Following Caesar's defeat of Ptolemy's forces at the Battle of the Nile, Caesar restored Cleopatra to the throne.Ĭleopatra eventually followed Caesar back to Rome, but returned to Egypt in 44 B.C., following his assassination. In Caesar, Cleopatra now had access to enough military muscle to dethrone her brother and solidify her grip on Egypt as sole ruler. In pursuit of his rival, Caesar followed Pompey into Egypt, where he met and eventually fell in love with Cleopatra. Pompey eventually sought refuge in Egypt, but, on orders by Ptolemy, was killed. Cleopatra and CaesarĪround this same time, the civil war between military leaders Julius Caesar and Pompey was consuming Rome. 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. Eventually Cleopatra fled to Syria, where she assembled an army to defeat her rival in order to declare the throne for herself. Soon after they assumed power, complications arose between Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII. Political turmoil also shaped this period. Over the next few years Egypt struggled to face down a number of issues, from an unhealthy economy to floods to famine. It is likely that the two siblings married, as was customary at the time. In 51 B.C., Ptolemy XII died, leaving the throne to 18-year-old Cleopatra and her brother, the 10-year-old Ptolemy XIII. Debate also surrounds Cleopatra's ethnicity, as some suggest she may have, in part, been descended from Black Africans. Little is known about Cleopatra's mother, but some speculation presumes she may have been her father's sister, Cleopatra V Tryphaena. At its height, Ptolemaic Egypt was one of the world's great powers.Ĭleopatra's father was King Ptolemy XII.
Over the next three centuries, his descendants would follow in his path. The era began when Alexander's general, Ptolemy, took over as ruler of Egypt, becoming King Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt. The line of rule was established in 323 B.C., following the death of Alexander the Great. The last ruler of the Macedonian dynasty, Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator was born around 69 B.C. One of antiquity's most famous rulers, Cleopatra's life inspired William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra and numerous film dramatizations, most famously a 1963 feature starring Elizabeth Taylor. During her reign, she forged political alliances and became romantically involved with Roman military leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, until her death in 30 B.C. Cleopatra VII was part of the Macedonian dynasty that took over rule of Egypt in the late 4th century B.C.
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