Cleopatra VII(December 70 BC or January 69 BC - August 12 BC), commonly translated as Cleopatra. She was the last female pharaoh of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Claudius in ancient Egypt. She let a venomous snake bite her to end her life and that of Egypt at the same time (however, research shows that she was more likely to die in Octavian's murder). From then on, Egypt became part of the Roman Empire until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century.

In literature and film, she is believed to have seduced Gaius Julius Caesar and his subordinate Anthony in order to protect the country from annexation by the Roman Empire, so she is also known as Cleopatra in general.

Blaze Pascal once said: "If Cleopatra's nose was an inch longer or shorter, perhaps the world would change." Ancient Roman coins also reflect this fact. Cleopatra in the coins was not only not beautiful, but also a little ugly; and the reason why Cleopatra was able to seduce Julius Caesar and Anthony was because they were attracted by Cleopatra's intelligence.

Outstanding talent

Cleopatra VII, statue

Cleopatra was born in 69 BC, a descendant of the Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt at the time. When Alexander the Great established an empire of unprecedented size, he gave Egypt to one of his generals, Ptolemy Sotel, who then established the Ptolemy Sotel dynasty in Egyptian history. And Cleopatra was the second daughter of King Claudius Ptolemy Oret.

She is outstanding in talent and appearance, smart and witty, good at means, has ulterior motives, and has a dramatic life. Especially her involvement in the political whirlpool at the end of the Roman Republic, her close relationship with Caesar and Anthony, and her various rumors and anecdotes made her a famous figure in literature and art. Cleopatra was one of the monarchs conferred by the Ptolemy Dynasty after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt. Her father, Ptolemy XII, Olette, appointed his eldest son, Ptolemy XIII, to rule with her (according to the law of the time, Cleopatra had to marry her brother, Ptolemy XIII) and rule Egypt. In 51 BC, Cleopatra ascended the throne. Cleopatra was undoubtedly a focus figure in ancient Egypt. In later generations 'accounts, this legendary Egyptian beauty not only temporarily preserved a dynasty with her stunning beauty, but also made the kings of the powerful Roman Empire fall at her feet and willingly work for her. Dante, Shakespeare and others all described this legendary woman as an "worldly sexy witch"; while Bernard Shaw also called her "a willful but not exclusive woman." Cleopatra VII was the daughter of King Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra V of Egypt (the sister of Cleopatra VII). She was born in 69 BC and grew up in a luxurious court. His father died in 51 BC and left a will appointing Cleopatra VII and her half-brother Ptolemy XIII (63 - 47 BC) as successors and co-governed. But the two fell apart due to factional fighting and power struggles. After Cleopatra VII was expelled from Alexandria in 48 BC, he gathered troops along the Syria border to prepare to invade Egypt. Under the arrangement of her father, Cleopatra married her half-brother (later Clotis XIII) in accordance with custom, and the two of them jointly took power. The ambitious Cleopatra wanted to gain greater power, but the two ministers at that time, Bohinius and Okchivian, joined forces against her and drove her to Syria, where she raised troops to prepare for the Egyptian throne by force.

Fascinate Caesar

At this time, Gaius Julius Caesar pursued Pompey to Egypt. Berdinos, a man of Claudius Ptolemy XIII, killed Pompey and offered his head to Gaius Julius Caesar to please him. He wanted to use Gaius Julius Caesar to get rid of his sister Cleopatra. But this move did not win him the favor of Gaius Julius Caesar. And Cleopatra also wanted to take this opportunity to use Gaius Julius Caesar to help her win the throne, so she ordered her subordinates to dress up as a merchant and wrap themselves in a large blanket. When the merchant went to Gaius Julius Caesar's residence to ask for Gaius Julius Caesar, she came out of the blanket and met Gaius Julius Caesar. At that time, Cleopatra was in her prime and stunningly beautiful. She used her beauty and wisdom to charm Gaius Julius Caesar, who ordered the execution of Cleopatra's father's will, which was ruled by Cleopatra and Claudius Ptolemy XIII.

