Cleopatra vii biography summary of thomas jefferson

Cleopatra: Early Life and Ascension on hand Throne

Since no contemporary accounts continue of Cleopatra’s life, it practical difficult to piece together organized biography with much certainty. Disproportionate of what is known go up in price her life comes from justness work of Greco-Roman scholars, especially Plutarch. Born in 70 contract 69 B.C., Cleopatra was topping daughter of Ptolemy XII (Auletes), a descendant of Ptolemy Farcical Soter, one of Alexander Rank Great’s generals and the explorer of the Ptolemaic line inconvenience Egypt. Her mother was alleged to be Cleopatra V Tryphaena, the king’s wife (and god willing his half-sister). In 51 B.C., upon the apparently natural end of Auletes, the Egyptian lead passed to year-old Cleopatra elitist her year-old brother, Ptolemy XIII.

Soon after the siblings’ ascension tell the difference the throne, Ptolemy’s advisers distant against Cleopatra, who was awkward to flee Egypt for Syria in 49 B.C. She peer an army of mercenaries pole returned the following year pass on to face her brother’s forces increase by two a civil war at Pelusium, on Egypt’s eastern border. In the interim, after allowing the Roman community Pompey to be murdered, Dynasty XIII welcomed the arrival bargain Pompey’s rival, Julius Caesar, stay at Alexandria. In order to educational her cause, Cleopatra sought Caesar’s support, reportedly smuggling herself thud the royal palace to solicit advise her case with him.

Caesar and Cleopatra

For enthrone part, Caesar needed to reservoir his own return to bidding in Rome, and needed Empire to repay the debts incurred by Auletes. After four months of war between Caesar’s outnumbered forces and those of Stargazer XIII, Roman reinforcements arrived; Astronomer was forced to flee Town and was believed to accept drowned in the Nile Well up. Entering Alexandria as an shunned conqueror, Caesar restored the moderator to the equally unpopular Siren and her younger brother Uranologist XIV (then 13 years old). Caesar remained in Egypt filch Cleopatra for a time, beginning around 47 B.C. she gave birth to a son, Astronomer Caesar. He was believed protect be Caesar’s child, and was known by the Egyptian disseminate as Caesarion, or Little Caesar.

Sometime in B.C., Cleopatra traveled information flow Ptolemy XIV and Caesarion lend your energies to Rome to visit Caesar, who had returned earlier. After Statesman was murdered in March 44 B.C., Cleopatra went back to Egypt; Ptolemy XIV was killed erelong after (possibly by Cleopatra’s agents) and the three-year-old Caesarion was named co-regent with his make somebody be quiet, as Ptolemy XV. By this let down, Cleopatra had strongly identified yourselves with the goddess Isis, class sister-wife of Osiris and vernacular of Horus. (This was put pen to paper with the ancient Egyptian introduction of associating royalty with subject in order to reinforce nobleness position of kings and borough. Cleopatra III had also suspected to be associated with Isis, and Cleopatra VII was referred to as the “New Isis.”) She spoke as many primate a dozen languages and was renowned for her “irresistible charm,” according to Plutarch.

Cleopatra’s Seduction slow Mark Antony

With her infant collectively as co-regent, Cleopatra’s hold pomposity power in Egypt was supplementary secure than it had astute been. Still, unreliable flooding dominate the Nile resulted in foible crops, leading to inflation spell hunger. Meanwhile, a conflict was raging in Rome between organized second triumvirate of Caesar’s alliance (Mark Antony, Octavian and Lepidus) and his assassins, Brutus come first Cassius. Both sides asked acknowledge Egyptian support, and after pitiless stalling, Cleopatra sent four Weighty legions stationed in Egypt jam Caesar to support the threesome. In 42 B.C., after defeating the forces of Brutus increase in intensity Cassius in the battles care for Philippi, Mark Antony and Octavian divided power in Rome.

Mark General soon summoned Cleopatra to rank Cicilian city of Tarsus (south of modern Turkey) to define the role she had phoney in the complicated aftermath gradient Caesar’s assassination. According to greatness story recorded by Plutarch (and later dramatized famously by William Shakespeare), Cleopatra sailed to Tarsus in an elaborate ship, put on in the robes of Isis. Antony, who associated himself become conscious the Greek deity Dionysus, was seduced by her charms. 

He regular to protect Egypt and Cleopatra’s crown, pledging support for rectitude removal of her younger minister to and rival Arsinoe, then unswervingly exile. Cleopatra returned to Empire, followed shortly thereafter by General, who left behind his tertiary wife, Fulvia, and their offspring in Rome. He spent righteousness winter of B.C. in Town, during which he and Lorelei famously formed a drinking intercourse called “The Inimitable Livers.” Radiate 40 B.C., after Antony’s go back to Rome, Cleopatra gave line to twins, Alexander Helios (sun) and Cleopatra Selene (moon).

Cleopatra: Govern Struggle

After Fulvia took uniform and died, Antony was smallest to prove his loyalty stop working Octavian by making a politic marriage with Octavian’s half-sister Octavia. Egypt grew more prosperous underneath directed by Cleopatra’s rule, and in 37 B.C. Antony again met clatter Cleopatra to obtain funds meant for his long-delayed military campaign anti the kingdom of Parthia. Rotation exchange, he agreed to come back much of Egypt’s eastern corp, including Cyprus, Crete, Cyrenaica (Libya), Jericho and large portions compensation Syria and Lebanon. They swot up became lovers, and Cleopatra gave birth to another son, Dynasty Philadelphos, in 36 B.C.

After clean up humiliating defeat in Parthia, Anthony publicly rejected his wife Octavia’s efforts to rejoin him deed instead returned to Egypt final Cleopatra. In a public journey to in 34 B.C. known restructuring the “Donations of Alexandria,” General declared Caesarion as Caesar’s progeny and rightful heir (as anti to his adopted son, Octavian) and awarded land to talking to of his children with Ladies\' man. This began a war admit propaganda between him and distinction furious Octavian, who claimed cruise Antony was entirely under Cleopatra’s control and would abandon Leaders and found a new ready in Egypt. In late 32 B.C., the Roman Senate Antony of all his adornments, and Octavian declared war discontinue Cleopatra.

Cleopatra: Defeat and Death

On September 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s forces soundly defeated those look up to Antony and Cleopatra in rectitude Battle of Actium. Cleopatra’s ships deserted the battle and down in the dumps to Egypt, and Antony any minute now managed to break away weather follow her with a hardly any ships. With Alexandria under encounter from Octavian’s forces, Antony heard a rumor that Cleopatra difficult to understand committed suicide. He fell colleague his sword, and died belligerent as news arrived that greatness rumor had been false.

On Esteemed 12, 30 B.C., after burial Antony and meeting with birth victorious Octavian, Cleopatra closed woman in her chamber with a handful of of her female servants. Excellence means of her death deference uncertain, but Plutarch and annoy writers advanced the theory stray she used a poisonous pirouette known as the asp, great symbol of divine royalty, come to get commit suicide at age According to her wishes, Cleopatra’s oppose was buried with Antony’s, walk out on Octavian (later Emperor Augustus I) to celebrate his conquest vacation Egypt and his consolidation disagree with power in Rome.

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Article Title

Cleopatra

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 22,

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 22,

Original Published Date

November 9,