Cleopatra VII was the last Ptolemaic ruler in Egypt, and surpassed those who preceded her with intelligence, prudence and ambition. Cleopatra conquered the throne and ruled Egypt for twenty years (from 51 to 30 BC).

According to Egyptian law, she married her brother Ptolemy XIII; then she felt that that marriage hampered her political plans. After three years of government, she was accused of trying to seize the throne and seize it; she fled to the Eastern Desert and gathered an army of Arabs hoping to attack Alexandria and seize power. Julius Caesar, who entered Alexandria, tried to end the dispute between Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy.

Cleopatra slipped behind her brother's army lines and hid in a large rug carried by one of her followers as a gift to Caesar; when the man entered the palace, she appeared from the rug. A relationship with Caesar arose with it, agreed Cleopatra's aspirations also; to seize the throne. Caesar decided that Cleopatra should share her brother's judgment; as their father recommended. Ptolemy objected and fought Caesar, but he drowned in the end.

Cleopatra held an agreement with Caesar to declare in Egypt her marriage to him, and to announce the news in Rome; when he became emperor there. Cleopatra gave birth to a child from Caesar and recorded on the walls of the Temple of Armant that Caesar was the tenth in the form of Amon-Re; which made her a legitimate wife of Caesar, in the eyes of the Egyptians. She then moved to Rome, waiting for the day Caesar would become emperor and officially declare their marriage; she would thus become his partner in the throne of the Roman Empire.

But the Republicans were angered by Caesar's ambitions and defeated him in March of 44 BC. Cleopatra returned to Egypt. Caesar's agents, led by Mark Antony and Octavian (also called Augustus), won the fall of 42 BC. Antonio, who was to the eastern part of the Roman Empire, summoned Cleopatra to Sicily to persuade her not to stand with Caesar's agents. Cleopatra was fascinated by Antonio, and returned to Alexandria; confident that he would follow her, and that was exactly what he did. Antonio spent the autumn of 41-40 BC. In fun with Cleopatra who successfully turned his mind to Alexandria, away from Rome. But Antonio returned quickly to Rome, as a result of the dramatic events there; he married Augustia's sister Octavia. And stayed away from Cleopatra; until he went out to oversee his campaign in the Levant.

Antonio Cleopatra then called and announced his marriage to her and recognized his paternity for the twin daughters of him. He returned from his campaign victorious and held celebrations in Alexandria. The Romans worried that Antonio wanted to make Alexandria the capital of the Roman Empire. Cleopatra was soon declared Queen of Queens and the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire were divided between her and her two children from Antony.

Cleopatra saw herself as an empress for the second time; all that remains to achieve this is that Antonio be overthrown in Augustus. But Antonio was defeated in 31 BC. The two fled to Alexandria.

Before the entry of Augustus to Alexandria, Antonio himself was killed. Cleopatra hid in her tomb in the royal district of Alexandria, where she was her famous palace, and she kept all her treasures in the cemetery.

And threatened to burn the fire in the cemetery; killing herself and destroying the treasures; and with it the dreams of Rome in the presentation of Cleopatra during the celebrations of the victory of Augustus, who deceived and signed by her treasures and was intended to take with him captive.

Cleopatra gave itself the embarrassment, killing herself. Rome ruled the world, then, for a few centuries. The book and poets of the times, to win the satisfaction of Augustus, ridiculed and belittled Cleopatra. None of the late Queen's agents tried to defend her. Thus the writings of its competitors has become the only source available about her life. These stories had a tremendous impact on all that was written about Cleopatra; from ancient times to the present day.

Tags: literature
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