Cleopatra

Define and explain most powerful women (be very specific) through 1750 CE.  Cleopatra was one of the most powerful and influential women of all times. Her reputation is that she was a sex- crazed seductress who is known for marrying Julius Caesar, and later remarrying Mark Antony. Although she did have relations with both men, her reputation does not portray her correctly. Many are unaware that she had a huge hand in shaping the Western and Middle Eastern worlds.

           Cleopatra was born into the Ptolemaic Dynasty. She spent much of her childhood learning, whether it was about the sciences or learning the language of egyptian (excelling in both would soon come to her advantage). Her father, Ptolemy XII, was an Egyptian pharaoh. He spent much of Egypt's money bribing the Romans not to take full control of Egypt. When he died,Cleopatra and her younger brother, Ptolemy XIII, took the throne. When they did, she soon realized Egypt was already bankrupt. She quickly figured out to learn from her father's mistakes. The first thing she did to fix Egypt's poor economy was to align herself with the temples. The temples were the economy's biggest support. This was the key to getting the economy moving again. Most egyptian commoners had already liked her because she had learned to speak their language, something most pharaohs had never done before. After she aligned herself with the temples, people had started to view her as a goddess. They had come to like her even more so and had found a new respect for her. This is how Cleopatra gained the trust of her people and began to unite all of Egypt.

          Her brother, Ptolemy XIII, saw how well she got along with their subjects, and was intimidated by her power. He was so intimidated by her that he threw her out power and exiled her out of Egypt. Cleopatra’s love for her country was too great for that that to be a permanent situation. Being the smart and cunning woman that she was, she saw how  Caesar's victory was a significant political shift in Rome and used it to her advantage. She snuck back into Alexandria where she could negotiate being placed back into power. She used her boldness and extreme sex appeal to grab Caesars attention. Sure enough, Caesar reinstated Cleopatra to her throne. She later married Caesar. This was more of a strategic political move on her part because she depended heavily on Roman backing. By marrying Caesar, she allied herself with Rome becoming allies with them. She would trade Caesar relational benefits in exchange for protection. When she returned to Egypt, she had found it once again in a fragile state. The Nile River had not flooded and a famine was starting. With starvation glooming over her, she saved her country's people by issuing a series of royal decrees. By getting the peasants protection while getting the harvest in, she eliminated their tax burden. This was helpful in making sure the corn supply to Alexandria was secure.  

                        After Caesar was killed, Cleopatra was fragile once again. Marc Antony had recently come into Roman power and Cleopatra saw an opportunity to exploit herself once again. As we saw before, Cleopatra used her charm, intelligence, and extreme sex- appeal to attract Antony. She had wooed him over and they later married. Antony gave Cleopatra back the richest cities of the middle east (ptolemy empire). She bore three children to him and she had used her kids to gain full power of Egypt. Her children ruled most of the eastern mediterranean. She had saved Egypt.

                         After Octavian defeated Cleopatra and Marc Antony, they had both committed suicide. Although suicide seems like a cowardice way for such a strong woman to die, it really wasn't. She was a born greek ( Macedonian), so in greek culture it is rather appropriate to end your own life then to be humiliated and killed by another. Cleopatra locked herself in a room with an asp. By being bitten by an asp her people thought that she had achieved immortality since back in those times an asp bite meant you had eternal life.

                           In some ways, Cleopatra did achieve immortality. She is still a honored and revered politician to this day. Her death was as dramatic and smart as she was. By letting herself be bitten by an asp her people saw her as a true reincarnate of the goddess Isis. She was a remarkable woman that was born to and died to saving her country from Roman domination. She spent her whole life doing what 300 years of ancestors couldn't. She gained the trust of both her Greek and Egyptian subjects. It is sad that many do not remember her for the cunning ruler she was, but only as a sex- crazed ruler she was not.