Then Bohinius launched a rebellion, and after the rebellion failed, he was killed, and Claudius Ptolemy XIII died while fleeing. Gaius Julius Caesar conquered Egypt, but did not incorporate it into Roman territory. From then on, Cleopatra lived with Gaius Julius Caesar and had a son named Gaius Julius Caesarion, which means "Gaius Julius Caesar the Younger". At the same time, Gaius Julius Caesar restored Cleopatra to the throne. In 45 BC, Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIV were invited to Rome together and were honored to live in Caesar's private mansion across the Tiber tree. Caesar fulfilled his vows by building a temple in Rome dedicated to Venus, the ancestor of his Julius family, and erected a golden statue of Cleopatra VII next to the Muse. She was about to become the first crown of Cleopatra VII in the Roman world

Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. Cleopatra VII's dream came to nothing and she left Rome.

After Cleopatra VII returned to Egypt, she poisoned Ptolemy XIV and appointed her son with Caesar as Ptolemy XV to rule Egypt together. His son was declared the son of the god Amon. In 44 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated. Cleopatra fled miserably from Rome back to Egypt. At this time in Rome, Gaius Julius Caesar's adopted son Octavian and his subordinate Mark Antony put down the turmoil in Rome, and the two divided their spheres of influence. Octavian ruled the west, while Antony ruled the east. Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus during the attack on Barest, hoping to gain Egypt's wealth to solve the supply problem of the army.

Conquering Anthony

Cleopatra came to Tarsus in a large golden ship and dressed brightly to meet Anthony. Her beauty also conquered Anthony. The two lived together in Tarsus for 12 years, and Cleopatra also bore Anthony three children. The Queen successfully retained her throne and the Kingdom of Egypt.

After Caesar's death, Antony reigned supreme in Rome. After finally defeating the forces of the republican leaders Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi, he toured the eastern provinces in accordance with the agreement with Octavian to raise funds. In 41 BC, he went to Tarsus in Dalicia and bequeathed to Egypt, summoning Cleopatra VII. Cleopatra VII, who knew Roman politics and leading figures well, thought it was another excellent opportunity, so he made arrangements to take advantage of it. It is said that Cleopatra VII set off from Egypt in a luxurious building ship, first to Silicia, and then to Tarsus via the Houdenos River. Hanging on the cabin were purple sails dyed with precious Tyre dye, and the stern was set with gold sheets, which glittered with blue waves during the voyage. The queen was dressed as Venus Muse, and she lay down in a gauze tent strung with gold thread, as thin as the wings of a cicada. Beautiful boys stood on either side like Jupiter, each holding a incense fan and shaking gently. Maids dressed as fairies of the sea, holding silver oars, stroked rhythmically to the beat of drums. When the residents saw this scene, they suspected that Venus, the god of love, had come here on a golden dragon to have fun with the god of wine (Anthony). People rushed to tell each other, and the audience was like a tide. Anthony was invited to the dinner on the ship and was overwhelmed by Cleopatra VII's charming demeanor and elegant conversation. He not only put aside the question of criticizing Cleopatra VII's warm attitude in the republican war against the "Three Heads", but also immediately agreed to her demands, and even agreed to her murder of her heir and rival to the Egyptian throne, her half-sister Yasius, who was taking refuge in Ephesus at the time. Within a few days, the warrior became her prisoner and followed her to Egypt. They spent the winter of 41-40 BC together in Egypt.

In the summer of 40 BC, Antony returned to Italy. At this time, the conflict between Antony and Octavian eased, and he married Octavia, Octavia's sister, to consolidate the political alliance in the traditional Roman marriage method. By 37 BC, the conflict between Antony and Octavian deepened, and Antony returned to the east to prepare for an expedition to Parthia. He sent Octavia back to Rome on the grounds that the journey was difficult and it was not suitable to be placed in a military camp. When Antony arrived in Antioch, he invited Cleopatra VII to meet and, contrary to Roman tradition, married Cleopatra VII.

