Cleopatra

Cleopatra was the daughter of Ptolemy XII, ruler of Egypt. When he died in 51 BCE, he decreed that seventeen-year-old Cleopatra and her twelve-year-old brother, Ptolemy XIII, were to marry, in compliance with Egyptian tradition, and rule Egypt. However, this was a marriage of convenience only, and Cleopatra basically ruled alone. She was different than other Ptolemies before her. She learned the Egyptian language, whereas the other spoke only Greek, and she practiced the religious customs of Egypt. Many people viewed her as a pharaoh. Cleopatra’s brother, Ptolemy XIII, resented her power and, with the help of his generals, he stripped her of her crown and exiled her to Syria.
A few months later, a Roman army led by Julius Caesar arrived in Egypt. Caesar was pursuing another army, led by Pompey that was trying to keep him out of Rome. After Pompey’s army was crushed, he sought refuge in Egypt where he hoped to be favorably received...