Timeline Description: Cleopatra was a member of the Macedonian Greek dynasty who became Queen of Egypt. She was an educated, smart woman who spoke many languages. She is remembered as a very good leader for over 30 years, as well as for her romances with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 69 BC | Cleopatra is born in Alexandria, Egypt. Although exact details about her birth are not known, Cleopatra is believed to have been born in 69 B.C. Her father, Ptolemy XII is the King of Egypt for almost 40 years. |
| 51 BC | Cleopatra becomes the Queen of Egypt. After father dies, 18 year-old Cleopatra and her brother become co-rulers of Egypt. Her brother, Ptolemy XIII, is 10 years old. |
| 49 BC | Ptolemy XIII guardian force Cleopatra to leave Alexandria. Guardians for Cleopatra's brother force her to leave Alexandria and go to Syria. She raises an army to prepare to confront Ptolemy XIII. |
| 49 BC | Cleopatra meets Julius Caesar. Cleopatra goes to the home of the Roman military leader, Julius Caesar, to talk him into helping her defeat her brother. She smuggles herself into Caesar's home by rolling herself into a carpet and he is amused by her courage. |
| 47 BC | Caesar defeats Ptolemy XIII and returns Cleopatra to the throne. Caesar's army defeats Ptolemy XIII, who drowns while trying to escape the battlefield. Caesar says that Cleopatra and another brother, Ptolemy XIV, are the new rulers of Egypt. |
| 46 BC | Cleopatra gives birth to Caesar's son. Cleopatra gives birth to Ptolemy Caesar, the son of Julius Caesar. Egyptians call the boy Little Caesar. |
| 44 BC | Caesar is assassinated. Caesar is assassinated when his rivals believe he is becoming too powerful. Cleopatra takes their son and returns to Egypt, where she orders Ptolemy XIV poisoned to death so that her son can be a co-ruler. |
| 42 BC | Cleopatra joins forces with Roman leader Marc Antony. Marc Antony asks Cleopatra to give him money to help pay for an invasion of the Persian Empire. He falls for her charming personality and intelligence, while she is interested in him because she needs a new Roman leader to protect her. |
| 40 BC | Cleopatra gives birth to Antony's children. Cleopatra gives birth to twins, a boy named Alexander and a girl named Cleopatra. Antony is the father of the children. |
| 37 BC | Cleopatra and Marc Antony get married. Even though he is already married, Antony marries Cleopatra. This is illegal and starts a battle with Octavian, Julius Caesar's adopted son and ruler of Rome. |
| 36 BC | Cleopatra gives birth to Antony's son. Cleopatra gives birth to Ptolemy Philadelphus, Antony's son. It is not known what happened to him, but it is believed that he died from an illness as a child. |
| 32 BC | Octavian declares war on Cleopatra. After Antony declares Ptolemy Caesar, Cleopatra's son, Caesar's rightful heir instead of Octavian, Octavian says that Antony is being completely controlled by Cleopatra. He declares war on Cleopatra. |
| 31 BC | Cleopatra makes a deal to kill Antony. Antony's army loses a battle with Octavian's army and Cleopatra doubts Antony's ability to protect her. Octavian tells her that he will make a deal with her to protect her if she kills Antony. |
| September 31 BC | Marc Antony dies after he thinks Cleopatra is dead. Cleopatra decides that she cannot kill Antony or force him to leave Egypt, so she tries to trick him into thinking she is dead. When he hears that she is dead, Antony falls on his sword and later dies, but not before hearing that Cleopatra was alive. |
| August 12, 30 BC | Cleopatra commits suicide in Egypt. After Antony's death, and the defeat of her forces by Octavian, Cleopatra commits suicide. It is believed that she may have had a poisonous snake smuggled into her room in a basket of figs and that she allowed the snake to bite her. |