Basic Info:
Cleopatra VII Philopater
Last active Ruler of Ptolemaic kingdom
Born- 69 B.C.
Died-  August 12, 30 B.C.

Early Life:
Very little is known about her childhood, and just her life in general. Most of what is known of her life was pieced together by Greco-Roman scholars, particularly Plutarch.
She was the daughter of Ptolemy XII (a descendent of Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander the Great's generals and the founder of the Ptolemaic line in Egypt). Her mother is beloved to be Cleopatra V, the king's wife (and possibly his half sister. Gross). The throne was passed to the eighteen year old Cleopatra and her ten year old brother (Ptolemy XIII) in 51 B.C.

Rise to the Throne and Time as Pharaoh:
However, shortly after her ascension, her brother's advisors forced her to flee to Syria. In 49 B.C., she raised an army of mercenaries and faced her brother and his forces at Pelusium. Ptolemy XIII allowed the Roman general, Pompey, to be murdered and allowed his rival, Julius Caesar, into Alexandria. Cleopatra sought Caesar's support and supposedly smuggled herself into the palace to plead her case to him.

Caesar, needing to restore his own power in Rome and repay some debts, helped her to fight. After four months of war, Ptolemy and his soldiers retreated from Alexandria and Ptolemy was rumored to have drowned in the Nile river.

The throne was restored to Cleopatra and her younger brother, Ptolemy XIV (did it get confusing for them, having so many family members with the same name?)

Around 47 B.C., she gave birth to Ptolemy Caesar. He was believed to be the child of Julius Caesar, and the people of Egypt called him Caesarion or Little Caesar.

She visited Caesar sometime between 46-45 B.C. with her younger brother, but after Caesar's murder in 44 B.C., she returned to Egypt. Her younger brother, Ptolemy XIV died shortly after. The now 3 year old Caesarion was named co-regent with his mother.

There was unreliable flooding of the Nile, which resulted in failing crops, which led to inflation and starvation. Still, her hold of the throne was secure.

She maintained a strong hold on her kingdom while conflict was raging in Rome between Marc Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus, and Brutus and Cassius, with both sides asking for her support.
Cleopatra sent four Roman legions stationed in Egypt by Caesar to support the triumvirate, and the forces of Brutus and Cassius were defeated. Marc Antony and Octavian divided power in Rome.

Marc Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus. The story goes that he was quickly seduced by her charms and he agreed to protect her crown. She returned to Egypt and he followed her, leaving his wife, Fulvia, along with their children. He spent the winter with Cleopatra in Alexandria where they formed a drinking society called "The Inimitable Livers." After he left for Rome, she gave birth to his twins: Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene.

Fulvia grew sick and died and to prove his allegiance, Antony was forced to marry Octavian's half sister, Octavia.

Egypt grew more and more prosperous because of Cleopatra's rule. She met with Antony again in 37 B.C. so he could obtain funds for his military campaign against Parthia. In exchange for funds, he agreed to return much of Egypt's eastern empire. By became lovers again and Cleopatra had another son in 36 B.C. (Ptolemy Philadelphos).

Antony was defeated in Parthia and rather than returning home to Octavia, he cane back to Cleopatra. He declared Caesarion as the rightful heir, rather than Octavian, and gave land to each of the children he and Cleopatra had together. This sparked a war of propaganda between him and Octavian, who stated that Antony was under Cleopatra's control. The Roman senate stripped Antony of his titles and Octavian declared war on Cleopatra.

Death:
On the first of September 31 B.C., Octavian's army defeated the forces of Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle I'd Actium. Cleopatra's ships deserted and fled to Egypt, and Antony attempted to follow. While Alexandria was under attack by Octavian's men, Antony heard a rumor that Cleopatra had commuted suicide. He fell on his sword and died just as news arrived that the rumors were false.

On August 12, 30 B.C., Cleopatra went into her chambers with two of her maids. The exact cause of her death isn't certain, but it is commonly believed that she used a venomous snake known as the asp (which was a symbol of divine royalty). She was 39 when she committed suicide. Her body was buried near Antony's, just as she wished. (This is some Romeo and Juliet level stuff).

Cool facts:
• she strongly associated herself with the goddess, Isis
• she spoke a dozen languages
• according to Plutarch, she was known for her "irresistible charm"
• she wasn't Egyptian. She was born there, but her ancestry can be traced back to Macedonian Greece. However, she did embrace her countries ancient customs and was the first of the Ptolemaic like to learn the Egyptian language
• in order to keep bloodlines pure and divine, rulers would often marry their brothers, sisters, fathers, etc. To keep with tradition, Cleopatra married both of her brothers
• Roman propaganda portrayed her as beautiful and said her sex appeal was a dangerous weapon, however she was really more well known for her intelligence. Along with speaking many languages, she was well educated in math, philosophy, and astronomy. There's also a lot of evidence that she wasn't as physically appealing as normally portrayed to be, although some historians believe she wanted to be portrayed as more masculine to appear tougher (the reason she appears to have sharper features and a hooked nose on many coins).
• she's possibly responsible for the deaths of three of her siblings. (I already talked about the one who drowned in the Nile so we won't mention him again). Ptolemy XIV is believed to have been murdered by her so her son could rule and she arranged the execution of her sister, Arsinoe.
• she had a dramatic flair. To meet with Julius Caesar, she wrapped herself in a carpet (some say linen sack) and snuck into his palace. Later on, when she met Antony, she supposedly arrived in Tarsus in a golden barge with purple sails and oars made of silver. She'd dressed like the goddess Aphrodite and sat beneath a canopy while servants dressed like Cupid fanned her and burned incense.
• Julius Caesar had a statue of her built in the temple of Venus Genetrix. He wasn't afraid to admit that she was his mistress, which shocked the people of Rome.
• by the time she left Rome, her exotic appearance had made an impression on the people. Women were copying her hairstyle and pearl jewelry became a popular trend
• the group she and Antony started (Inimitable Livers) involves nightly feasts and lots of wine drinking. They did games and contests and reportedly even wandered the streets in disguise, playing pranks on people.
• she personally led several dozen warships along Antony's one fleet in his stand against Octavian
• another theory for how she committed suicide is that she concealed a poison in one of her hair combs and poked herself with that

Movies and media:
A famous movie was made about her in 1963 called Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor.