According to the laws of the time, Cleopatra was required to have a husband (either a brother or a son) during her reign. She married her brother Ptolemy but shortly afterward had his name removed from all official documents and coins.
This was a time of great unrest and famine in Egypt. Cleopatra was overthrown in favour of Ptolemy, and she left Aexandria.
In 48 B.C.E., Julius Caesar and his army arrived in Alexandria. Cleopatra hid inside a carpet in order to meet with Caesar before Ptolemy had a chance to see him. He realized he had been tricked when he went to see Caesar the next day. Ptolemy tried to escape but Caesar's guards captured him and brought him back to the palace. Ptolemy later drowned trying to escape.
Cleopatra now had the throne to herself. Caesar and Cleopatra traveled together up the Nile; Cleopatra was worshipped as the Pharoah. She and Caesar had a son, Caesarion, who was born on June 23, 47 B.C.E. The couple went to Rome together and had planned to marry.
Everything changed for Cleopatra when Caesar was killed in 44 B.C.E. by his Senators. Neither Cleopatra nor her son were mentioned in his will. Fearing her life was in danger, Cleopatra and her son fled to Alexandria. She made Caesarion her co-regent when he was four years old.
The Egypt Cleopatra returned to was in shambles - the canals along the Nile had been neglected, which led to bad harvests. The famine continued until 41 B.C.E. During this time, Cleopatra observed the political situation to determine who would be the next important Roman leader. Mark Antony was this man.
In 41 B.C.E. Antony invited Cleopatra to Tarsus (the Roman provincial capital, on the coast of what is now Turkey). She arrived on a boat with silver oars and purple sails dressed as Aphrodite (the goddess of Love). Antony and Cleopatra spent that winter together in Alexandria. He returned home in the spring; Cleopatra gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, later that year. Antony did not return for four years. During this time period, his wife died and he married a Roman woman, Octavia.
Antony journeyed to Antioch (the capital of ancient Syria) and sent for Cleopatra. Antony recognized Cleopatra's children as his own and gave her a great gift of land (including Cyprus, Judea, and Arabia). Egypt was able to assemble a large fleet from lumber taken from this area. Cleopatra provided money, food, and clothing to Antony's army. She also gave birth to a third child by Antony.
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