Ancient Egypt is heavily mythologized in modern media. The idea of a timeless land of pyramids and divine pharaohs marching on seemingly unaware of the world shifting around it is iconic but inaccurate. Perhaps none of its pharaohs is more popularly misunderstood than Cleopatra, its last queen whose legacy has been obscured by film and literature portraying her as a seductress rather than the dynamic figure known to historians. In this article, were will dive directly into the real history of Cleopatra.
11Caesarion
After the death of her husband, Ptolemy XIII, Cleopatra maintained a private affair with Caesar that produced a son, Caesarion. He was Julius Caesar’s only son. Even though Cleopatra swears he is Caesar’s son, Caesar never officially acknowledged him.
12Ptolemy XIV- Cleopatra Marriage
After the death of her husband/brother, Ptolemy XIII, Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIV were married and declared joint rulers of Egypt. He was about 12 years old when he acceded to the throne.
13Caesar’s Heir
After Caesar was assassinated in March of 44 B.C., Cleopatra stayed in Rome for more than a month, in the vain hope of having her son Caesarion being recognized as Caesar’s heir. Caesar’s will however named his grandnephew Octavian (Augustus) as his primary heir. Cleopatra decided to flee to Egypt around the time Octavian arrived in Italy.
14Ptolemy XIV’s Death
After Caesar’s assassination and a few months after her arrival in Egypt, Cleopatra poisoned her brother/husband/co-ruler Ptolemy XIV with aconite. Ptolemy XIV died at the age of 15.
15Caesarion’s Ascension
After Cleopatra killed her second husband, she named her eldest son Caesarion (from her relationship with Caesar) as her co-ruler renaming him Ptolemy XV. He was the last sovereign member of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt.
16Liberators’ Civil War
After Caesar’s assassination, Mark Antony (Antonius) and Augustus (Octavian) joined forces with a third man named Lepidus to find and punish the conspirators who had killed Caesar. This war was known as Liberators’ Civil War and this group of three men was known as the triumvirate. After winning the war, they divided the empire between them: Augustus got the west, Mark Antony got the east and Lepidus got North Africa. Cleopatra helped them in war with her forces and in the process managed to clear her name with them.
17Cleopatra's Stagecraft
Cleopatra often used clever stagecraft to woo potential allies. For example, when she met Mark Antony, she arrived on a golden barge made up to look like the goddess Aphrodite. Antony, who considered himself the embodiment of Dionysus (Aphrodite’s lover), was instantly enchanted.
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18Cleopatra's Beauty
Cleopatra’s fame as a beautiful seductive mistress was entirely made by Octavian (Augustus) as a way of explaining how this foreign queen managed to seduce two of Rome’s most powerful men. While being described as a beauty, she was best known for her intelligence and charm. Even Roman authors tend to not actually refer to Cleopatra as beautiful. Plutarch even says she is not as beautiful as Mark Antony’s Wife Octavia. What Roman authors do tend to say about Cleopatra is that she is power hungry, sexually promiscuous, and foreign to Rome.
19Cleopatra's Children with Antony
After Mark Antony won the Liberators’ Civil War, Cleopatra developed a personal relationship with him after wooing him. Her relationship with Mark Antony eventually produced three children: the twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene II, and Ptolemy Philadelphus.
20Cleopatra's Drinking Club
Cleopatra and Mark Antony formed their own drinking club in 41 B.C. and were known to take part in elaborate games and contests and walked the streets of Alexandria in disguise, pranking the residents.
