- Birth: Cleopatra was born in 69 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt. She died August 12, 30 B.C.
- Family of Origin: She was a daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy XII Auletes. She may have been the daughter of Cleopatra V Tryphaina, although Strabo 17.1.11 says only one of the daughters of Ptolemy was legitimate, and it was not Cleopatra. Cleopatra married her younger brother Ptolemy XIII and after his death, married her younger brother Ptolemy XIV. Later she married the Roman Mark Antony.
- Children: Cleopatra had one son by Caesar, named Caesarion. She had twins with Mark Antony, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, and later, a son, Ptolemy Philadelphos.
- Name/Title: She was actually Cleopatra VII, the last pharaoh of Egypt, because Rome took control of Egypt following her death.
- Death: After Mark Antony committed suicide, so did Cleopatra. The story is that she took an asp to her breast and let the poisonous snake bite her.
- Ancestors: Although her family had adopted Egyptian customs, like having pharaohs marry their siblings, Cleopatra and her family were really Macedonians who had gone to Egypt with Alexander the Great.
Fun Facts
Cleopatra was bestowed the Egyptian throne at the tender age of 18, along with her brother Ptolemy XIII, who was about 10 years old.
She was forced to leave Egypt because of her brother's advisers, where she fled to Syria. She gained power by raising an army of mercenaries, returning to Egypt to claim the throne that was unceremoniously taken away from her.
Cleopatra sought after Julius Caesar's help to restore her rightful place as queen, where he plundered Alexandria with his army. The Romans stepped in to assist Caesar in his conquest, ultimately proving to be stronger than the opposing army, in a victorious battle.
Cleopatra bore a son that she named Ptolemy Caesar, where the people of Egypt called him Caesarion.
After the death of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra's stronghold over the throne was reinforced because her son became co-regent.
Cleopatra played a major role in helping the triumvirate (Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus) overpower Caesar's assassins, Cassius and Brutus. After she sent four Roman legions to assist the trio in their battle against the evil duo, she was called to the Cicilian city of Tarsus by Mark Antony to discuss about her role in helping them during the battles of Philippi, which they ultimately won.
When she finally met Mark Antony, it was said that she arrived in style, so to speak, dressed in the robes of Isis (the Greek goddess she associated herself with). Antony fell for her bewitching ways, leaving his third wife Fulvia and three kids in Rome, taking off with Cleopatra back to Egypt.
Cleopatra gave birth to twins while Antony returned to Rome. She named them Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios.
Mark Antony had sworn to protect Cleopatra's crown and secure her reign in Egypt, promising to remove her younger sister and rival Arsinoe, who was at the time in exile.
While history marks the infidelity of Mark Antony, it also clearly indicates how Cleopatra stayed by his side even when he married Octavian's half-sister Octavia, to keep the peace. He publicly turned down Octavia who wanted to rejoin him post a major battle defeat in Parthia, where he promptly returned to Egypt and its queen.
Mark Antony declared Caesar's son Caesarion as the rightful ruler, opposing Octavian's wishes to make his adopted son, heir. Antony had segregated land between his children, including Cleopatra where he was later stripped of all his titles by the Roman Senate. War was thus an imminent scenario, as Octavian went forward into battle against Cleopatra.
Mark Antony killed himself after being misinformed about Cleopatra's death. The miscommunication through informants about her well-being led him to take his own life using his sword. She committed suicide likewise by letting an asp bite her, after receiving news of Antony's demise. Since her son was too young to either defend himself or take over the throne he was executed post his capture by Octavian.
Cleopatra was bestowed the Egyptian throne at the tender age of 18, along with her brother Ptolemy XIII, who was about 10 years old.
She was forced to leave Egypt because of her brother's advisers, where she fled to Syria. She gained power by raising an army of mercenaries, returning to Egypt to claim the throne that was unceremoniously taken away from her.
Cleopatra sought after Julius Caesar's help to restore her rightful place as queen, where he plundered Alexandria with his army. The Romans stepped in to assist Caesar in his conquest, ultimately proving to be stronger than the opposing army, in a victorious battle.
Cleopatra bore a son that she named Ptolemy Caesar, where the people of Egypt called him Caesarion.
After the death of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra's stronghold over the throne was reinforced because her son became co-regent.
Cleopatra played a major role in helping the triumvirate (Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus) overpower Caesar's assassins, Cassius and Brutus. After she sent four Roman legions to assist the trio in their battle against the evil duo, she was called to the Cicilian city of Tarsus by Mark Antony to discuss about her role in helping them during the battles of Philippi, which they ultimately won.
When she finally met Mark Antony, it was said that she arrived in style, so to speak, dressed in the robes of Isis (the Greek goddess she associated herself with). Antony fell for her bewitching ways, leaving his third wife Fulvia and three kids in Rome, taking off with Cleopatra back to Egypt.
Cleopatra gave birth to twins while Antony returned to Rome. She named them Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios.
Mark Antony had sworn to protect Cleopatra's crown and secure her reign in Egypt, promising to remove her younger sister and rival Arsinoe, who was at the time in exile.
While history marks the infidelity of Mark Antony, it also clearly indicates how Cleopatra stayed by his side even when he married Octavian's half-sister Octavia, to keep the peace. He publicly turned down Octavia who wanted to rejoin him post a major battle defeat in Parthia, where he promptly returned to Egypt and its queen.
Mark Antony declared Caesar's son Caesarion as the rightful ruler, opposing Octavian's wishes to make his adopted son, heir. Antony had segregated land between his children, including Cleopatra where he was later stripped of all his titles by the Roman Senate. War was thus an imminent scenario, as Octavian went forward into battle against Cleopatra.
Mark Antony killed himself after being misinformed about Cleopatra's death. The miscommunication through informants about her well-being led him to take his own life using his sword. She committed suicide likewise by letting an asp bite her, after receiving news of Antony's demise. Since her son was too young to either defend himself or take over the throne he was executed post his capture by Octavian.