Other editions of book Cleopatra

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Cleopatra, by Jacob Abbott, is a classic historical biography and a definitive account of the life of the legendary Egyptian queen. Of all the beautiful women of history, none has left us such convincing proofs of her charms as Cleopatra, for the tide of Rome's destiny, and, therefore, that of the world, turned aside because of her beauty. Julius Caesar, whose legions trampled the conquered world from Canopus to the Thames, capitulated to her, and Mark Antony threw a fleet, an empire and his own honor to the winds to follow her to his destruction. Cleopatra VII Philopator known to history as Cleopatra, was a queen and last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, briefly survived as pharaoh by her son Caesarion. She was also a diplomat, naval commander, administrator, linguist, and medical author.[8] As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder Ptolemy I, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great. After the death of Cleopatra, Egypt became a province of the newly-established Roman Empire, marking the end of the Hellenistic period that had lasted since the reign of Alexander. In 58 BC Cleopatra presumably accompanied her father Ptolemy XII during his exile to Rome, after a revolt in Egypt allowed his eldest daughter Berenice IV to claim the throne. The latter was killed in 55 BC when Ptolemy XII returned to Egypt with Roman military aid. Both Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy XIII acceded to the throne as joint rulers with the death of their father in 51 BC, but a fallout occurred between the rival siblings that led to open civil war. As a Roman client state, Ptolemaic Egypt was planned as a place of refuge by the Roman statesman Pompey the Great after losing the 48 BC Battle of Pharsalus in Greece against his rival Julius Caesar in Caesar's Civil War. However, Ptolemy XIII had Pompey killed near Pelousion and sent his severed head to Caesar while the latter occupied the Ptolemaic royal place of Alexandria in pursuit of Pompey. With his authority as consul of the Roman Republic, Caesar attempted to reconcile Ptolemy XIII with Cleopatra. However, Ptolemy XIII's chief adviser Potheinos viewed Caesar's terms as favoring Cleopatra, so his forces, which eventually fell under the control of Cleopatra's younger sister Arsinoe IV, besieged both Caesar and Cleopatra at the palace. The siege was lifted by reinforcements in early 47 BC and Ptolemy XIII died shortly thereafter in the Battle of the Nile. Arsinoe IV was eventually exiled to Ephesus and Caesar, now an elected dictator, declared Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy XIV as joint rulers of Egypt. However, Caesar maintained a private affair with Cleopatra that produced a son, Caesarion (later Ptolemy XV), before he departed Alexandria for Rome. Cleopatra traveled to Rome as a client queen in 46 and 44 BC, staying at Caesar's villa. When Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC Cleopatra attempted to have Caesarion named as his heir, an attempt that was thwarted by the latter's grandnephew Octavian (known as Augustus by 27 BC, when he became the first Roman emperor). Cleopatra then had her brother Ptolemy XIV killed and elevated her son Caesarion as co-ruler.

Jacob Abbott was a well-known 19th century historian who wrote biographies on various leaders and famous individuals, including this one about the last Egyptian pharaoh, Cleopatra. During one of the most turbulent periods in the history of Rome, men like Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Octavian participated in two civil wars that would spell the end of the Roman Republic and determine who would become the Roman emperor. In the middle of it all was history’s most famous woman, the Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra (69-30 B.C.), who famously seduced both Caesar and Antony and thereby positioned herself as one of the most influential people in a world of powerful men. Cleopatra was a captivating figure even to contemporary Romans and the ancient world, as Plutarch’s quote suggests, and she was a controversial figure who was equally reviled and praised through the years, depicted as a benevolent ruler and an evil seductress, sometimes at the same time. Over 2,000 years after her death, everything about Cleopatra continues to fascinate people around the world, from her lineage as a Ptolemaic pharaoh, her physical features, the manner in which she seduced Caesar, her departure during the Battle of Actium, and her famous suicide. And despite being one of the most famous figures in history, there is still much mystery surrounding her, leading historians and archaeologists scouring Alexandria, Egypt for clues about her life and the whereabouts of her royal palace and tomb.

Cleopatra is probably one of the most well-known women in history, right alongside Joan of Arc and many other prominent ladies who have changed the face of history as we know it. The lesser known details of her reign, as well as her methods of seduction, philosophies and involvement in world politics, however, are seldom discussed at length. Jacob Abbott's Cleopatra is probably one of the few books that truly discusses these matters in great detail, and it is still considered accurate and well-written, despite being just about two centuries old. Cleopatra is the story of the great ruler of Egypt, who has oftentimes instilled inspiration, respect and even fear in the hearts of her political opponents. Considered by many to be a brilliant strategist, an unscrupulous ruler, a philosopher queen, and a woman who wasn't afraid to use her unique qualities and talents to seduce her male opponents, Cleopatra's life was complex and intricate, while still many of the facts associated with her political moves and their true extent are not fully understood.

Of all the beautiful women of history, none has left us such convincing proofs of her charms as Cleopatra, for the tide of Rome's destiny, and, therefore, that of the world, turned aside because of her beauty. Julius Caesar, whose legions trampled the conquered world from Canopus to the Thames, capitulated to her, and Mark Antony threw a fleet, an empire and his own honor to the winds to follow her to his destruction. Disarmed at last before the frigid Octavius, she found her peerless body measured by the cold eye of her captor only for the triumphal procession, and the friendly asp alone spared her Rome's crowning ignominy. The story of Cleopatra is a story of crime. It is a narrative of the course and the consequences of unlawful love. In her strange and romantic history we see this passion portrayed with the most complete and graphic fidelity in all its influences and effects; its uncontrollable impulses, its intoxicating joys, its reckless and mad career, and the dreadful remorse and ultimate despair and ruin in which it always and inevitably ends.Cleopatra was by birth an Egyptian; by ancestry and descent she was a Greek. Thus, while Alexandria and the Delta of the Nile formed the scene of the most important events and incidents of her history, it was the blood of Macedon which flowed in her veins. Her character and action are marked by the genius, the courage, the originality, and the impulsiveness pertaining to the stock from which she sprung. The events of her history, on the other hand, and the peculiar character of her adventures, her sufferings, and her sins, were determined by the circumstances with which she was surrounded, and the influences which were brought to bear upon her in the soft and voluptuous clime where the scenes of her early life were laid.