Cleopatra Part 1: Seducer of Power
He placed himself in the royal palace and began giving orders. Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII were invited to appear before him to settle their dispute. Cleopatra knew she would be murdered as soon as she entered the city, so she had herself rolled in an oriental rug and delivered to Caesar as a gift. When the rug was unrolled, the queen popped out and began working her charm.
Ptolemy arrived for the meeting and quickly realized that his sister was now Caesar's lover. He stormed out of the palace and tried to invoke a riot by screaming that he had been betrayed.
In November, Pothinus called for Ptolemy's troops to surround Caesar in Alexandria. The sibling's civil war evolved into the Alexandrian War pitting Cleopatra and Caesar against Ptolemy XIII and Arsinoe, an act Cleopatra would never forgive.
Caesar captured the Pharos lighthouse and with it, control of the harbor. By the time the fighting was over, Caesar had executed Pothinus and Achilles had been murdered. Ptolemy XIII drowned in the Nile while fleeing Alexandria. In 47 BC, Caesar officially reinstated Cleopatra to the throne. To please the Egyptian people, she married her remaining brother, 11-year-old Ptolemy XIV.
Soon after, Cleopatra and Caesar enjoyed a 2-month cruise on the Nile. Sometime during the voyage, she became pregnant. Ptolemy XV Caesar, or Caesarian ("Little Caesar"), was born on June 23, 47 BC.
Caesar returned to Rome, but left 3 legions to protect his love. A year later he invited her to visit him, so she packed up her brother and son and headed to Rome. She was welcomed to a villa where she would spend the next 2 years.
In September, Caesar hosted the March of Triumph, a parade to celebrate his conquests. He rode through the streets with his prisoners which included Arsinoe. Cleopatra was dismayed that her sister's life had been spared and chose not to attend.
Caesar showered his mistress with gifts and had a statue of her erected in the Temple of Venus Genetrix. The Roman people abhored the temptress who had seduced their great leader. Rumors surfaced that Caesar planned to pass a law allowing him to marry the enchanting pharoah making Caesarian heir to the Empire. He would then proclaim himself King of Rome and Cleopatra Queen. A conspiracy against Caesar rose and on the Ides of March (March 15, 44 BC) a crowd of assassins surrounded the leader at a Senate meeting
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