When Julius Caesar was murdered at the senate house, known as the Curia of Pompey, on the Ides of March in 44 BC, Cleopatra’s attempts to get recognition for her illegitimate son by Caesar fell short, and she left for Alexandria with her infant son, Caesarion, Rome was left divided between Caesar’s rightful heir Gaius Octavian, and Mark Antony.
Brutus’ Death
Octavian and Antony avenged Caesar’s murder, and killed his assassin Marcus Junius Brutus at Philippi in 42, they decided to divide their powers, Octavian would rule the Roman west, and Antony would control the eastern provinces, which were the wealthiest of all Roman controlled territories.
Antony and Cleopatra Become Lovers
After returning to Egypt, Cleopatra had her brother-husband Ptolemy XIV poisoned, and ruled with her son Caesarion as Ptolemy XV Caesarion, Egypt was the most powerful country in the east, Antony had already met Cleopatra in Rome, and he summoned her to Tarsus hoping to forge an alliance, they became lovers and wintered together in Alexandria during which time she became pregnant.
Octavia
Octavian and Antony’s relationship had deteriorated since Philippi and an alliance was proposed, he married Octavian’s elder sister, Octavia, at Brundisium modern day Brindisi, in 40 BC, and she bore two daughters, but never saw him again after 37 because he was too occupied in the east.
Growing Power
In the east, he was growing ever more powerful, economically and exercising effective control over his provinces, he was becoming too powerful for his own good, Cleopatra had given birth to twins, Cleopatra Selene II and Alexander Helios in 40 BC, and he forged an alliance with her, and she became pregnant again giving birth to a son, Ptolemy Philadelphus in 36.
A Powerful Alliance
Their alliance was considered a tremendous threat to Rome, he had assumed too much power, Cleopatra desired a powerful man to keep her throne secure, she continued to desire recognition for Caesarion as Caesar’s rightful heir, and an alliance between the two could be dangerous enough to defy the empire.
Antony Divorces Octavia
In 35 BC, Antony formally repudiated Octavia, marrying Cleopatra in Alexandria forming a strategic base where he would control the east, he launched a successful invasion of Armenia in 34, greater expanding his territories and contributing to his already accumulating powers.
Rome is Angry
When he celebrated his victory over the Armenians in Alexandria he angered Rome, only to add greater insult when he divided his territories between his children by Cleopatra, the senate declared Antony to be an enemy of Rome and that he had been seduced by a sorceress, Cleopatra was accused of all kinds of foul acts and deeds, and worse was to come.
Reading the Will
Octavian managed to get hold of Antony’s will, which shocked Rome even further, it stated that Caesarion was Caesar’s rightful heir, and that in the event of his death he would be buried in Alexandria, rather than Rome, his children by Cleopatra would succeed and rule his eastern provinces, Antony had clearly denied his Roman heritage and was now considered as Rome’s greatest enemy, Octavian declared war against Antony and his Foreign Queen.
Actium
He dispatched a navy of four-hundred ships under the command of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, and met with the Egyptian fleet off the western coast of Greece at Actium, Antony and Cleopatra’s fleet was no match for Rome, and they fled back to Egypt with only sixty ships remaining on 2nd September 31 BC, the victory left Octavian as master of the known world.
Antony and Cleopatra’s Death
Octavian’s forces arrived in Alexandria in 30 BC, defeating the Egyptian army and with no hope of victory Antony fell upon his sword, Octavian advanced towards the palace where Cleopatra was captured and brought before him, he desired no reconciliation and she had no option but to join Antony in death, preserving her dignity, the legends concerning her death are countless, but it is believed placed her arm into a basket containing a venomous asp.
The Last Queen of Egypt
The Ptolemies ended with her death and Egypt became a Roman province, at some point Caesarion was killed and it is believed he was strangled. Octavian took their three orphaned children to Rome where they were raised by Octavia, the two princes may have died, but in later years he provided Cleopatra Selene with an impressive dowry and married her to King Juba II of Numidia, providing them with the province of Mauretania to rule as king and queen.
See Also:
Sources:
Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt, by Joyce Tyldesley, Basic Books, 2008.
Karl Leon Ciccone - Karl was born in Sunderland, United Kingdom in 1981. His ancestry which is mostly English, is mixed Scottish, Irish, Italian, French, ...
Join the Conversation