Cleopatra in the movie
That year, her husband, who was also her half-brother, drove her out of Alexandria. If you briefly understand the Ptolemaic dynasty, you will know that Cleopatra, who is only 21 years old, has very little hope of surviving. In this family full of murder and power struggles, accidental deaths abound.
Although Cleopatra immediately began to gather an army after escaping from Alexandria, she had little chance of winning compared to her husband Ptolemy XIII. But just as Cleopatra was dying, the defeated Pompey came. In the war with Caesar, Pompey was unfortunately defeated, and fleeing to Egypt was the final struggle.
As a result, Cleopatra's husband, Ptolemy XIII, at the instigation of the eunuch Botinius, sent a man to stab Pompey to death, cutting off his head and offering it to Caesar in an attempt to curry favor with this powerful conqueror. What Ptolemaic XIII feared was that his kingdom, like Cyprus, would be directly occupied by the mighty Romans.
As a result, the ass was not filmed well, and Caesar was furious that the Egyptians had killed Pompey without permission—cleopatra, who had been hopeless, realized that his opportunity had come.
Caesar did not come to occupy Egypt, otherwise he would not have taken only 5,300 men. This trip to Egypt was to seize Pompey and to stabilize egypt's political situation. Having seen how Egypt bowed before Rome from an early age, Cleopatra had long understood that pleasing Caesar was her only way out.
Caesar, Cleopatra and Caesar Lyon in the American drama
Most people think that the young Cleopatra conquered Caesar with her beauty, but things are never so simple. When Cleopatra stripped naked and wrapped herself in a blanket and was sent to Caesar's bedroom, the mighty Roman conqueror was 54 years old.
Of course, we don't have to doubt Cleopatra's beauty, but for a 54-year-old strategist, a one-night affair is not so significant. Cleopatra naturally understood this truth, if Caesar wanted to stabilize the situation in Egypt, he could completely wrap her in a blanket and send her to Ptolemy XIII, then there would be only one way to die- the terrible thing is that Ptolemy XIII was indeed currying favor with Caesar, so after taking Pompey's head, Caesar could completely leave Egypt and continue to destroy Pompey's remnants and consolidate his power.
So, that night, Cleopatra must have talked a lot with Caesar, which made the "uncle" admire his political gaze. The next day Caesar summoned Ptolemy XIII and said very seriously: Don't make trouble with your little two, live a good life, and obey.
Ptolemy XIII was furious, he could not stand Caesar's decision, and wanted to destroy Caesar.
According to Caesar's Civil War, the Egyptian general Achilas led 20,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry and quickly rushed to Alexandria and surrounded Caesar. Of course, the agitated Egyptian people also participated in the attempt to kill these Roman "invaders"—Caesar put himself in danger, simply because of the "overnight affair"?
Caesar in the American drama
We turn back the clock to when Caesar was 18 years old, when Sulla had succeeded in power and was stepping up his political enemies in the early Qing Dynasty, Malho and Qinna's henchmen. Caesar, Marius's nephew and Qinna's son-in-law, was definitely a thorn in Sulla's eye.
Of course, because Caesar was not involved in the political struggle at the time, Sulla did not kill him for the sake of face. However, he demanded that Caesar divorce Qinna's daughter Cornelia and marry the Sulla family– the young Caesar decisively refused, after which he had to flee Rome and not return until 78 BC.
Why did Caesar dare to reject Sulla? Because Caesar, who grew up in high society, was very politically far-sighted. Rebelling against Sulla may be in danger of losing his life, but betraying his pregnant wife, Cornelia, will put herself in a bad name and her future political future will be extremely difficult.
Caesar's second wife was Sura's granddaughter Pompeia, but soon after the marriage, the wife broke into a scandal - Caesar vigorously defended his wife in court, insisting that he did not believe that his wife had cheated. But when the matter was over, Caesar divorced his wife again, and he told others: "Caesar's wife, there can be no doubt." Young Caesar, who is not yet swayed by feelings, is he stupid in his fifties?
Will Caesar be seduced by beauty, perhaps. But the conqueror was in Rome, and the "gossip girlfriend" lined up in a long line. Shiono wrote in The Story of the Romans: "Only Caesar possesses the charm of having all the noble ladies of high society voluntarily wait in line for his favor." ”
Cleopatra with Caesar and Antony
Quite simply, for the money. Caesar is well known for his debt, and he was generous in his dealings with the noble ladies of high society; he built a large number of public buildings and spent a lot of money to win over the commoners; he went on a campaign and consumed a lot.
Caesar was short of money, while Cleopatra had money.
Since the beginning of the first century BC, Egypt, which was controlled by Rome, has become the great granary of Rome. Relying on the rich land on both sides of the Nile, the Ptolemaic dynasty quickly gathered wealth. And the nobles of the Roman Senate were used to extorting money from Egypt.
When Cleopatra was 10 years old, his uncle, the king of Cyprus, was forced to commit suicide by taking poison because he was not happy to send money to the Romans. Cleopatra's father, Ptolemy XII, relied on constant bribery of Pompey and others to regain the throne after losing power.
The Romans were short of money, and Caesar was naturally short of money. Cleopatra, on the other hand, is quick-witted, manageable, and can get money. Therefore, after caesar, who was short of money, met Cleopatra, who was willing to give money, the two naturally hit it off - helping Cleopatra stabilize the throne was more realistic than directly occupying Egypt. Because the occupation of Egypt meant that the wealth belonged to Rome, and the capture of Cleopatra meant that the wealth belonged to Caesar.
Therefore, Caesar was willing to risk breaking with Ptolemy XIII, and was willing to play with Cleopatra for two months after quelling the rebellion, preferring to let Cleopatra bear a son for herself.
Battle of Yaksing
After Caesar's death, Antony became entangled with Cleopatra again, was it just because of the beauty of the queen? Of course not, Antony was very rich and powerful in Egypt. At the Battle of Octavian's Yaksing, Antony gathered more than 500 large warships, which shows that he spent a lot of money on combat readiness. And the only person who helps him make money is Cleopatra.
Eventually, it was Octavian's day. Maybe Cleopatra, who is nearly 40 years old, is no longer young and beautiful, but she should also be charming and moving. Octavian was different from Caesar and Antony—he didn't have to worry about the Senate anymore, he started the era of the Roman Empire. In other words, he no longer needed Cleopatra to help him collect money, and Egypt became a province of Rome, which in fact belonged to him.
Therefore, Cleopatra was able to conquer Caesar and Antony, and to prolong the life of the dying Ptolemaic dynasty for so many years, not only because of her beauty, but also because she knew how to use her wealth, which was her "secret weapon".