Cleopatra VII of Egypt

Cleopatra VII Philopator (December, 70 BC or January, 69 BC–August 12?, 30 BC) was queen of ancient Egypt. She was the last member of the Macedonian Ptolemaic Dynasty and hence the last Greek ruler of Egypt. Her father was king Ptolemy XII Auletes, and her mother was probably Auletes's sister, Cleopatra V Tryphaena. The name "Cleopatra" is Greek for "father's glory"; her full name, "Cleopatra Thea Philopator" means "the Goddess Cleopatra, Beloved of Her Father."

Today she is probably the most famous of all of ancient Egypt's rulers, and is usually known as simply Cleopatra, all of her similarly-named predecessors having been largely forgotten. Cleopatra was never in fact the sole ruler of Egypt; she only co-ruled with her father, brother, brother-husband, and son. However, in all these cases, her co-rulers were king in title only, with her keeping the true authority.

A Greek by language and culture, Cleopatra is reputed to have been the first member of her family in their 300-year reign in Egypt to have learned the Egyptian language.

Birth and Rule with Father

"Cleopatra" is Greek for "father's glory," and her full name, Cleopatra Thea Philopator, means "the Goddess Cleopatra, the Beloved of Her Father." She was the third daughter of the king Ptolemy XII Auletes, making her third in line to rule after her two other sisters died. When Cleopatra VII ascended the Egyptian throne, she was only 18. She reigned as Queen Cleopatra and Pharaoh between 51 and 30 BCE, and died at the age of 39 from the venom of an asp.

Rule with Ptolemy XIII

On their father's death in the spring of 51 BCE, when she was only 18, and as Auletes' oldest child (two older sisters having died), she became co-ruler with her younger brother Ptolemy XIII. She married him and consummated the marriage to strengthen her hold on the throne.

Fall, Recovery and Caesar

By August 51 BCE she was dropping his name from official documents, which flew in the face of Ptolemaic tradition that female rulers be subordinate to male co-rulers. Furthermore, it was Cleopatra's face alone that appeared on coins. Perhaps because of her independent streak, a cabal of courtiers, led by the eunuch Pothinus, removed Cleopatra from power — possibly in 48 BCE, possibly earlier — a decree exists with Ptolemy's name alone from 51 BCE. She tried to raise a rebellion around Pelusium but she was soon forced to flee Egypt. Her only surviving sister, Arsinoë accompanied her.

In the autumn of 48 BCE, however, Ptolemy imperiled his own power by injudiciously meddling in the affairs of Rome. As Pompey, fleeing the victorious Julius Caesar, arrived in Alexandria seeking sanctuary, Ptolemy had him murdered in order to ingratiate himself with Caesar. Caesar was so repelled by this treachery that he seized the Egyptian capital and imposed himself as arbiter between the rival claims of Ptolemy and Cleopatra. (It should be noted that Pompey had been married to Caesar's only daughter, Julia, who died giving birth to their son). After a short war, Ptolemy XIII was killed from drowning and Caesar restored Cleopatra to her throne, with another younger brother Ptolemy XIV as new co-ruler.

Caesar wintered in Egypt in 48 BCE–47 BCE, and Cleopatra shored up her political advantage by becoming his lover. Egypt remained independent, but three Roman legions were left to protect it. Cleopatra's winter liaison with Caesar produced a son whom they named Ptolemy Caesar (nicknamed Caesarion, little Caesar). However, Caesar refused to make the boy his heir, naming his grand-nephew Octavian instead.

Cleopatra and Caesarion visited Rome between 46 BCE and 44 BCE and were present when Caesar was assassinated. Before or just after she returned to Egypt, Ptolemy XIV died mysteriously (possibly poisoned by Cleopatra). Cleopatra then made Caesarion her co-regent and successor (44–30 BCE).

Mark Antony, and Cleopatra Final Fall, Last Stand, Suicide?

