With the help of her friend Apollodorus the Sicillian, Cleopatra sneaks into the palace at night by hiding in a bed sack that Apollodorus carried into the palace. This secret meeting is very well characterized in Plutarch’s The Life of Julius Caesar, and serves as the catalyst to the romance shared between Cleopatra and Caesar. Cleopatra sees this as a big opportunity to reclaim the legitimacy she had to the throne, and arranges a secret meeting with Caesar in the Capital palace where he is staying. Caesar labels this killing of Pompey a cowardly act, and seizes the Egyptian Capital. In an attempt to put Egypt in good relations with Rome, Ptolemy XII orders the decapitation of Pompey, which enrages Caesar. Pompey, who was a rival of Caesar, fled to Alexandria to seek refuge from Caesar’s forces during the Roman Civil War. While Cleopatra was in exile, Ptolemy XII had full control of the throne. Sibling conflict arose between the two concerning the throne, and Cleopatra was forced into exile under the threats of Ptolemy XII and his main adviser, Pothinus. Prior to 48 BC, Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy XII, had joint ownership of the throne. Although marriage between a Roman and a foreigner was not permitted (not to mention the fact that Caesar was already married), he never denied fathering her child.Cleopatra and Julius Caesar’s iconic relationship revolved around the affirmation of Cleopatra’s legitimacy to the Egyptian throne. In Rome Caesar had a gilded statue of Cleopatra erected, but it is not known if their affair continued. After a year she came to Rome where Caesar housed her on one of his estates. ![]() The Queen, who was unpopular in Alexandria, required the protection of Roman legions. With Cleopatra successfully installed, the couple cruised the Nile on the Queen’s royal barge, after which Caesar returned to Rome, leaving a Cleopatra with child. Placing Ptolemy XII’s daughter on the throne meant she would inherit her father’s debts to Rome and was capable of paying them off. Caesar and Cleopatra were stuck inside for several months before Roman reinforcements arrived, allowing Caesar to take all of Alexandria. Meanwhile Cleopatra’s younger sister, Arsinoe, escaped and declared her own rebellion. Image credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsĬaesar declared Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII to be joint rulers, but this was not accepted by Ptolemy’s supporters, who laid siege to the palace in Alexandria. She is believed to have been the world’s richest woman at the time and able to finance Caesar’s return to power in Rome.īust of Cleopatra VII (left) Bust of Julius Caesar (right). Cleopatra required the might of Caesar’s armies to install her as ruler of Egypt, while Caesar was in need of Cleopatra’s vast wealth. The pair’s need of one another was mutual. Her servant, disguised as a merchant, unrolled the Queen in front of Caesar inside the general’s suite. In order to avoid being caught by her brother’s forces, she was secreted into Alexandria while rolled up in a carpet. Meanwhile, in the midst of a civil war between her supporters and those of her brother, Cleopatra sought help from Caesar. Caesar pursued Pompey - who had already been murdered by a trio of treasonous Roman military men who were stationed there - and defeated his armies at Alexandria. Watch Nowĭuring Caesar’s civil war with Pompey, the latter fled to Egypt. ![]() Featuring Dr Emma Southon and Professor Marco Conti. This documentary tells the story of Julius Caesar's assassination on the 'Ides of March' in 44 BC.
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