The History of Egypt for Kids - Queen CleopatraThe Civilization, Culture & History of Ancient Egypt and facts about Cleopatra, the last Queen of Egypt |
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Overview of the Life of Queen Cleopatra
Queen Cleopatra VII, the most famous of all the Queens of Egypt, she was the mistress of Julius Caesar and the wife of Mark Anthony. Cleopatra was well educated, clever, highly ambitious and extremely attractive. A lethal combination for any woman. She was also extremely determined. Her family were embroiled in a power struggle and she realised that if she could persuade Julius Caesar to give her claim to the throne of Egypt his support then she would become Queen of Egypt. Her first legendary meeting was well planned - it is said that she was rolled into a Persian carpet and presented to the important Roman in this unusual fashion. Caesar fell for her charms, and the wealth of Egypt and together they had a son called Caesarion. Julius Caesar was famously assassinated and Mark Anthony, his staunch supporter, was given Egypt to rule by the Emperor Octavian. Mark Anthony fell in love with Cleopatra and to the scandal of all Rome, he married her. The ambitious Queen Cleopatra and Mark Anthony entered into a war with Rome. They were defeated at the Battle of Actium and Octavian invaded Egypt. Queen Cleopatra and Mark Anthony both committed suicide. Her chosen method was to to receive the snakebite of a poisonous asp. For additional facts about the royal women refer to Ancient Egyptian Queens.
Ancient Egyptian Queen - Cleopatra Fact Sheet |
Fact 1 on Cleopatra: | She was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty established in 323 B.C. The Ptolemies were a family of Greek origin that had ruled Egypt for 100 years following the Greek conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great. She reigned from 51-30BC.
| Fact 2 on Cleopatra: | Her full name was Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator and she was born c. 69 BC. in Alexandia, Egypt. She was the 7th in the Ptolemy dynasty to bear the name Cleopatra, which means "Glory of the father". She had two older and one younger sister and two younger brothers. Most of the male members of the royal family were called Ptolemy, meaning "Son of War".
| Fact 3 on Cleopatra: | The names of her parents were Ptolemy Xii Neos Dionysus (called Auletes) and Queen Cleopatra Tryphaina.
| Fact 4 on Cleopatra: | The Ptolemaic Empire of Egypt was one of the great powers of the ancient world.
| Fact 5 on Cleopatra: | Cleopatra married her brother (Ptolemy XIII) when she was 11 years old who subsequently died by drowning.
| Fact 6 on Cleopatra: | Her father, Ptolemy XII, died in In 51 B.C. leaving the throne of Egypt to 18-year-old Cleopatra and her brother, the 10-year-old Ptolemy XIII, who according to tradition she also had to marry. Incest was an acceptable practise amongst the rulers of Egypt, in order to retain the sacred and divine bloodline.
| Fact 7 on Cleopatra: | She dominated and despised her young brother-husband and soon excluded him from official documents regarding herself as the sole ruler.
| Fact 8 on Cleopatra: | A few years later, Ptolemy XIII deposed his sister aided by two high ranking court officials, the eunuch Pothinus and the Egyptian general Achillas
| Fact 9 on Cleopatra: | She initially fled for her life into Syria but she returned to Egypt residing at Pelusium that was the easternmost major city of the Nile Delta.
| Fact 10 on Cleopatra: | Meanwhile important events were unfolding in Rome. Julius Caesar, aided by Mark Anthony, was embroiled in a Civil War against the military veteran Pompey.
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Ancient Egyptian Queen - Cleopatra Fact Sheet |
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Queens of Egypt: Picture depicting Queen Cleopatra at Philae Facts about Cleopatra
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about Cleopatra for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about Cleopatra for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about Cleopatra for research, schools, students and kids of all ages. |
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Cleopatra
Learn about Cleopatra the fast and easy way via the Cleopatra Fact sheet.
Ancient Egyptian Queen - Cleopatra Fact Sheet |
Fact 11 on Cleopatra: | Pompey, losing the war, landed in Egypt, pursued by Caesar. He was treacherously killed under the orders of the court officials Pothinus and Achilles, who were treating Ptolemy XIII as a puppet king.
| Fact 12 on Cleopatra: | Julius Caesar arrived at Alexandria intending to intermediate in the dispute between Ptolemy XIII and the deposed queen. Pothinus and Achilles, hoping to ingratiate themselves with the mighty Caesar presented him with the head of Pompey. The plan backfired. Pompey was a famous Roman general and Caesar could not be seen to condone such an insult to Rome.
| Fact 13 on Cleopatra: | Some years earlier, Julius Caesar had provided military support to the previous ruler, Ptolemy XII, to quell a rebellion. Caesar had never been paid. He now demanded that the Egyptians pay him the 40 million sesterces.
| Fact 14 on Cleopatra: | Cleopatra had herself smuggled into the palace in Alexandria. According to the famous legend she was wrapped in a rug (ostensibly a gift for Caesar) and enlisted his help in her struggle to control the Egyptian throne. Caesar favored the intelligent beguiling queen over her obnoxious brother.
| Fact 15 on Cleopatra: | Pothinus and General Achilles refused to pay Caesar what he was owed and besieged the Romans in the Palace at Alexandria with an army of 20,000 Egyptians.
