Cleopatra VII - part 4
Jan 17th, 2007 by Lee (admin)
However, on the Ides of March in 44 BC, all of this came to an abrupt end. Caesar was assassinated outside the Senate in Rome, killed in a conspiracy by his Senators.
Many of the Senators thought he was a threat to the republic’s well-being as they thought that Caesar was planning to have himself declared king. After Caesar’s murder, Cleopatra fled Rome and returned to Alexandria. Caesar had not mentioned Cleopatra or Caesarion in his will. This led Cleopatra to fear for her own life as well as that of Caesarion.
Upon returning to Alexandria, she had her consort, Ptolemy XIV, assassinated and established Caesarion as her co-regent at the age of 4. She found Egypt to be suffering from plagues and famine - the Nile canals had been neglected during her absence which caused the harvests to be exceptionally poor. These bad harvests continued from 43 BC to 41 BC.
In an attempt to secure recognition for Caesarion, Cleopatra sent Caesar’s former lieutenant Dolabella, the four legions that Caesar had left in Egypt. However, Cassius captured the legions leading Dolabella to commit suicide at Laodicea during the summer of 43 BC.
She was planning to join Mark Antony and Octavian (who became Augustus) with a large fleet of ships after Dolabella’s death, but was stopped by a violent storm. There followed a waiting game with Cleopatra deciding who next to make an alliance with. After Brutus and Cassius had been killed and Antony, Octavian and Lepidus were triumphant, Cleopatra knew which one she would have to deal with.
Octavian went back to Italy as he was very ill, so Antony became the one to watch. Her son gained his right to become king when Caesar was officially divinised in Rome on January 1, 42 BC. The main object was the promotion of Octavian, but the triumvirs knew of Cleopatra’s aid to Dolabella.
Cleopatra was invited by Mark Antony to Tarsus in 41 BC. She already knew enough about him to know how to get to him. She knew about his lack of strategic and tactical abilities, his blue blood, the drinking, his womanising, his vulgarity and his ambition. Even though Egypt was on the verge of economic collapse, Cleopatra put on a great show for Mark Antony.
She sailed with silver oars, purple sails with her Erotes fanning her and the Nereid handmaids steering and she was dressed as Aphrodite, the goddess of love. This was a very calculated entrance; considered vulgar by many. It was a vulgar display to attract the attention of a vulgar man. Mark Antony loved the idea of having a blue-blooded Ptolemy woman. His former mistress as well as his current wife, Fulvia, were merely middle class.
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[...] Part 4 [...]
[...] Part 4 [...]