Cleopatra

There are no official records of a marriage between Caesar and Cleopatra but it is said that nine months after the first meeting between the two, Ptolemy Caesar, fondly called ‘Caesarion’, was born.

Cleopatra and Antony were blessed with twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene II, on December 25, 40 BC. The two married four years later following the customary Egyptian rites and rituals. They were blessed with a third child, Ptolemy Philadelphus.

There are several stories about the fortuitous death of Cleopatra. While the ancient Roman sources claim that she killed herself by being bitten by an Egyptian cobra, Strabo, the man who was alive at the time of the event, claims that either she applied a toxic ointment or was bitten by an asp on her breast.

Following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, a line of rule was established in Egypt of which King Ptolemy I Soter became its first ruler. Over the next three centuries, his descendants took to the throne.

Cleopatra VII Philopator, popularly known as Cleopatra, is said to be the daughter of Cleopatra V Tryphaena of Egypt, sister and wife of Ptolemy XII Auletes. She is reported to have been born in 69 BC in Alexandria, Egypt.

There is much speculation about her ethnicity. While it was believed that she had a Greek descent, some claim her to have a black African background.

By the age of 14, she had become the joint regent and deputy of her father, though with limited powers. The death of her father four years later in 51 BC automatically made Cleopatra, who was then 18, and her ten year old brother Ptolemy XIII joint monarchs.

According to the customary rituals, Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII married each other. However, she explicitly stated that she wanted to be the sole ruler and had no intention of sharing power.

The first three years of her reign were tough for the two as it was marked by economic failure, famine, deficient floods of the Nile, and political conflicts. In no time, Cleopatra broke apart from Ptolemy and ruled out his name from the official documents.

The appearance of her face alone on the coins irked the people as it broke the age old Ptolemaic tradition of female rulers being subordinate to male rulers.

Her conflict with Gabiniani led to a downfall of Cleopatra and marked an end to her reign. In 48 BC, her brother Ptolemy XIII became sole ruler. Though she tried to bring about a rebellious uprising, it was in vain and she had to flee.

She was the last Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Though legend states her to be the most beautiful and gorgeous woman of her time, not many know that she was a tactful and highly intelligent leader who ruled Egypt for about two decades.