The union of Antony and Cleopatra VII was not motivated entirely by lust, but by political purpose. Antony's attempts to stabilize Rome's eastern preparations, prepare for the expedition to Parthia, and fight against Octavian urgently required Egyptian financial support. And Cleopatra VII, at a time of profound social crisis in the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, used various tricks, including the use of confusing Antony, to maintain and develop the Ptolemaic Kingdom under the power of Rome, and to strengthen and expand her ruling power. To satisfy Cleopatra VII's ambitions, Anthony gave Cleopatra VII the central region of Syria, some cities along the coast of Phoenicia, the island of Cyprus, and parts of the Kingdom of Nabat. Cleopatra VII supported Antony's expedition to Parthia, but failed to win. In 34 BC, after Antony's victory in Armenia, the triumphal ceremony was held not in Rome but in Alexandria, Egypt, according to Egyptian etiquette. The two of them ascended the throne made of gold. Cleopatra called it "the queen of kings", and his son Ptolemy XV called it "the king of kings". Anthony's behavior in the East, especially his relationship with Cleopatra VII, was initially criticized by the Romans, who then aroused their anger. They rebuked Antony for giving Cleopatra VII and his children the conquest of Rome, preparing to move the capital to Alexandria to establish a new dynasty. In Rome, Cleopatra VII was hated to the core, considering her to be the queen who posed the greatest threat to Rome besides Hannibal. This discredited Antony and deprived him of strong domestic support. This was exploited by Octavian and was one of the reasons for Antony's defeat in the fight against Octavian.

In 32 BC, the conflict between Anthony and Octavian became acute. Completely broke. At the request of Cleopatra VII, Anthony formally wrote a letter to abandon his wife Octavia. Octavian also vowed to avenge the insult suffered by his sister. Ignoring traditional customs that offended Rome, he obtained Antony's will and will placed in the temple from the virgin Vista and announced it to the public. Anthony's will recorded his territorial distribution of Cleopatra VII and his children, and also directed Cleopatra VII to bury his body in Alexandria. As soon as the will was announced, public opinion was in uproar and people were furious. Accordingly, the Senate and the General Assembly of Tribus declared war on Cleopatra VII on the grounds of embezzling the property of the Roman people and deprived Anthony of his consulship and all other powers.

Battle of Akshin

In 31 BC, Antony and Octavian's armies met at Cape Aktium [Battle of Aktium]. While the fighting was in full swing and the Antoninus fleet was frustrated, Cleopatra VII's ship suddenly withdrew from the battlefield and sailed back to Egypt. There are still many opinions on the reasons. Anthony then chased after him, leaving the fighting troops behind to be annihilated. In 30 BC, Octavian attacked Egypt and surrounded Alexandria. Anthony saw that the situation was over and committed suicide with his sword.

Kleopatra VII knew that her death was near, and had long researched various methods of suicide. She hid in the tomb, but was captured by Octavian. When Octavian visited his captives, she also tried her best to deceive and confuse Octavian, but it failed. Octavian's purpose in capturing Kleopatra VII alive was to bring her back to Rome and show her to the public at the triumphal ceremony. When Kleopatra VII found out, he was in despair and disillusioned. Her loyal maids brought a venomous snake called "Apus" to her in a fig basket. She grabbed the snake and put it on her breasts, ending a magical and romantic life. According to legend, even though she was closely watched, she managed to obtain a basket of figs from a peasant, which contained a small venomous snake called "Asp". She let the venomous snake bite her arm and died unconscious. Octavian fulfilled her dying request and buried her with Antony. Caesarion, the son of Cleopatra VII and Caesar, and Alexander, the eldest son of her and Antony, were executed by order of Octavian. With the death of Cleopatra VII, the 300-year-old Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt came to an end, and Egypt was incorporated into Rome and became the private property of the Fuehrer.