Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator reigned Egypt between 51 and 30 BC, first with her brothers and husbands Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, then with the Roman general Marc Antoine.
Childhood
Born during the winter of -69/-68 in Alexandria, Cleopatra was one of the daughters of the king of Egypt Ptolemy XII Auletes , and probably a concubine. She belongs to the Hellenistic Lagid dynasty (from the Macedonian Ptolemy, general of Alexander the Great), who ruled Egypt for three centuries. Cleopatra benefits from a quality education, learns several languages and develops a brilliant and cultivated mind.
During Cleopatra's childhood, the kingdom of Egypt was agitated:multiplication of indigenous revolts, loss of Cyprus and Cyrenaica, moral degeneration of the sovereigns... In -58, Ptolemy XII was overthrown by his daughter Berenice IV (half -sister of Cleopatra) and it was the Roman Empire that put him back on the throne in -55. Ptolemy XII embarks on a series of massacres, including his daughter Berenice.
The Reign
Ptolemy XII died in -51 and his will designates as successors Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII, his brother who was then ten years old. As is customary, she marries him and reigns with him. Due to economic difficulties and opposition between her brother and herself, the first years of the reign proved to be complicated.
In -48, Caesar landed in Egypt, where he met Cleopatra and where their famous affair began. Early -47, Ptolemy XIII drowned. Cleopatra marries another of her younger brothers, Ptolemy XIV. It is she, however, who really holds the reins of power and it is her name that appears at the top of official acts.
In -46, Cleopatra and her brother and husband spent two years in Rome at Caesar's invitation. The affair of Caesar and the queen is no secret to anyone and she is considered, in Rome, to be Caesar's prostitute.
At the beginning of the year -44 Caesar was assassinated. Taking advantage of the confusing situation that ensued, Cleopatra then left Rome in mid-April and sailed to Alexandria where she undertook to restore the authority of Egypt. To get rid of a rival, she had Ptolemy XIV assassinated. The birth of her son Caesarion (Ptolemy XV) ensured her a successor and she therefore assumed the title of queen alone.
In -41, Marc Antoine takes again in Rome the projects of conquest of César and convenes a certain number of sovereigns, of which Cleopatra. Then began a ten-year affair between the Queen of Egypt and the Roman general, who was also married. The alliance with the Roman Empire allows Cleopatra to regain control of Cyprus and cities on the Syrian coast. Between -40 and -37, Cleopatra gives birth to the couple's three children.
The death of Cleopatra
In Rome, we see the alliance between Cleopatra and Marc Antoine with a bad eye, as a threat against Octave, future emperor. Rumors swirl about Marc Antony and the Egyptian queen who, it is said, holds him under her spell and seeks to rule Rome. Soon, Octave raises an army against them.
Around August -30 Octave arrives in Alexandria. At the false announcement of Cleopatra's suicide, Marc Antoine puts an end to his life by throwing himself on his sword; it is carried by Cleopatra to her own tomb.
On August 12 -30, according to the most common version, Cleopatra killed herself by being bitten by asps contained in a basket of figs, a bite supposed to confer immortality according to Egyptian traditions. The children she had with Marc Antoine will be raised in Rome by the wife of the latter.
A cultured, courageous and intelligent woman, Cleopatra is a legendary figure, probably the most famous woman of antiquity.