Cleopatra History
Queen Cleopatra, one of the most popular queens and the last pharaoh of Egypt, was born to Ptolemy XII in 69 B.C. in Alexandria, during the rule of the Ptolemy family with a long political history. Although she was born in Alexandria, she was a descendant of a Macedonian family. Cleopatra history has been one of the most remarkable historical accounts in the entire history of Egypt. |
Named as Cleopatra Thea Philopator, she was King Ptolemy XII's third daughter. Her mother was her father’s sister. Not much evidence is available about the actual identity of her mother. Berenice IV, her elder sister, seized the throne from her father in 58 B.C. However, she was overturned and executed by Ptolemy XII by 55 B.C. with the help of Aulus Gabinius, the then Roman Governor of Syria.
After Cleopatra’s father passed away in 51 B.C., she was number 3 in line to rule the country after 2 two elder sisters. She was merely 17 years old when she occupied the throne along with her brother Ptolemy XIII. Her acts led to the formation of a sect of courtiers, headed by eunuch Pothinus, who eventually threw her out of power and made Ptolemy the sole Egyptian pharaoh in 48 BC. When she tried to rebel, she was compelled to escape from Egypt with her sister Arsinoe.
After her brothers/husbands died, Ptolemy XIII in 44 B.C. and Ptolemy XIV in 47-30 B.C., she became the Queen of Egypt. She managed to get a better hold on the throne and had a secret affair with the Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar, to continue her reign as the Queen of Egypt. After Caesar died, she seduced Roman Emperor Mark Antony and married him to retain her position in Egypt.
Cleopatra was captured by Octavian in her Mausoleum after Antony’s death. As Octavian wanted to present her to mark his victory, he asked his freedman Epaphroditus to keep a watch on her so that she does not commit suicide. However, she managed to deceive Epaphroditus and induced an asp, stored in a basket of figs, to bite her on her hand. Many consider that she took this step to ensure her immortality as a goddess.
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