(Cleopatra painted by John William Waterhouse (1849–1917), [Public
Domain] via Creative Commons)
When King Auletes of Egypt
died in 51 BCE, the leadership of the kingdom was left to his two children,
Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII. The two were meant to be co-rulers of Egypt as an
incestuous married couple, yet a divide quickly formed between the siblings.
Despite their young ages (Cleopatra was a teenager and her brother was even
younger than she), the two children had far different visions for Egypt.
Ptolemy, heavily influenced by powerful advisors, supported the traditional
style of Ptolemaic rule. Cleopatra, however, strove to bridge the widening
divide between the Ptolemaic government and the Egyptian people. She learned
the Egyptian language, as well as Hebrew and Ethiopian, and participated in the
religious ceremonies of Egypt. Cleopatra’s ambition and vision was incompatible
with the methods used by Ptolemy and his advisors. Soon, civil war erupted to
decide which sibling would rule Egypt.
Julius Caesar threw himself
into the Egyptian conflict when, in 48 BCE, he arrived at Alexandria in pursuit
of his Roman rival, Pompey the Great. At that time, King Ptolemy XIII’s
supporters had control of Alexandria and the twenty-one year old Cleopatra had
been forced to abandon the city. When Pompey arrived in Egypt, the supporters
of Ptolemy saw a chance to gain support from Julius Caesar—they had Pompey
assassinated and presented the man’s head to Caesar when he arrived in
Alexandria. The ploy turned out to be a mistake. Caesar was irritated and
disgusted by the actions of the Egyptian government. Instead of showing gratitude
for the killing of Pompey, Julius Caesar demanded payment of ten million
denarii owed to Rome by the previous Egyptian king, Auletes. Then, to the
horror of many Egyptians, he occupied Alexandria with his battle-hardened Roman
soldiers.
Caesar was determined to end
the civil war in Egypt before returning to his struggles in Rome. From his
fortified position in the royal palace of Alexandria, Julius Caesar declared
himself to be the guarantor of the late King Auletes’ final wishes. Caesar then
called for Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra to meet with him and discuss the future
of Egypt. Ptolemy was sent to Julius Caesar, even though the advisors assented
only grudgingly. Cleopatra, however, was still outside the city, denied access
to Alexandria by hostile soldiers and assassins who supported her brother.
Nevertheless, the young Queen of Egypt was determined to attend that meeting
with Julius Caesar.
Plutarch gave one of the more
vivid accounts about how Cleopatra was smuggled into Alexandria. He wrote that
she and an attendant named Apollodorus were ferried into the royal quarter of
Alexandria in a small boat, easily hidden among the merchant ships busily trading
in the city. Before they departed the docks in the royal quarter, Cleopatra either
was rolled up inside a rug or hid herself in a laundry bag and had her
assistant, Apollodorus, carry her into the royal palace. Reportedly,
Apollodorus was not stopped or searched in the palace, for he apparently
delivered Cleopatra straight to Julius Caesar, opening the laundry bag or
unrolling the rug before the dicatator’s very eyes.
With the meeting of Cleopatra
and Julius Caesar, one of the world’s most famous love affairs began. With
Caesar’s backing, Cleopatra was able to defeat her rivals and usurp what
remained of her younger brother’s power, making her the undisputed Queen of
Egypt.
Written by C. Keith Hansley.
- War Commentaries by Gaius Julius Caesar and Aulus Hirtius, translated by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn, 2014.
- Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2008.
We know this. It was in the movie!
ReplyDeleteAmazing. This surprising way of introduction must have played a roll in the forming of Ceasars opinion about Cleopatra, since the first seconds of meeting another person are crucial, which may have given influence on her she would layter use.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what a nice begining of a love story, oh my god.