Cleopatra

     When Julius Caesar was certain he had control of Rome, he led his army after Pompey. Pompey was the Roman Senator whose army faced Caesar when he "crossed the Rubicon." Pompey and his army fled to Greece and later to Egypt. Caesar found Pompey in Egypt and murdered him.

     While in Egypt, the 54-year-old Caesar seduced Cleopatra, the 22-year-old former queen of Egypt. Cleopatra had been uncrowned by her brother. Caesar's army murdered Cleopatra's brother and returned her to power. Soon after, she gave birth to a child she named Ptolemy Caesar.

     When Caesar was murdered in 44BC, his army wanted to destroy the senators who murdered their leader. The Senate knew this, so they divided the army and sent them to govern faraway places.

     About a year after Caesar's murder, the Senate selected three people to lead the republic. Octavian was Caesar's young grandnephew and adopted son. Marc Antonty and Lepedius were generals in Caesar's army. Octavian wanted complete control, so when Lepedius retired, his only rival was Marc Antony.

     Marc Antony led the Roman army in Egypt, where he met and fell in love with Cleopatra. When Octavian's army approached, Marc Antony committed suicide. Cleopatra turned her affections to Octavian, but when he showed no interest, Cleopatra committed suicide by allowing an asp (a snake) to bite her.

Learn more about Cleopatra's relationships with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony in the Electronic Passport to Egypt.

Cool Links:

• Cleopatra; Daughter of a Pharaoh -- this is an excellent telling of the story of Cleopatra. No story can be told by a single person. This link will make scholars of Cleopatra retink what they thought they knew.
• Susan Daniels' Cleopatra -- If you're looking for information about Cleopatra on the Internet, you must visit Susan Daniels. Her site includes Frequently Asked Questions.

Rome

 

To cite this page:
Dowling, Mike., "The Electronic Passport to Cleopatra," available from http://www.mrdowling.com/702-cleopatra.html; Internet; updated Thursday, March 16, 2000 6:06 PM