Biography of Cleopatra


Index

Cleopatra. Queen of Egypt. Born in 69 B. C. Celebrated for her beauty. Cleopatra was the daughter of Ptolemy Auletes, by whose will she was left joint sovereign with her brother Ptolemy (51 B.C.). Expelled by the latter, she sought the assistance of Julius Caesar, who restored her to the throne in conjunction with a younger brother. She afterwards followed Caesar to Rome, and in 41 B.C. captivated Mark Antony, who rejected Octavia for her sake. A quarrel with Octavius ensued; the fleet of Antony and Cleopatra was defeated at Actium, and they fled together to Egypt, where both committed suicide in 30 B.C.