In 42 BCE, Mark Antony, one of the triumvirs who ruled Rome in the power vacuum following Caesar's death, summoned Cleopatra to meet him in Tarsus to answer questions about her loyalty. Cleopatra arrived in great state, and so charmed Antony that he chose to spend the winter of 42 BCE–41 BCE with her in Alexandria. During the winter, she became pregnant with twins, who were named Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios.

Four years later, in 37 BCE, Antony visited Alexandria again while on route to make war with the Parthians. He renewed his relationship with Cleopatra, and from this point on Alexandria would be his home. He married Cleopatra according to the Egyptian rite (a letter quoted in Suetonius suggests this), although he was at the time married to Octavia Minor, sister of his fellow triumvir Octavian. He and Cleopatra had another child, Ptolemy Philadelphus. At the Donations of Alexandria in late 34 BCE, following Antony's conquest of Armenia, Cleopatra and Caesarion were crowned co-rulers of Egypt and Cyprus; Alexander Helios was crowned ruler of Armenia, Media, and Parthia; Cleopatra Selene was crowned ruler of Cyrenaica and Libya; and Ptolemy Philadelphus was crowned ruler of Phoenicia, Syria, and Cilicia. Cleopatra also took the title of Queen of Kings.

There are a number of unverifiable but famous stories about Cleopatra, of which one of the best known is that, at one of the lavish dinners she shared with Antony, she playfully bet him that she could spend ten million sesterces on a dinner. He accepted the bet. The next night, she had a conventional, unspectacular meal served; he was ridiculing this, when she ordered the second course — only a cup of strong vinegar. She then removed one of her priceless pearl earrings, dropped it into the vinegar, allowed it to dissolve, and drank the mixture.

Antony's behavior was considered outrageous by the Romans, and Octavian convinced the Senate to levy war against ancient Egypt. In 31 BCE Antony's forces faced the Romans in a naval action off the coast of Actium. Cleopatra was present with a fleet of her own. Popular legend tells us that when she saw that Antony's poorly equipped and manned ships were losing to the Romans' superior vessels, she took flight and that Antony abandoned the battle to follow her, but no contemporary evidence states this was the case.

Following the Battle of Actium, Octavian invaded Egypt. As he approached Alexandria, Antony's armies deserted to Octavian on August 12, 30 BCE.

Antony committed suicide, having been told Cleopatra was dead. A few days later Cleopatra died as well (most likely at her own hand). The story goes that she was bitten by an asp, as were two of her servants. The popular story is that she was purposely bitten, and poisoned by a snake, for it was the Egyptian belief that it can achieve immortality. In any event, the snake did away with both the queen and her servants. Augustus, waiting in a building nearby, was informed of her death, and went to see for himself.

Cleopatra's son by Caeser, Caesarion, was proclaimed pharaoh by Egyptians, but Octavian had already won. Caesarion was captured and executed. Thus ended not just the Hellenistic line of Egyptian pharaohs, but the line of all Egyptian pharaohs. The three children of Cleopatra with Antony were spared and taken back to Rome where they were reared by Antony's wife, Octavia.

Cleopatra VII of Egypt External Links

Cleopatra VII Ptolemaic Dynasty
In the springtime of 51 BC, Ptolemy Auletes died and left his kingdom in his will to his eighteen year old daughter, Cleopatra, and her younger brother Ptolemy XIII who was twelve at the time.

Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra The Queen of Egypt "Life of Cleopatra".

Cleopatra VII: The end of laxism
Ptomely XII Auletes died in 51 BC leaving the power in the hands of his two oldest children: Cleopatra VII (18 years old) and Ptolemy XIII (10 years old).

Antony, Octavian, Cleopatra
The End of The Republic.

The House of Ptolemy
Caesar, Cleopatra, and Marcus Antonius and the Transition to a Greco-Roman (Roman Imperial) Egypt.

Cleopatra on the Web
Guide to resource about Cleopatra VIII of Egypt.