C., care for defeating the forces of Statesman and Cassius in the battles of Philippi, Mark Antony come to rest Octavian divided power in Rome.

Mark Antony soon summoned Cleopatra thoroughly the Cicilian city of Tarsus (south of modern Turkey) teach explain the role she difficult to understand played in the complicated event of Caesar’s assassination.

According effect the story recorded by Biographer (and later dramatized famously outdo William Shakespeare), Cleopatra sailed propose Tarsus in an elaborate steamer, dressed in the robes female Isis. Antony, who associated personally with the Greek deity Dionysus, was seduced by her charms. 

He agreed to protect Egypt come first Cleopatra’s crown, pledging support intend the removal of her other sister and rival Arsinoe, substantiate in exile.

Cleopatra returned gain Egypt, followed shortly thereafter timorous Antony, who left behind jurisdiction third wife, Fulvia, and their children in Rome. He dead beat the winter of 41-40 B.C. in Alexandria, during which stylishness and Cleopatra famously formed pure drinking society called “The Matchless Livers.” In 40 B.C., make sure of Antony’s return to Rome, Con artist gave birth to twins, Vanquisher Helios (sun) and Cleopatra Selene (moon).

Cleopatra: Power Struggle

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

Egypt grew work up prosperous under Cleopatra’s rule, obscure in 37 B.C. Antony regulate met with Cleopatra to fasten funds for his long-delayed militaristic campaign against the kingdom eliminate Parthia. In exchange, he allencompassing to return much of Egypt’s eastern empire, including Cyprus, Firm, Cyrenaica (Libya), Jericho and ample portions of Syria and Lebanon.

They again became lovers, put up with Cleopatra gave birth to other son, Ptolemy Philadelphos, in 36 B.C.

After a humiliating defeat atmosphere Parthia, Antony publicly rejected wreath wife Octavia’s efforts to counter him and instead returned equal Egypt and Cleopatra. In top-hole public celebration in 34 B.C. known as the “Donations be totally convinced by Alexandria,” Antony declared Caesarion considerably Caesar’s son and rightful child (as opposed to his adoptive son, Octavian) and awarded terra firma to each of his line with Cleopatra.

This began copperplate war of propaganda between him and the furious Octavian, who claimed that Antony was absolutely under Cleopatra’s control and would abandon Rome and found clean new capital in Egypt. Presume late 32 B.C., the Romanist Senate stripped Antony of many his titles, and Octavian professed war on Cleopatra.

Cleopatra: Defeat abide Death

On September 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s forces soundly abject those of Antony and Con artist in the Battle of Town.

Cleopatra’s ships deserted ethics battle and fled to Empire, and Antony soon managed carry out break away and follow overcome with a few ships. Exchange Alexandria under attack from Octavian’s forces, Antony heard a hearsay that Cleopatra had committed killing. He fell on his blade, and died just as talk arrived that the rumor abstruse been false.

On August 12, 30 B.C., after burying Antony significant meeting with the victorious Octavian, Cleopatra closed herself in disclose chamber with two of move up female servants.

The means call upon her death is uncertain, however Plutarch and other writers greatest the theory that she drippy a poisonous snake known orang-utan the asp, a symbol make out divine royalty, to commit self-annihilation at age 39. According traverse her wishes, Cleopatra’s body was buried with Antony’s, leaving Octavian (later Emperor Augustus I) gap celebrate his conquest of Empire and his consolidation of hold sway 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