| Preceded by: Ptolemy XII |
Pharaoh of Egypt Ptolemaic Dynasty |
Succeeded by: Augustus | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Koine Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Θεά Φιλοπάτωρ Romanized: Kleopatra Thea Philopator Latin: Cleopatra Dea Philopater | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Roman sculpture of Cleopatra VII wearing a royal diadem, mid-1st century BC. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 51–30 BC (21 years) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nomen |
Cleopatra, the Father-Loving Goddess | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Horus name |
Great Lady of Perfection, Excellent in Counsel | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Ptolemy XII | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Cleopatra V (?) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Consort(s) | Ptolemy XIII, Ptolemy XIV, Mark Antony | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issue | Ptolemy XV, Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene II, Ptolemy Philadelphos | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Early 69 BC or Late 70 BC, Alexandria | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 10 August 30 BC, Alexandria (aged 39) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Burial | Unknown | |||||||||||||||||||||||
- For other pages by this name, see Cleopatra.
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (Koine Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Θεά Φιλοπάτωρ, "Cleopatra, the Father-Loving Goddess", 70/69–30 BCE) was a Pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Dynasty during the Hellenistic Period. Her Ptolemaic family is of Greek origin and came to rule Egypt after Alexander the Great's death. The Ptolemies, throughout their dynasty, spoke Greek and refused to speak Egyptian, which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents such as the Rosetta Stone. By contrast, Cleopatra did learn to speak Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of an Egyptian goddess, Isis. Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father, Ptolemy XII, and later with her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, whom she married as per Egyptian custom, but eventually she became sole ruler. As pharaoh, she consummated a liaison with Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne. She later elevated her son with Caesar, Caesarion, to co-ruler in name.
Early Life[]
Cleopatra VII Philopator
The last ruler of the Macedonian dynasty, Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator was born around 69 B.C. The line of rule was established in 323 B.C., following the death of Alexander the Great and ended with Egypt's annexation by Rome in 30 B.C. Cleopatra's father was King Ptolemy XII. Little is known about Cleopatra's mother, but some speculation presumes she may have been her father's sister, Cleopatra V Tryphaena. In 51 B.C., Ptolemy XII died, leaving the throne to 18-year-old Cleopatra and her brother, the 10-year-old Ptolemy XIII. It is likely that the two siblings married, as was customary at the time. Over the next few years Egypt struggled to face down a number of issues, from an unhealthy economy to floods to famine.
Political turmoil also shaped this period. Soon after they assumed power, complications arose between Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII. Eventually Cleopatra fled to Syria, where she assembled an army to defeat her rival in order to declare the throne for herself. In 48 B.C., she returned to Egypt with her military might and faced her brother at Pelusium, located on the empire's eastern edge.
Roman Influence[]
Life with Caesar[]
Around this same time, the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey was consuming Rome. Pompey eventually sought refuge in Egypt, but on orders by Ptolemy, was killed.
In pursuit of his rival, Julius Caesar followed Pompey into Egypt, where he met and eventually fell in love with Cleopatra. With Caesar, Cleopatra now had access to enough military muscle to dethrone her brother and solidify her grip on Egypt as sole ruler. Following Caesar's defeat of Ptolemy's forces at the Battle of the Nile, Caesar restored Cleopatra to the throne. Soon after, Ptolemy XIII fled and drowned in the Nile.
Bust of Caesarion
In 47 B.C. Cleopatra bore Caesar a son, whom she named Caesarion. However, Caesar never acknowledged the boy was his offspring, and historical debate continues over whether he was indeed his father.
Cleopatra eventually followed Caesar back to Rome, but returned to Egypt in 44 B.C., following his assassination.
Life with Mark Antony[]
In 41 B.C., Mark Antony, part of the Second Triumvirate that ruled Rome following the murder of Caesar, sent for Cleopatra so that she could answer questions about her allegiance to the empire's fallen leader.
Cleopatra agreed to his request and made a lavish entrance into the city of Tarsus. Captivated by her beauty and personality, Antony plunged into a love affair with Cleopatra that would eventually produce three children, including twins named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene.
Just like Caesar before him, Antony was embroiled in a battle over Rome's control. His rival was Caesar's own great-nephew, Glaius Octavius, also known as Octavian (who became the future Emperor Caesar Augustus). Gaius Octavius, along with Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, rounded out the Second Triumvirate. Antony, who presided over Rome's eastern areas, detested Gaius Octavius and saw in Cleopatra the chance for financial and military support to secure his own rule over the empire.
Cleopatra had her own motivations, as well. In exchange for her help, she sought the return of Egypt's eastern empire, which included large areas of Lebanon and Syria.
In the year 34 B.C., Antony returned with Cleopatra to Alexandria with a triumphant flair. Crowds swarmed to the Gymnasium to catch a glimpse of the couple seated on golden thrones that were elevated on silver platforms. Beside them sat their children.
Antony antagonized his rival by declaring Caesarion as Caesar’s real son and legal heir, rather than Octavian, whom the revered Roman leader had adopted. Octavian, however, fought back, declaring he’d seized Antony’s will, and told the Roman people that Antony had turned over Roman possessions to Cleopatra and that there were plans to make Alexandria the Roman capital.
Death[]
In the year 31 B.C., Cleopatra and Antony combined armies to try to defeat Octavian in a raging sea battle at Actium, on Greece’s west coast. The clash, however, proved to be a costly defeat for the Egyptians, forcing Antony and Cleopatra to flee back to Egypt.
Antony soon returned to the battlefield, where he was falsely informed that Cleopatra had died. Upon hearing the news, the despondent Roman leader committed suicide by stabbing himself. Cleopatra followed her lover’s demise by ending her life as well by being bitten by an Egyptian cobra. She died on August 12, 30 B.C. The two were buried together, as they had wished, and Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire.
| Predecessor: Ptolemy XII |
Pharaoh of Egypt Ptolemaic Dynasty |
Successor: Augustus |