Effects Of Cleopatraii Philopator

Cleopatra, formally known as Cleopatra VII Philopator, was a prominent figure in both Roman and Egyptian history with substantial effects in both societies. In Rome specifically, she played a large part in ending the republic entirely, giving way to Rome’s political rebirth into an empire. Without her influence and involvement with two political leaders, the events after Caesar’s death undoubtedly would have resulted with a far different outcome.
Even before Caesar’s death, Cleopatra was in the Roman scene. Cleopatra was the daughter of Ptolemy XII and the sister of Ptolemy XIII who was actually involved in conflict with Roman General Pompey as well as Cleopatra herself. Her and her brother reigned together after their father’s death but,
due to the fact that Ptolemy XIII was eight years younger, he was not of a capable age at the beginning of their reign, making Cleopatra the main ruler until he was old enough to challenge her for the the thrown. When he did, Cleopatra decided she wanted Roman help from Julius Caesar, the self-proclaimed dictator for life at the time. The two created a deal in which Caesar would help her regain her throne and gain back Palestine and South Sudan back into Egypt in exchange for the payment of debts Cleopatra’s late father owed Rome.
In the winter of 48-47 BCE, they were besieged in Alexandria where they began an affair.
By the springtime, Roman armies arrived, causing Ptolemy XIII to flee and drown in the Nile. This left Cleopatra’s next brother, Ptolemy XIV, the throne who Cleopatra proceeded to marry, thus recovering her crown. During this time, Cleopatra gave birth to a son named Caesarion, though it was debated whether or not Caesar was legitimately the father. Caesar’s business in Alexandria was finished by 46 BCE, so he returned to Rome where he would be murdered two years later. In fact, Cleopatra was in Rome during his assassination after the death of the brother she just married, but she retreated from any involvement with Rome until 42 BCE after the Battle of Philippi. In this battle, the conspirators against Caesar were finally defeated, and Mark Antony was favored to be the next ruler over Octavian, Caesar’s adopted son, who also sought the
crown.
Mark Antony with his position of power requested to meet with Cleopatra in regards to any possible involvement with Caesar’s assassination. The pair met in Tarsus in Asia Minor where it is said he became entranced by her, though he had a wife doing his bidding in Italy. However, she passed and Antony attempted marriage with Octavian’s sister Octavia in an effort to reach peace between the two. In the meantime, Cleopatra was giving birth to Antony’s twins, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene. But again, Antony’s marriage was not successful as he determined a compromise could not be reached, so he united with Cleopatra once again.
Antony and Cleopatra participated in the Donation of Alexandria, a celebration for the couple.
This event was important for two reasons. The first being, during this celebration, Antony proclaimed that Caesarion was, in fact, Caesar’s son, making him the next heir instead of Octavian since he was adopted and Caesarion was directly related. The second reason is that the celebration was a mix of Antony’s Roman and Cleopatra’s Alexandrian and Egyptian culture. The growing syncretism of the two civilizations became a source of growing tensions. Octavian took advantage of this growing concern and added heat to the situation by supposedly stealing Antony’s will which read many Roman possessions were to be left to Cleopatra and they were to be buried together in Egypt. This caused a major upset in the people of Rome who questioned Antony’s loyalty to Rome. Due to these ramifications, Antony and Cleopatra went to Greece in the winter of 32-31 BCE in Greece, and the Roman senate revoked Antony’s expected Consul position and declared war on
Cleopatra.
The most important battle of this war was the Battle of Actium on September 2, 31 BCE. This event was the climax and the ending of the war. Throughout, the odds were in Octavian’s favor, so Cleopatra fled to her mausoleum. However, Mark Antony had mistakenly heard a rumor that she committed suicide, resulting in his own suicide. His body was brought to Cleopatra who also committed suicide allegedly by an asp bite but it is unclear whether that method is fictitious or not. They were buried together as Antony’s will requested.
With their deaths, the Roman republic died as well. Octavian became the first emperor and Rome would remain an empire for the next 1500 years. In conclusion, Cleopatra was absolutely instrumental in this change of governance in Rome and her importance in the political history of Rome is undeniable