Teen Queens: Cleopatra VII

If you have ever been the parent of a teenager or remember yourself as a teen, you may realize that these are not the people you want in charge of your country. Teens are not usually known for their ability to empathize and think outside themselves (this is not to say that compassionate and unself-centered teens don't exist. They are just rare). They are not the people you want to give power and wealth without restrictions.

But throughout history, there have been women who begin their reign as teenagers. Sometimes this ends well, sometimes not so much. Cleopatra is one of these teenaged queens

All that most people know about Cleopatra is that she was rolled in a rug, played by Elizabeth Taylor (if they are old enough to a) know who that is and b) cared enough to watch the movie), and killed by a snake. Some remember it was an asp because it sounds very close to another three letter word that starts with A.

Cleopatra was the last ruler from the House of Ptolemy (toe-leh-me), the family that had ruled Egypt for centuries. She was born in 61 BC to Ptolemy VII and Cleopatra V. She was given the name Cleopatra VII Philopator. Philopator means father lover (it does not mean beloved of her father) in Greek, the language of the rulers of Egypt. Cleopatra was the first ruler to actually learn the Egyptian language in the 300 years her family ruled the country. She also spoke seven other languages including Hebrew and Latin.

Cleopatra's father was considered weak by those he ruled and his court was fraught with violence. He went to Rome multiple times to buy the support of the Romans. While he was gone on one of these trips, Cleopatra's older sister Cleopatra VI Tryphaena seized control of the throne, but died soon after under suspicious circumstances. Many believed Cleopatra's other sister Bernice poisoned her, as she took control after her sister's death. But she too was put to death upon her father's return.

When her father died, Cleopatra at 17 was forced to marry her 12 year old brother Ptolemy VIII (Yeah, Ptolemy was not very imaginative when it came to names). They ruled jointly for three years before Ptolemy's advisers, who found a twelve year old boy much easier to control than a headstrong woman who was bent on taking the reins of the country, drove her from Egypt.

Ptolemy made the misstep of murdering a war enemy of Caesar (who also happened to have been married to Caesar's daughter at one point) and Caesar attacked. Caesar usurped the capital, placing himself in charge of hearing the rival claims of the two siblings for the throne and Cleopatra saw an opportunity. She rolled herself in bedding and had it delivered to Caesar. Enamored of Cleopatra's ingenuity, he ruled in her favor.

Ptolemy, outraged, threw the equivalent of a royal temper tantrum, running to incite the mobs of Egypt against his sister, saying she would be Rome's puppet (which was pretty much the worst thing that could happen in the eyes of the Egyptians). Caesar's guards captured him and Caesar made a speech to the crowd, telling them the war he'd brought was over and they had nothing to fear from Rome (what captive nation hasn't heard that before?).

Ptolemy's advisors tried to lay siege to Alexandria and free their pharaoh. But Caesar's guards held the harbor and Ptolemy drowned in an escape attempt, leaving Cleopatra as ruler once more, this time with her younger brother Ptolemy XIV as her co-ruler. Caesar remained in Egypt, monitoring it as Egypt was an important source of grain and debt (Egypt owed them big time) to Rome.

Cleopatra became Caesar's lover, thinking to secure his protection over Egypt through giving him a son. And she did have his child, a son named Caesarion (little Caesar. Because heaven forbid the child of these men have an original name). Cleopatra took her son to Rome, where Caesar acknowledged the child as his and had a gold statue of Cleopatra erected. Caesar lavished them with favor and hospitality (which had the small side effect of ticking off a lot of the other powerful people in Rome. Oops). Things were going swimingly for the young queen.

But then Caesar was assassinated. Nothing was left to Cleopatra or Caesarion, and his stepson Octavian (rather than Caesarion) was named his heir. Cleopatra returned to Egypt to make sure her throne was secure (also, probably because with Caesar gone, no one in Rome was looking out for her). Once there she either poisoned her brother, Ptolemy XIV, or otherwise had him assassinated. Then she proclaimed her son co-regent of Egypt.

Now Marc Antony makes his grand entrance (come on, you know you were wondering where he's been). As lieutenant to Octavian, he summoned Cleopatra to answer questions about her loyalties to Caesar and to Rome. She arrived, dressed as Venus (Roman goddess of love) on a dazzling ship bedecked in finery, awing Antony so much that he spent his winter with her in Alexandria as her lover. She gave him twins, a son named Alexander Helios (finally! An original name! There's hope for you yet) and a daughter, Cleopatra Selene.

Antony had to return that spring to his wife in Rome, but four years later he returned to Cleopatra and gave her control over much of Syria, Palestine, and Cyprus, lands Egypt had tried to claim for generations but never held on to (and which weren't actually Antony's to give away. Uh-oh, you've angered the powerful people again). Cleopatra in turn agreed to fund his campaign against Armenia, which he returned from victorious.

Returning to Alexandria (where Cleopatra waited with another child of his) he proclaimed her Queen of Kings. He also proclaimed her son Caesarion as King of Kings, a title that had gone unclaimed since the time of Alexander the Great. All his children were given royal titles, even the youngest son, Ptolemy Philadelphus, just two when his father returned.

But, when he'd run into trouble on a campaign right before this, which Cleopatra also funded, he managed to piss off his wife Octavia, and his brother-in-law Octavian, ruler of Rome. *facepalm* And being a man with an ego, he did not try to make reparations with either of them. This, combined with the giving of titles and lands that weren't his to give and his marriage to Cleopatra, enraged the bigwigs of Rome and Octavian's fleet, captained by Marcus Agrippa was sent to stop Antony and Cleopatra from creating an empire of their own. Antony and Cleopatra could not defeat nor fend off the fleet.

Antony, refusing to accept the humiliation of capture committed suicide. Cleopatra, realizing that Octavian could not be wowed by her charms and skill, followed suit, letting herself be bitten by an asp. The snakebite was believed to confer immortality on those who died by it.

Sadly, Caesarion died a horrible death at the hands of his captors. Cleopatra and Antony's three children however were taken to Rome and reared by Octavia, Antony's ex-wife. The two boys died young, but Cleopatra Selene lived and was married to King Juba II of Numidia. They had two children, a son, Ptolemy of Mauretania and a daughter whose name is unknown.

Cleopatra is often painted by popular media as a woman who used her wiles and looks to get what she wanted. And she probably did. But she was more than simply a conniving woman with a flair for the dramatic. She was a skilled politician. She had to work to keep Rome from swallowing Egypt into its empire and she actually succeeded for a long time. Plus she made Egypt prosper out of a time of famine and disease and unrest.

If you want to read more about Cleopatra (in a YA setting) I suggest Cleopatra Rules!: The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen by Vicky Alvear Shecter (nonfiction. The voice can get a little annoying but it has a lot of really interesting information. And the voice doesn't get annoying until you've read it for a bit. I review it here) and The Royal Diaries: Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C. by Kristiana Gregory (historical fiction. These books seem to be fairly accurate and have real pictures and information about what happens after the book ends).