The end of the era of the Egyptian pharaohs is closely intertwined with the events in the Roman Empire.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII - Egyptian queen, descendant of the Ptolemaic dynasty, beloved of Caesar and Mark Antony. She was born in 69 BC. Even as a child, the girl witnessed a coup d'état when her father Ptolemy XII lost power, and her sister Berenice took the throne. The pharaoh later regained the throne. For Cleopatra, the turmoil became a lesson: the queen got rid of all potential traitors.
History describes Cleopatra as a beautiful woman, a wise ruler, romantic and purposeful. The girl ascended the throne according to the will of her father. The queen had to enter into a formal marriage with her younger brother because of the law forbidding a woman to head the state on her own. In 50 BC. e. her brother seized the throne, forcing the girl to take refuge in Syria.
Cleopatra conquered all men, and Gaius Julius Caesar was no exception. For 2 years, she was able to raise an army, and in 48 she regained power in her native country with the help of a Roman emperor in love with a girl. Returning to Egypt, the girl entered into a second formal marriage with another younger brother, butrules on your own.
Birth of Caesarion
The love of Cleopatra and Caesar has been sung many times in songs, legends and odes. The birth of Ptolemy XV Caesarion (47-31 BC) in 47 was a godsend for lovers. Ancient records on the walls of temples tell that the Egyptians believed that the god Ra himself reincarnated as Caesar and gave birth to the blessed heir to the Egyptian throne. The Greeks also deified Cleopatra, seeing Aphrodite in her. The image of the queen on Greek coins always corresponded to the image of a mother holding her son in her arms. So the Greeks honored both her and the young Caesarion.
Unfortunately, Caesar, although he recognized his son, could not give the child the status of legitimate: the boy was born in the official marriage of Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIV.
In 45 B. C. e., after Caesar returned victorious in the war with Spain, annexing the country to the Roman Empire, the Egyptian queen arrived for a visit for congratulations. This was the first trip to Rome of Ptolemy XV Caesarion. The queen hoped to marry the emperor and raise her son to the status of the only future heir to the throne of Rome. After all, Caesar, except for his adopted son Octavian, had no children.
The assassination of Caesar
Cleopatra's plans were not destined to come true. In 44 BC, Caesar was betrayed and killed. One of the conspirators was the emperor's best friend Brutus. Cleopatra with her husband and son had to flee to Egypt to stay alive.
Caesarion as co-ruler
After returning home, Cleopatra's husband died. There are rumors that his death is the work of the queen. A woman, having become a widow, made her son a co-ruler.
The last document signed by Ptolemy XV Caesarion is dated 41 BC. e. The people of Egypt at that time were already more skeptical about the rule of the family. Therefore, an order was needed to preserve the privileges for those Alexandrians who lived in Egypt on a temporary or permanent basis.
Rebellion in the Roman Empire
In Rome, after the death of Caesar, a real civil war began. Mark Antony, a follower of Julius Caesar, won the war against the conspirators and took the throne. Assuming that Cleopatra also participated in the betrayal, the emperor summoned the queen to Rome for interrogation. But at the meeting he fell in love and believed in her excuses. Mark Antony and Cleopatra went to Egypt together. In Alexandria, the couple had three children: two sons and a daughter.
The Emperor recognized Ptolemy XV Caesarion as the son of Caesar and co-ruler of Egypt. But in Rome it was considered that Anthony's policy was more dependent on the decisions of Egypt. After all, the emperor declared Cleopatra the queen of the Roman Empire and divided the lands of the state between three children.
Caesar's adopted son didn't like the emperor's actions. A new war broke out and Octavian seized power in the Roman Empire. Having accepted defeat, Cleopatra and Mark Antony decided not to wait for the traitors and committed suicide themselves.
Death of Caesarion
Before her death, the queen took care of her son Ptolemy XV Caesarion. empresssent the boy to the southern part of the country, from where he was supposed to flee to India. But the teacher, Rodon, who accompanied the young man, persuaded the child to return to Egypt, promising that Octavian would allow the young pharaoh to rule the country.
The young man returned to Alexandria. But Rodon's promises turned out to be unfulfilled. The death of Ptolemy XV Caesarion was violent. He was killed on the orders of Caesar's adopted son Octavian in 31 BC. e.
