Cleopatra VII Philopator.
| “ | Ah, yes. Cleopatra. She was truly quite the captivating character. Incredibly intelligent, witty, charming, and admittedly, very beautiful. That's what she was. That is until a certain playwright decided to bowdlerize that and turn her into a beautiful seductress that twisted the minds of man using her body to explain how she was able to coerce these powerful men to ally with her. It's truly unfortunate when one cannot tell the difference between a succubus and a normal but powerful woman. | „ |
| ~ Lucifer |
Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great.
After the death of Cleopatra, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, marking the end of the second to last Hellenistic state and the age that had lasted since the reign of Alexander (336–323 BC). Her native language was Koine Greek, and she was the only Ptolemaic ruler to learn the Egyptian language.
History[]
Background[]
Her ancestors had ruled Egypt since the death of Alexander the Great when his general, Ptolemy I Soter, was crowned Pharaoh. Cleopatra was the third child of Ptolemy's descendant, Pharaoh Ptolemy XII Auletes, and therefore was of Macedonian Greek descent. A charming and intelligent girl with a gift for learning foreign languages (reported to have been able to speak seven including Egyptian, Latin, Greek and Hebrew), Cleopatra was sometimes said to have been her father's favorite child. He may have relied on her help during diplomatic meetings with the Roman Empire.
While still young, Cleopatra's two elder sisters, Cleopatra VI Tryphaena and Berenice IV, attempted to seize the throne from their father when he fled to Rome for support against his enemies. Both women were brutally killed for their efforts, leaving Cleopatra as the eldest of her father's remaining offspring. It was possible that while with her father in Rome to gather troops the teenage Cleopatra first met Marc Antony. After her father's death, though she was 6 years older Cleopatra was married to her younger brother, Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII, as per Egyptian royal tradition. However, despite their marriage Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII began vying for power over Egypt, and this sibling rivalry quickly turned into a bloody civil war.
Meeting Caesar[]
In 48 B.C., Cleopatra heard of the arrival of the greatest hero of her time: Julius Caesar. Caesar came to Egypt in pursuit of his old rival and former son-in-law Pompey Magnus. He was enraged to learn that Pompey died before they could meet, having been murdered by Ptolemy XIII in an attempt to win Caesar's support against Cleopatra. After this Cleopatra was secretly transported to Caesar's lodgings in Alexandria, becoming Caesar's lover and successfully winning his support against her brother. After Caesar's forces defeated Ptolemy XIII and the pharaoh himself died in exile, Cleopatra became the new Pharaoh of Egypt: Cleopatra VII Philopator.
A year later she gave birth to Caesar's son, Prince Ptolemy XV Caesarion ("Little Caesar"). To eliminate any further threats to her power Cleopatra and Caesar exiled her remaining sibling, Princess Arsinoë, to the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus when she attempted to overthrow Cleopatra. Arsinoë would meet her death there years later on Cleopatra's orders. Cleopatra continued to rule Egypt first as wife of her second brother, Ptolemy XIV, and then as regent for her son upon Ptolemy XIV's untimely death.
When Caesar returned to Rome as a hero in 46 B.C., Cleopatra and Caesarion accompanied him. Caesar's return was celebrated by ordinary people, but the Roman Senate was far less enthusiastic, fearing that Caesar might try to make himself king. Rome's last king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, was a corrupt tyrant, and since his overthrow the Roman Republic resisted having kings to avoid the repetition of Tarquinius's horrific rule, hence the tension of Caesar's growing power. Caesar had previously shown himself a formidable threat when he defeated the Senate in the Roman Civil War of 49 B.C., and persisted in small but significant demonstrations of disrespect towards them.
War with Octavian[]
On March 15, 44 B.C. Caesar was assassinated, prompting Cleopatra to return to Egypt with Caesarion. A few years later Caesar's official heir and grand-nephew, Octavian, was elected Consul. He declared the masterminds of Caesar's death, Brutus and Cassius, Enemies of Rome for their part in his uncle's murder. After their executions, Octavian established a Triumvirate among himself, Lepidus and Marc Antony (now one of Caesar's former generals) to governed the fractured Roman Empire in the wake of Caesar's death. Rome did not acknowledge Caesarion as Caesar's heir in any capacity in spite of his paternity, and Octavian had no concern for Egypt or Cleopatra at the time, but that would soon change.
After the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C., Marc Antony arrived as governor of Syria due to the Triumvirate established by Octavian. Antony's intention was to protect Roman territory from the threat of the Persian Empire, but he ultimately became Cleopatra's next lover when he sought her support in governing Syria. Back in Rome, Octavian took Antony's actions as a betrayal, as Antony's liaison with the Egyptian queen caused him to repudiate his marriage to Octavian's sister. Octavian declared war on Egypt, and the Romans defeated the Egyptians in the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C.
Death[]
In the confusion following the battle, the lovers were separated. Antony, fearing that Cleopatra was dead due to a false report, committed suicide, learning too late that his lover had survived. Not wanting to be captured by the Romans, Cleopatra then killed herself, presumably by letting an asp (a poisonous Egyptian snake) bite her. Caesarion was killed by Octavian to prevent the boy from challenging his power as he declared himself Emperor of Rome. Cleopatra's sons by Marc Antony were adopted by Octavian's family, and her daughter, Cleopatra Selene, was married off to one of Octavian's supporters, thus ending the Ptolemy lineage.