The end of the era of the reign of the Egyptian pharaohs is closely intertwined with events in the Roman Empire.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII - Queen of Egypt, descendant of the Ptolemaic dynasty, beloved of Caesar and Mark Anthony. Born in 69 BC. As a child, the girl witnessed the coup when her father Ptolemy XII lost power and her sister Berenice took the throne. Pharaoh later returned the throne. For Cleopatra, the turmoil became a lesson: the queen got rid of all potential traitors.
History describes Cleopatra as a beautiful woman, a wise ruler, romantic and purposeful. The girl ascended the throne according to the will of her father. The queen had to enter into a formal marriage with her younger brother because of a law prohibiting a woman from leading the state on her own. In 50 BC e. her brother seized the throne, forcing the girl to take refuge in Syria.
Cleopatra conquered all men, and Guy Julius Caesar was no exception. For 2 years she was able to gather an army, and in 48 she returned power in her native country with the help of a Roman emperor who was in love with a girl. Returning to Egypt, the girl entered into a second formal marriage with another younger brother, but she ruled on her own.
Birth of caesarion
The love of Cleopatra and Caesar was chanted many times in songs, legends and odes. The birth of Ptolemy XV Caesarion (47-31 BC) in 47 was a gift of fate for lovers. Ancient records on the walls of the temples tell that the Egyptians believed: God Ra himself reincarnated as Caesar and gave birth to the blessed heir to the throne of Egypt. The Greeks also deified Cleopatra, seeing in her Aphrodite. The image of the queen on Greek coins always corresponded to the image of the mother holding her son in her arms. So the Greeks revered both her and young Caesarion.
Unfortunately, Caesar, although he recognized his son, could not give the child the status of the legitimate: the boy was born in the official marriage of Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIV.
In 45 BC e., after Caesar returned victorious in the war with Spain, annexing the country to the Roman Empire, the Egyptian queen arrived on a visit for congratulations. This was the first trip to Rome by Ptolemy XV Caesarion. The queen hoped to marry the emperor and elevate her son to the status of the only future heir to Rome. After all, Caesar, in addition to the adopted son of Octavian, had no children.
The assassination of Caesar
Cleopatra's plans were not destined to come true. In 44 BC, Caesar was betrayed and killed. One of the conspirators was the best friend of Emperor Brutus. Cleopatra with her husband and son had to flee to Egypt to stay alive.
Caesarion as co-ruler
After returning home, Cleopatra's husband died. Rumor has it that his death is the work of the queen. The woman, having become a widow, made her son a co-ruler.
The last document, signed by Ptolemy XV Caesarion, is dated 41 BC. e. The people of Egypt at that time were already more skeptical of family rule. Therefore, an order was needed to maintain privileges for those Alexandrians who lived in Egypt on a temporary or permanent basis.
Riot in the Roman Empire
In Rome, after the death of Caesar, a real civil war broke out. Mark Anthony, a follower of Julius Caesar, won the war against the conspirators and took the throne. Assuming that Cleopatra also participated in the betrayal, the emperor summoned the queen to Rome for questioning. But at the meeting he fell in love and believed in her excuses. Mark Anthony and Cleopatra together went to Egypt. In Alexandria, the couple had three children: two sons and a daughter.
The emperor recognized Ptolemy XV Caesarion as the son of Caesar and co-ruler of Egypt. But in Rome, it was believed that Anthony’s policy was more dependent on Egypt’s decisions. After all, the emperor declared Cleopatra the Queen of the Roman Empire and divided the lands of the state between three children.
Caesar’s adopted son didn’t like the emperor’s actions. A new war broke out, and Octavian seized power in the Roman Empire. Having accepted defeat, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony decided not to wait for the traitors and themselves committed suicide.
Death of caesarion
Before her death, the queen took care of the son of Ptolemy XV Caesarion. The Empress sent the boy to the southern part of the country, from where he was to flee to India. But the teacher accompanying the young man, Rodon, persuaded the child to return to Egypt, promising that Octavian would allow the young pharaoh to rule the country.
The young man returned to Alexandria. But Rodon's promises were unrealizable. The death of Ptolemy XV Caesarion was violent. He was killed on the orders of his adopted son Caesar Octavian in 31 BC. e.