Talking to a friend about Caesar. We just finished the book and were curious as to the rumored relationship she had with Julius and Marc Antony. So she looked on her phone and I just have to share this with you. Pretty freaking insane for two thousand years ago.
In 47 BC, Cleopatra had a son, Ptolomy Caesarion, whom she claimed to be fathered by Julius Caesar. Although Caesar refused to make the boy his heir, against Cleopatra's wishes, naming his grand-nephew Octavian instead. Cleopatra and Caesarion visited Caesar in Rome in 46 BC, but had returned to Egypt after his assassination. Upon her return, she then proceeded to have her own brother/husband "disposed" of, possibly poisoned, and then instated her son Caesarion as her new co-regent. The death of Julius Caesar on the 15th March 44 BC was followed by civil war in the Roman Empire. His assassins, led by Brutus and Cassius, were defeated by Mark Anthony and Octavian, Caesar's adopted son and heir. In the settlement that followed, Mark Anthony took the Eastern section of the Roman Empire, and Octavian took the West.
Various political manoeuvres then led Cleopatra to be summoned to a meeting with Mark Anthony at Tarsus. He spent the winter at Alexandria, after which Cleopatra bore him twins. On 25th December 40 BC she gave birth to a boy and a girl who were named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene (II) respectively. Four years later, in 37 BC, Antony visited Alexandria again while on route to make war with the Parthians. He renewed his relationship with Cleopatra, and from this point on Alexandria would be his home. He married Cleopatra according to the Egyptian rite (a letter quoted in Suetonius suggests this), although he was at the time married to Octavia Minor, the sister of Octavian. He and Cleopatra had another child, Ptolemy Philadelphus. In 34 BC, under the "Donations of Alexandria", Mark Anthony divided various parts of the Eastern Roman Empire between Cleopatra and her children, legitimating his actions to the Senate by telling them that he was simply installing "client rulers" to these areas. Octavian, the brother of Mark Anthony's Roman wife had set his sights on the supreme power of the Roman Empire. Mark Anthony's behaviour with Cleopatra offered Octavian the perfect opportunity to initiate a propaganda campaign against his brother-in-law and Cleopatra, until finally in 32 BC, Rome declared war on her.
In 33 BC Octavian managed to defeat Mark Anthony at the naval battle of Actium. For some unknown reason, Cleopatra's fleet had unexpectedly withdrawn from the battle. Octavian then pursued both Mark Anthony and Cleopatra into Egypt, but finally on 10th August 30 BC, realising that "all was in effect lost", and mistakenly thinking that Cleopatra was already dead, Mark Anthony committed suicide. Cleopatra followed suit a few days later, preferring death to the humiliation of a Roman triumph. Caesarion, Cleopatra's son by Caesar, was proclaimed pharaoh by Egyptians, but Octavian had him captured and executed. On 30th August 30 BC, he proclaimed himself "Pharaoh of Egypt". After a culture that had spanned thousands of years, Egypt was conquered and inaugurated as a province into the Eastern Roman Empire.
So basically Cleopatra had a thing for roman guys. Got busy with Julius and then Marc Antony just after Caesar's assignation. Has children with both of them. And apparently after Cleopatra and Marc Antony died Antony's wife took care of there children... If People magazine existed two thousand years ago they'd be orgasming over this shit. Like can you imagine living under that sort of rule? It'd definitely keep you entertained. Well I guess Shakespeare wrote a book on the whole thing and I'd totally read it if his fancy writing didn't give me a headache. So maybe next time
Side note: I'm a little disappointed. Cleopatra isn't very good looking at all
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