| Fact 16 on Cleopatra: | The palace was under siege for six months and during this time Caesar and Cleopatra started their famous liaison.
| Fact 17 on Cleopatra: | Caesar managed to hold the palace and the harbor of Alexandria. He captured the eunuch Pothinus who he executed as a traitor. The young Ptolemy was allowed to join the army of General Achillas. Caesar ordered the burning of the Egyptian fleet burnt and the terrible fires destroyed the great Library of Alexandria.
| Fact 18 on Cleopatra: | Reinforcements arrived and Caesar defeated the Egyptian army. Ptolemy XIII died in the Battle of the Nile.
| Fact 19 on Cleopatra: | Caesar established Cleopatra as a client ruler in alliance with Rome providing her with a Roman force to support her role.
| Fact 20 on Cleopatra: | Either before, or soon after, Caesar left Egypt, Cleopatra bore a him a son, who she called Caesarion, meaning 'Little Caesar'. This firmly linked the queen with the power of Rome.
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Ancient Egyptian Queen - Cleopatra Fact Sheet |
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 Queens of Egypt: Picture of Queen Cleopatra and Julius Caesar |
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Cleopatra | Facts and Information about the Queen of the Nile | | Ancient Egyptian Queen of the Nile | | Fact based biography | | Facts and information about Ancient Egypt & the Egyptians | | Queen Cleopatra for kids and schools | | Cleopatra for kids, schools, homework and research | | Life, bio, times, famous events and family of the Queen of the Nile |
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Cleopatra
Fact sheet containing interesting facts, biography and info about the life and times of the ancient Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.
Ancient Egyptian Queen - Cleopatra Fact Sheet |
Fact 21 on Cleopatra: | In 46 B.C. The Queen with her son Caesarion, visited Julius Caesar in Rome. When Caesar was assassinated she fled to Alexandria in Egypt.
| Fact 22 on Cleopatra: | Mark Anthony wanted revenge and another Civil War erupted in Rome. Brutus and Cassius were killed and Mark Anthony, Octavian and Lepidus formed a political alliance, basically carving up the Roman Empire between them. The triumvirate was short-lived and Lepidus lost his position.
| Fact 23 on Cleopatra: | Mark Anthony was given the east to govern and left Rome, and his wife, and went to Egypt. Here he met with the queen and they made an alliance. She in turn provided him with financial support for his military expenses.
| Fact 24 on Cleopatra: | Before long they became lovers. She had a powerful enemy with Mark Anthony. Her sister, Arsinoe had assisted her brother-husband during the Siege of Alexandria. Arsonoe had been banished to the Temple of Artemis in Roman-controlled Epheseus. The queen saw her sister as a threat to herself and her son Caesarion and persuaded Mark Anthony to act against Arsinoe.
| Fact 25 on Cleopatra: | Arsinoe was murdered on the steps of the temple, a scandalous act which was viewed as sacrilegious by the Romans. This, combined with the news that Mark Anthony and the queen were lovers, resulted in considerable friction between Octavian and Anthony.
| Fact 26 on Cleopatra: | The queen had given birth to twins by Mark Anthony in 40BC. - a boy named Alexander Helios and a girl named Cleopatra Selene. Anthony had to return to Rome to form an alliance with Octavian.
| Fact 27 on Cleopatra: | The alliance was short lived and by 37 BC, Mark Antony decided to resume the campaign against the Parthian Empire.
| Fact 28 on Cleopatra: | The queen joined Mark Anthony at Antioch where the couple marry. This act was illegal under Roman Law. The bigamous marriage was a betrayal of Octavia, Anthony's legal wife and the sister of Octavian.
| Fact 29 on Cleopatra: | War between Octavian and Mark Anthony was inevitable. Mark Anthony gave Roman lands in Syria and Lebanon to Queen Cleopatra. His scandalous actions infuriated not only Octavian but also the vast majority of Romans and they give Octavian their backing.
| Fact 30 on Cleopatra: | At this time Cleopatra and Anthony another son named Ptolemy Philadelphus.
| Fact 31 on Cleopatra: | In 31 BC the two sides met in the naval conflict known as the Battle of Actium. The queen withdrew her forces from the battle and the remaining forces of Mark Anthony were defeated by the Romans.
| Fact 32 on Cleopatra: | Mark Anthony escaped capture and was reunited with the queen on her boat and return to Alexandria.
| Fact 33 on Cleopatra: | Mark Anthony is fooled into believing his wife has committed suicide and falls on his sword. Following the death of Mark Anthony the queen of Egypt realises that Octavian will only ever treat her as his enemy.
| Fact 34 on Cleopatra: | To avoid being paraded in Rome as a captive queen Cleopatra took her own life and committed suicide by allowing an asp to bite her on her chest. She was 39 years of age.
| Fact 35 on Cleopatra: | The death of the most famous queen of Egypt also saw the death of the last dynasty of Egyptian rulers. Egypt became a province of Rome
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Ancient Egyptian Queen - Cleopatra Fact Sheet |
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Death of Cleopatra Cleopatra
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and Queen Cleopatra inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about Cleopatra will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians. Cleopatra |
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