Cleopatra the 3rd
First Few Years As Queen
I am Cleopatra the third! I was eighteen years old when I became Queen of Egypt in the year of 51 B.C. (Before Christ). I ruled together with my brother, Ptolemy (tole-em-ee)XIII, who was only ten. Ptolemy was guided by three important advisers. Since the male was traditionally the chief ruler, these three men expected to rule the country in Ptolemy's name. I was strong-willed and ambitious. I longed to return to my country to the glory of its earlier years. Maybe Egypt could even regain the empire it had once had under the warlike Pharaoh Thutmose III, fourteen years before. I wanted to accomplish this myself, but my brother's advisers were stronger than me. When I was twenty, they had driven me out of Egypt. I was determined to fight for the throne, so I raised an army and prepared to go to war against my brother. But before the battle could begin, it was interrupted by the arrival of Alexandria of Julius Caesar, the most powerful man in Rome. He was pursuing his defeated rival in a Roman civil war. Finding his enemy dead and Egypt on the verge of a civil war of its own, Caesar moved into the palace and tried to make peace. He sent messages to me and Ptolemy, urging us to abandon the battle and return to Alexandria to settle our differences. My brother came, but his advisers were afraid I might win Caesar's support. So, they made the palace surrounded by soldiers and ordered them to kill me if I tried to get in. But, I thought of a plan. I sailed to Alexandria. Then me and a man named Apollodorus took a small boat and entered the harbor at nightfall. Once we were safety ashore, Apollodorus wrapped me up in a roll of bedding and carried me into the palace. He delivered the bedroll to Caesar-who must of been amazed and delighted when it was unrolled and I was revealed.
When I fell in love
Me and Caesar instantly fell in love! Though Caesar should of hurried back to Rome, he was eager to see more of Egypt. So, I planned a cruise up the Nile for him. But for him to be a King, a God- that would be far better. If he were to marry me, between us we would control most of the known world. As my husband, he would become a divine king. Our child-soon to be born-would rule after him. Caesar was enjoying himself so much that he stayed and stayed. His worried generals finally persuaded him to come back to work. The city buzzed with rumors that Caesar was planning to make himself king, with me as his queen, and that the capital would be moved to Alexandria. Caesar's behavior certainly supported the rumors. He began to sit on a golden throne in the senate. He even had a statue of himself placed beside those of the seven kings of ancient Rome. In the spring of the 44 B.C., Brutus and Cassius, two men whom Caesar knew and trusted, formed a conspiracy to assassinate him. They were joined by 60 to 80 other senators. The day they chose was March 15, called the Ides (or middle day) of March. In one stroke, I seemed to of lost everything- the man I loved and all my grand hopes. Fearing I might also lose my life, I quickly returned to Egypt. When Caesar's will was read, it made no mention of our son, Caesarion. Instead, it was Octavian, his 18 year old grandnephew, whom he adopted and made his heir. It soon became clear that Octavian hoped to inherit not only his adoptive father's money and estates but also his position as the most important man in Rome.
Mark Antony, a general of the Roman military later became my second - and last - love of my life. Our marriage was as much about politics as it was love. I had the wealth and Antony needed to establish himself in the supreme position in Rome. We loved being in my palace, richly decorated with marble, ebony, and gold. Over the next 10 years, we had 3 children.
The Battle at Sea
Eventually, Octavian began attacking Antony publicly. He created such fear and hate among the Roman people that they all knew war was coming. The battle took place off the coast of Greece. Our army was on the southern shore of the gulf, and Octavian's was on the north. After months, our camp became discouraged with great numbers getting ill. The officers resented me so much that some of them joined Octavian. Antony wanted to have a battle on land, but I wanted to save my fleet and argued for a sea battle. Antony finally agreed. During the battle, I took my ship and left for the open sea, toward Egypt. Antony surrendered to Octavian. The army soon did the same. My empire that I recently acquired was gone.
