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Cleopatra VII Philopator ("father-loving"): queen of the Ptolemaic Empire, ruled from 51 to 30.
Relatives
Main deeds
December 70 / January 69: Born
February/March 51: Death of Cleopatra's father, Ptolemy XII Auletes.
Summer 50: Cleopatra accepts her brother Ptolemy XIII as co-ruler
Summer 49: Sole rule of Ptolemy XIII, recognized by both Gaius Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, and his opponent, Pompey the Great
Cleopatra remains queen in the Thebaid, and accepts another brother, Ptolemy XIV, as co-ruler
48: Cleopatra tries to return, but her army is defeated near Pelusium.
48: Caesar defeats Pompey (battle of Pharsalus); Pompey flees to Egypt and is killed by courtiers of Ptolemy XIII
Caesar arrives in Egypt and orders Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra VII to disband their armies, but instead, war breaks out (text)
January 47: Ptolemy XIII is killed in action
Ptolemy XIV and his sister Arsinoe IV are made rulers of Cyprus
Spring 47: Cleopatra VII is sole ruler of Egypt; she presents herself as the goddess Isis
23 June 47: Birth of a son, named Caesarion; Caesar is said to be the father
46: Ptolemy XIV is recognized as Cleopatra's co-ruler again; the two are in Rome
March 44: Julius Caesar is killed (text); Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIV return to Egypt, where Ptolemy is soon killed and Caesarion recognized as king; first of a series of bad harvests
Summer 43: Cleopatra has achieved control of Cyprus; she supports the faction of Caesar, led by the Second Triumvirate (Mark Antony, Octavian, Lepidus), in its war against the assassins, led by Brutus and Cassius
42: Battle of Philippi: the triumvirs defeat Brutus and Cassius; Mark Antony will visit the east
41: Cleopatra meets Mark Antony in Tarsus. The Roman needs the Egyptian queen in his war against the Parthian Empire, and returns the rule of old Ptolemaic territories to her
40: Birth of the twins Alexander Helius and Cleopatra Selene
37: Mark Antony gives Chalkis (the Bekaa valley) and parts of Cilicia and Chalkis to Cleopatra; later, she is allowed to govern, as vassal, parts of Phoenicia, Judaea (cordial relations with king Herod), Cyrenaica, and Crete
37: Mark Antony and his wife Octavia are separated
36: Mark Antony's Parthian War
34: Mark Antony invades Armenia and takes its king Artavasdes II captive; triumph; Cleopatra is called "new Isis" and "queen of kings"
32: Mark Antony divorces his wive Octavia; outbreak of war between Octavian and Mark Antony
31: Mark Antony and Cleopatra move to Greece, where they are isolated by Octavian's admiral Agrippa; although they are able to win a tactical victory and break out of their isolated position at Actium, the campaign is a distaster and Octavian is able to achieve control of the east
Cleopatra flees to Alexandria and opens negotiations with Octavian; her purpose is to save her children and keep the Ptolemaic kingdom intact; Artavasdes II is executed
12 August 30: After Octavian has declined to negotiate, Cleopatra reportedly commits suicide; Mark Antony does the same. Their children survive, but Caesarion is killed.