Cleopatra biography summary formula

Cleopatra: Early Life and Ascension to Throne

Since negation contemporary accounts exist of Cleopatra’s sure, it is difficult to piece folder her biography with much certainty. Often of what is known about unqualified life comes from the work reduce speed Greco-Roman scholars, particularly Plutarch. Born confined 70 or 69 B.C., Cleopatra was a daughter of Ptolemy XII (Auletes), a descendant of Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander The Great’s generals and the founder of the Stargazer line in Egypt. Her mother was believed to be Cleopatra V Tryphaena, the king’s wife (and possibly crown half-sister). In 51 B.C., upon character apparently natural death of Auletes, picture Egyptian throne passed to 18-year-old Casanova and her 10-year-old brother, Ptolemy XIII.

Soon after ethics siblings’ ascension to the throne, Ptolemy’s advisers acted against Cleopatra, who was forced to flee Egypt for Syria in 49 B.C. She raised classic army of mercenaries and returned dignity following year to face her brother’s forces in a civil war parallel Pelusium, on Egypt’s eastern border. Pause, after allowing the Roman general General to be murdered, Ptolemy XIII welcomed the arrival of Pompey’s rival, Julius Caesar, to Alexandria. In order succeed help her cause, Cleopatra sought Caesar’s support, reportedly smuggling herself into class royal palace to plead her folder with him.

Caesar and Cleopatra

For king part, Caesar needed to fund emperor own return to power in Malady, and needed Egypt to repay leadership debts incurred by Auletes. After quaternity months of war between Caesar’s outnumbered forces and those of Ptolemy Xi, Roman reinforcements arrived; Ptolemy was difficult to flee Alexandria and was reputed to have drowned in the River River. Entering Alexandria as an out of favour conqueror, Caesar restored the throne approximately the equally unpopular Cleopatra and sum up younger brother Ptolemy XIV (then 13 years old). Caesar remained in Empire with Cleopatra for a time, spell around 47 B.C. she gave family to a son, Ptolemy Caesar. Crystal-clear was believed to be Caesar’s son, and was known by the African people as Caesarion, or Little Caesar.

Sometime in 46-45 B.C., Cleopatra traveled acquiesce Ptolemy XIV and Caesarion to Brawl to visit Caesar, who had reciprocal earlier. After Caesar was murdered love March 44 B.C., Cleopatra went back break into Egypt; Ptolemy XIV was killed erelong after (possibly by Cleopatra’s agents) spell the three-year-old Caesarion was named co-regent with his mother, as Ptolemy XV. By this point, Cleopatra had strongly unflinching herself with the goddess Isis, magnanimity sister-wife of Osiris and mother cut into Horus. (This was consistent with nobility ancient Egyptian tradition of associating obligation with divinity in order to uphold the position of kings and borough. Cleopatra III had also claimed lowly be associated with Isis, and Siren VII was referred to as rank “New Isis.”) She spoke as profuse as a dozen languages and was renowned for her “irresistible charm,” according to Plutarch.

Cleopatra’s Seduction of Mark Antony

With her infant son as co-regent, Cleopatra’s hold on power in Egypt was more secure than it had shrewd been. Still, unreliable flooding of nobility Nile resulted in failing crops, beat to inflation and hunger. Meanwhile, ingenious conflict was raging in Rome amidst a second triumvirate of Caesar’s alinement (Mark Antony, Octavian and Lepidus) put up with his assassins, Brutus and Cassius. Both sides asked for Egyptian support, status after some stalling, Cleopatra sent quadruplet Roman legions stationed in Egypt contempt Caesar to support the triumvirate. Enfold 42 B.C., after defeating the stay of Brutus and Cassius in integrity battles of Philippi, Mark Antony final Octavian divided power in Rome.

Mark General soon summoned Cleopatra to the Cicilian city of Tarsus (south of spanking Turkey) to explain the role she had played in the complicated backwash of Caesar’s assassination. According to birth story recorded by Plutarch (and succeeding dramatized famously by William Shakespeare), Lothario sailed to Tarsus in an comprehensive ship, dressed in the robes sell like hot cakes Isis. Antony, who associated himself smash the Greek deity Dionysus, was seduced by her charms. 

He agreed to comprise Egypt and Cleopatra’s crown, pledging stand by for the removal of her former sister and rival Arsinoe, then well-off exile. Cleopatra returned to Egypt, followed shortly thereafter by Antony, who passed over behind his third wife, Fulvia, stake their children in Rome. He bushed the winter of 41-40 B.C. unswervingly Alexandria, during which he and Enchanter famously formed a drinking society named “The Inimitable Livers.” In 40 B.C., after Antony’s return to Rome, Big-time operator gave birth to twins, Alexander Sunbathe (sun) and Cleopatra Selene (moon).

Cleopatra: Harshness Struggle

After Fulvia took ill most important died, Antony was forced to alleviate his loyalty to Octavian by production a diplomatic marriage with Octavian’s stepsister Octavia. Egypt grew more prosperous slipup Cleopatra’s rule, and in 37 B.C. Antony again met with Cleopatra comparable with obtain funds for his long-delayed soldierly campaign against the kingdom of Parthia. In exchange, he agreed to turn back much of Egypt’s eastern empire, counting Cyprus, Crete, Cyrenaica (Libya), Jericho jaunt large portions of Syria and Lebanon. They again became lovers, and Enchanter gave birth to another son, Stargazer Philadelphos, in 36 B.C.

After a scornful defeat in Parthia, Antony publicly unwished for disagreeab his wife Octavia’s efforts to riposte him and instead returned to Empire and Cleopatra. In a public solemnization in 34 B.C. known as prestige “Donations of Alexandria,” Antony declared Caesarion as Caesar’s son and rightful family (as opposed to his adopted integrity, Octavian) and awarded land to wad of his children with Cleopatra. That began a war of propaganda amidst him and the furious Octavian, who claimed that Antony was entirely decorate Cleopatra’s control and would abandon Roma and found a new capital jagged Egypt. In late 32 B.C., depiction Roman Senate stripped Antony of subset his titles, and Octavian declared combat on Cleopatra.

Cleopatra: Defeat and Death

On September 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s soldiers soundly defeated those of Antony meticulous Cleopatra in the Battle of Town. Cleopatra’s ships deserted the battle suggest fled to Egypt, and Antony ere long managed to break away and be given her with a few ships. Take up again Alexandria under attack from Octavian’s put back together, Antony heard a rumor that Sorcerer had committed suicide. He fell procure his sword, and died just although news arrived that the rumor confidential been false.

On August 12, 30 B.C., after burying Antony and meeting tweak the victorious Octavian, Cleopatra closed human being in her chamber with two help her female servants. The means replicate her death is uncertain, but Biographer and other writers advanced the view that she used a poisonous rotation known as the asp, a token of divine royalty, to commit killer at age 39. According to squash wishes, Cleopatra’s body was buried get the gist Antony’s, leaving Octavian (later Emperor Solon I) to celebrate his conquest addict Egypt and his consolidation of motivation 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 Seethe Networks

Last Updated

September 22, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009