Our Last Days
I was able to recuperate from this battle, but Antony was not. He fell into a state of depression and despair. As Octavian's army converged on Egypt, I prepared a grand tomb for myself and looked for a painless and quick poison. I found that the only one was the bite of the asp, a poisonous snake. With Octavian's army just outside the city, Antony pulled himself together and prepared to defend him. The following day, the army was quickly defeated and Antony ran back to the palace. He heard rumors that I was already dead and decided to throw himself on his sword. But that message was false and I was alive. He was carried to my tomb where he died before me. I was allowed to give him a lavish funeral. After the funeral, I was to leave with Octavian. I bathed, dressed, and reclined on my golden couch to enjoy my last meal. No one knows exactly how I died. It is believed that an asp was brought to me in my meal basket to give me a deadly bite. I was only 39 when I died in the year 30 B.C. I was buried with Antony as I wished. I had ruled Egypt for 21 years.
Information From: CLEOPATRA
By: Diane Stanley
Illustrated By: Peter Vennema
For more information go to
When I fell in love
Me and Caesar instantly fell in love! Though Caesar should of hurried back to Rome, he was eager to see more of Egypt. So, I planned a cruise up the Nile for him. But for him to be a King, a God- that would be far better. If he were to marry me, between us we would control most of the known world. As my husband, he would become a divine king. Our child-soon to be born-would rule after him. Caesar was enjoying himself so much that he stayed and stayed. His worried generals finally persuaded him to come back to work. The city buzzed with rumors that Caesar was planning to make himself king, with me as his queen, and that the capital would be moved to Alexandria. Caesar's behavior certainly supported the rumors. He began to sit on a golden throne in the senate. He even had a statue of himself placed beside those of the seven kings of ancient Rome. In the spring of the 44 B.C., Brutus and Cassius, two men whom Caesar knew and trusted, formed a conspiracy to assassinate him. They were joined by 60 to 80 other senators. The day they chose was March 15, called the Ides (or middle day) of March. In one stroke, I seemed to of lost everything- the man I loved and all my grand hopes. Fearing I might also lose my life, I quickly returned to Egypt. When Caesar's will was read, it made no mention of our son, Caesarion. Instead, it was Octavian, his 18 year old grandnephew, whom he adopted and made his heir. It soon became clear that Octavian hoped to inherit not only his adoptive father's money and estates but also his position as the most important man in Rome.
Mark Antony, a general of the Roman military later became my second - and last - love of my life. Our marriage was as much about politics as it was love. I had the wealth and Antony needed to establish himself in the supreme position in Rome. We loved being in my palace, richly decorated with marble, ebony, and gold. Over the next 10 years, we had 3 children.
The Battle at Sea
Eventually, Octavian began attacking Antony publicly. He created such fear and hate among the Roman people that they all knew war was coming. The battle took place off the coast of Greece. Our army was on the southern shore of the gulf, and Octavian's was on the north. After months, our camp became discouraged with great numbers getting ill. The officers resented me so much that some of them joined Octavian. Antony wanted to have a battle on land, but I wanted to save my fleet and argued for a sea battle. Antony finally agreed. During the battle, I took my ship and left for the open sea, toward Egypt. Antony surrendered to Octavian. The army soon did the same. My empire that I recently acquired was gone.
Our Last Days
I was able to recuperate from this battle, but Antony was not. He fell into a state of depression and despair. As Octavian's army converged on Egypt, I prepared a grand tomb for myself and looked for a painless and quick poison. I found that the only one was the bite of the asp, a poisonous snake. With Octavian's army just outside the city, Antony pulled himself together and prepared to defend him. The following day, the army was quickly defeated and Antony ran back to the palace. He heard rumors that I was already dead and decided to throw himself on his sword. But that message was false and I was alive. He was carried to my tomb where he died before me. I was allowed to give him a lavish funeral. After the funeral, I was to leave with Octavian. I bathed, dressed, and reclined on my golden couch to enjoy my last meal. No one knows exactly how I died. It is believed that an asp was brought to me in my meal basket to give me a deadly bite. I was only 39 when I died in the year 30 B.C. I was buried with Antony as I wished. I had ruled Egypt for 21 years.
Information From: CLEOPATRA
By: Diane Stanley
Illustrated By: Peter Vennema
For more information go to