Rome s Greatest Victory The Intrigue Of Cleopatra Vii

Rome’s Greatest Victory: The Intrigue of Cleopatra VII As the last reigning pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt, Cleopatra VII straddled Greek, Egyptian, and Roman history. During the centuries surrounding her lifetime, few women ruled their own countries, let alone with strength and competence. Cleopatra immersed herself in politics, intrigue, and military tactics. Her influence spans over two thousand years, its impression persevering into modern day. Her unfortunate defeat by the fledgling Roman Empire extinguished a bright flame of intellectual and physical brilliancy. Rome portrayed her as an unscrupulous whore, driven by cold-hearted ambition and passionate lust. As Winston Churchill aptly expressed, â€Å"History is written by the victors.† With†¦show more content†¦In this culture, Cleopatra flourished in the uneven environment, quietly gleaning valuable tools for the arsenal of an able politician and diplomat. Little, if any, written record exists of Cleopatra’s early years. Born in 69 BC to Ptolemy Auletes and Cleopatra V Tryphaena, Cleopatra grew up in a status fraught with physical luxury and personal deception. As princess of Egypt, Cleopatra chose to assume the mantle of responsibility, becoming an observant and cunning student of contemporary politics, languages, philosophy, culture, and diplomacy. Her father, â€Å"the most idle and worthless of the Ptolemies,† possessed very little popularity due to his negligence of responsibility and lack of charisma; the Alexandrians drove him into exile. With his expulsion, Cleopatra’s older sister, Bernice, assumed the throne. Eventually, Auletes returned and reclaimed the throne, having Bernice ruthlessly murdered. Accused of involvement in many conspiracies, Cleopatra managed to remain inconspicuous, transcend her predecessors, and secure control of her empire, formidably leading her empire toward its former greatness. With triumphant Rome preserving the primary source of Cleopatra’s story, history condemns Cleopatra for her strong leadership. When Cleopatra assumed the throne, her capital Alexandria, caught in the middle of the Ptolemaic struggle for power in previous years, required major rebuilding. Shrewdly,