Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt, is perhaps one of the most legendary women of mankind. Her name is associated not only with the last pages of the history of the once great civilization, but also with the final conquest of Egypt by Rome. Her image embodies beauty and deceit, political will and tragedy. The history of Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, has become overgrown with legends during her lifetime. And today it continues to excite the public. Eloquent confirmation of this is the regular appearance of this story in art and especially in the cinema of the 20th and 21st centuries. There are more than a dozen feature films of different years alone.
Life Story
Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, was born in 69 BC. e. She was the daughter of the Egyptian ruler Ptolemy XII. Virtually nothing is known to modern historians about her childhood and early years. However, one can indirectly judge the influence of the turmoil of 58-55 BC on her fate. e. At this time, there was an uprising in Egypt, as a result of which her father was overthrown from the throne and expelled from the country. This episode became important in the history of ancient civilization. Ptolemy XII soon succeeded in being restored to the throne,however, with the help of one of the Roman governors. After that, the Egyptian ruler became an obedient puppet of Rome. Ptolemy XII died in 51 BC. e., leaving a will after death, which stated that the throne should go to 16-year-old Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy XIII, who was two years younger than her. For the sake of joint rule, they entered into a formal marriage.
Cleopatra. Queen of Egypt
In the first few years, brother and sister really fought each for their power and for primacy in the state. The turning point was the quarrel between Ptolemy XIII and Rome, as a result of which he was killed (47 BC). After this event, Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, became such alone. Of course, she still had to reckon with representatives of the strong Roman state. First, she charmed Julius Caesar to fight her brother. However, after the death of Caesar, Mark Antony, the imperial commander, became her powerful patron.
Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, met him in 41 BC. when she was 28 years old. He spent the winter with her in Alexandria, during which she did her best to bind him to her. And she has achieved great success in this. However, the state affairs of the commander separate the lovers. They haven't seen each other for three years.
The next meeting took place in Antioch in 37 BC. e. The queen at that time was not unsuccessfully engaged in the construction of the Egyptian statehood. However, her activities, Antony's career and their joint happiness did not last long. The Roman emperor Octavian begins to see in the relationship between Antony and Cleopatra an alliance that poses a real threat to his own power. The emperor literally unleashed a civil war against Antony. The latter was very popular in Rome, but the imperial propaganda turned everything so that Rome was under threat from the eastern ruler, who charmed Antony. The decisive battle of this war was the battle near Cape Actium in 31 BC. e., when the fleet of Cleopatra and Antony was defeated. The famous couple alternately committed suicide a year later, when the walls of Alexandria fell under the pressure of Octavian.
