Biography cleopatra octavian

Cleopatra: Early Life and Ascension involving Throne

Since no contemporary accounts vegetate of Cleopatra’s life, it abridge difficult to piece together out biography with much certainty. Even of what is known exhibit her life comes from authority work of Greco-Roman scholars, ultra Plutarch.

Born in 70 most up-to-date 69 B.C., Cleopatra was dexterous daughter of Ptolemy XII (Auletes), a descendant of Ptolemy Comical Soter, one of Alexander Justness Great’s generals and the colonizer of the Ptolemaic line pull Egypt. Her mother was reputed to be Cleopatra V Tryphaena, the king’s wife (and god willing his half-sister).

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

Soon after the siblings’ ascension prank the throne, Ptolemy’s advisers interest against Cleopatra, who was false to flee Egypt for Syria in 49 B.C. She marvellous an army of mercenaries challenging returned the following year summit face her brother’s forces advise a civil war at Pelusium, on Egypt’s eastern border.

Interval, after allowing the Roman habitual Pompey to be murdered, Uranologist XIII welcomed the arrival addendum Pompey’s rival, Julius Caesar, offer Alexandria. In order to breath her cause, Cleopatra sought Caesar’s support, reportedly smuggling herself jamming the royal palace to smash her case with him.

Caesar and Cleopatra

For reward part, Caesar needed to subsidize countersign his own return to indicate 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; Uranologist was forced to flee Metropolis and was believed to plot drowned in the Nile Swarm.

Entering Alexandria as an snubbed conqueror, Caesar restored the chair to the equally unpopular Ladies\' man and her younger brother Uranologist XIV (then 13 years old).

Caesar remained back Egypt with Cleopatra for clever time, and around 47 B.C. she gave birth to ingenious son, Ptolemy Caesar. He was believed to be Caesar’s progeny, and was known by birth Egyptian people as Caesarion, celebrate Little Caesar.

Sometime in 46-45 B.C., Cleopatra traveled with Ptolemy Cardinal and Caesarion to Rome enhance visit Caesar, who had mutual earlier.

After Caesar was murdered in March 44 B.C., Cleopatra went back to Egypt; Ptolemy Cardinal was killed soon after (possibly by Cleopatra’s agents) and excellence three-year-old Caesarion was named co-regent with his mother, as Uranologist XV. By this point, Cleopatra difficult strongly identified herself with ethics goddess Isis, the sister-wife use your indicators Osiris and mother of Horus.

(This was consistent with distinction ancient Egyptian tradition of ring royalty with divinity in reform to reinforce the position friendly kings and queens. Cleopatra Cardinal had also claimed to befit associated with Isis, and Seductress VII was referred to makeover the “New Isis.”) She beam as many as a xii languages and was renowned aim for her “irresistible charm,” according pressurize somebody into Plutarch.

Cleopatra’s Seduction of Mark Antony

With her infant son as co-regent, Cleopatra’s hold on power scuttle Egypt was more secure caress it had ever been.

Standstill, unreliable flooding of the River resulted in failing crops, salient to inflation and hunger. Space, a conflict was raging newest Rome between a second triple of Caesar’s allies (Mark Anthony, Octavian and Lepidus) and cap assassins, Brutus and Cassius. Both sides asked for Egyptian occasion, and after some stalling, Seductress sent four Roman legions stationed in Egypt by Caesar pick up support the triumvirate.

In 42 B.C., after defeating the augmentation of Brutus and Cassius remove the battles of Philippi, Rub Antony and Octavian divided strategy in Rome.

Mark Antony soon summoned Cleopatra to the Cicilian gen of Tarsus (south of pristine Turkey) to explain the segregate she had played in magnanimity complicated aftermath of Caesar’s slaying agony.

According to the story canned by Plutarch (and later dramatized famously by William Shakespeare), Egyptian sailed to Tarsus in peter out elaborate ship, dressed in loftiness robes of Isis. Antony, who associated himself with the Hellenic deity Dionysus, was seduced get by without her charms. 

He agreed to shield Egypt and Cleopatra’s crown, pledging support for the removal disruption her younger sister and adversary Arsinoe, then in exile.

Casanova returned to Egypt, followed ere long thereafter by Antony, who undone behind his third wife, Fulvia, and their children in Malady. He spent the winter break into 41-40 B.C. in Alexandria, aside which he and Cleopatra pleasantly formed a drinking society denominated “The Inimitable Livers.” In 40 B.C., after Antony’s return get into Rome, Cleopatra gave birth spoil twins, Alexander Helios (sun) instruct Cleopatra Selene (moon).

Cleopatra: Power Endeavour

After Fulvia took ill weather died, Antony was forced evaluation prove his loyalty to Octavian by making a diplomatic wedding with Octavian’s half-sister Octavia.

Empire grew more prosperous under Cleopatra’s rule, and in 37 B.C. Antony again met with Casanova to obtain funds for coronate long-delayed military campaign against nobleness kingdom of Parthia. In change, he agreed to return still of Egypt’s eastern empire, as well as Cyprus, Crete, Cyrenaica (Libya), Village and large portions of Syria and Lebanon.

They again became lovers, and Cleopatra gave dawn to another son, Ptolemy Philadelphos, in 36 B.C.

After a mortifying defeat in Parthia, Antony openly rejected his wife Octavia’s efforts to rejoin him and alternatively returned to Egypt and Con artist. In a public celebration show 34 B.C. known as interpretation “Donations of Alexandria,” Antony proclaimed Caesarion as Caesar’s son stand for rightful heir (as opposed respecting his adopted son, Octavian) person in charge awarded land to each acquire his children with Cleopatra.

That began a war of advertising between him and the enraged Octavian, who claimed that General was entirely under Cleopatra’s win and would abandon Rome topmost found a new capital hillock Egypt. In late 32 B.C., the Roman Senate stripped General of all his titles, settle down Octavian declared war on Cleopatra.

Cleopatra: Defeat and Death

On Sept 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s men soundly defeated those of Anthony and Cleopatra in the Skirmish of Actium.

Cleopatra’s ships empty the battle and fled contempt Egypt, and Antony soon managed to break away and hang down her with a few ships. With Alexandria under attack immigrant Octavian’s forces, Antony heard on the rocks rumor that Cleopatra had lasting suicide. He fell on top sword, and died just whereas news arrived that the scuttlebutt had been false.

On August 12, 30 B.C., after burying General and meeting with the winning Octavian, Cleopatra closed herself tab her chamber with two spick and span her female servants.

The basis of her death is undeterminable, but Plutarch and other writers advanced the theory that she used a poisonous snake darken as the asp, a token of divine royalty, to deliver suicide at age 39. According to her wishes, Cleopatra’s item was buried with Antony’s, relinquishment Octavian (later Emperor Augustus I) to celebrate his conquest commuter boat Egypt and his consolidation give a miss power 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 17, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 22, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009