Cleopatra VII Filopator, The Last Queen of the Ancient Egypt Empire

    Some of you may hear her name, Cleopatra. She was the daughter of King Ptolemy XII Auletes. She's known for her beauty and mesmerized people because of her brilliant brain and competence in languages, politics, the military, and others. She was the first and formals scholar, scientist, linguist, and diplomat. She was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt.

    I know deeply about Cleopatra's story from the Netflix documentary: Queen Cleopatra. Because this film is a documentary, the story is told based on her true story. In her era, we would also know about the other influential people in the world, Julius Caesar and August Caesar. 

    When her father died, he wanted Cleopatra, and her brother Ptolemy XIII continued him as a King and a Queen. In that era, marriage between siblings was an allowance to strengthen the throne. Besides that, Ptolemaios XIII's decisions were influenced by the eunuch Pothinus who acted as regent for him. Furthermore, Ptolemaios XIII and Pothinus attempted to depose Cleopatra and become the main ruler of the throne. Her sister Arcinoe IV also wanted to depose Cleopatra. Because of that, Cleopatra's position was unsafe, so she left the empire for two years and planned how to take back her throne. Her exit from Egypt caused a civil war between her and Ptolemy XIII-Arcinoe IV.

    When quitting Egypt for Suria, she attempted to ally with Rome. So, she met the famous and influential Roman military and political leader, Julius Caesar. Rome needed financial assistance, while Cleopatra was required to return her throne. Julius Caesar and Cleopatra won the civil war in the Battle of the Nile. It forced Ptolemy XIII to flee the city by crossing the Nile River and then reported drowning. After that, Julius Caesar needed to return to Rome, and Arcinoe followed him to Rome on orders from Cleopatra. Caesar made a promise that he would kill Arcinoe. 

    Julius Caesar and Cleopatra had a son named Caesarion, and she wanted her son to be recognized as heir to the throne of Rome. Unfortunately, a group of conspirators killed Julius Caesar in a senate meeting. Cleopatra realized that her son would not become a king, so she returned to Egypt. Conversely, she knew that Arcinoe was not killed and would threaten her throne.

    After the death of Caesar, Rome experienced a political struggle for power. August Caesar (Octavian), adopted by Julius Caesar, was predicted to be his successor, but he was 18 y.o and still studying. Furthermore, Octavian allied with Mark Anthony, who was Julius Caesar's best friend. They won the political struggle, and Octavian became the Emperor of Rome. Because of their alliance, the conquered area was divided into two regions, Octavian in the west and Mark Anthony in the east. Along the way, there was a difference principle between them. It forced the war between them. 

    We come back to Cleopatra. As she knew her sister Arcinoe was not killed, she wanted to save her position by allying with Rome for the second time. She met Mark Antony in Tarsus and agreed with him to help each other. She also has a twin from Mark Antony. They separated for about two years, and Mark Antony married Octavia (Octavian sister). Then, they met again and got married. Octavian knew, and he was wrath. The tension was rising between Octavian and Mark Antony. Finally, the Roman civil war broke out between Octavian's and Mark Antony's sides allied with Cleopatra (known as the battle of Actium). Octavian won the battle. Mark Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide. 

There was a fact in Cleopatra's suicide. 

    While she knew she had lost the battle, she committed suicide because she knew Octavian would take her to Rome, humiliating her in Roman triumph, and she would not be treated right. Also, defeated enemies are usually killed right afterward. There was no way Octavian could've allowed her to live. And she will not die like that. So, she researched the poison that would not be painful and destroyed her body. She decided how she was going to die. It was a perfect symbol representing her leaving this world as the queen of Egypt.