What Did Cleopatra Do?
Cleopatra ruled the country of Egypt with her beauty as well as her mysteriously charming personality, and had affairs with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. Cleopatra was the queen of Egypt starting in 52 B.C., and was one of the most powerful Egyptian rulers in history because she able to hold her country together despite its conflicts internally and externally.
Cleopatra was born into the royal ruling class family in Egypt. Her father, King Ptolemy XII, left the throne to Cleopatra when she was just 18, in 51 B.C. Her brother, Ptolemy XIII, was 10. Egypt had many problems during this time, including floods, famines and a poor economy.
Immediately after Cleopatra was given power, her brother started to fight with her and wanted to rule Egypt by himself. She was able to flee to Syria and then return in 48 B.C. with a much more powerful military backing than her brother had. Soon after, the affairs started, with Julius Caesar first falling in love with Cleopatra. He helped her build her military power, and defeated Ptolemy at the Battle of the Nile.
Once Cleopatra was back as ruler, she continued to rule Egypt until her suicide on August 12, 30 B.C. She committed suicide because her lover, Marc Anthony, committed suicide first when he was told falsely that Cleopatra had died. The two were buried together according to their wishes.
