Pharaoh Ptolemy VI Philometor

186 BCE -

• Name	Ptolemy VI Philometor
  Relationship	with Robert Alan Roy
  Birth	186 BCE	Alexandria, Egypt   [6]
  General Information	Philometor means "mother-loving" probably because his mother ruled for him early in his life.  [4]
  Names		Names of Ptolemy VI
  History	181 BCE - he succeeded as Pharaoh of Egypt. Before he became of age, Egypt was ruled by his mother, Cleopatra I. 170 BCE - Antiochus IV decided to exploit the weak reign of his nephew and niece to reclaim Palestine, he was opposed by Ptolemy VI. Declaring himself and his sister-wife Cleopatra II no longer subject to a regency (although he was still in his mid-teens), Ptolemy VI followed with an attack of his own on Palestine. This campaign, led as it was by an inexperienced general, was a disaster. Defeated by Antiochus IV, Ptolemy VI fled Palestine in such confusion that he did not even trust in his ability to return to Egypt. Rather, he headed for sanctuary on the sacred Aegean island of Samothrace, a destination he never reached, for the fleet of Antiochus captured him anyway. The military failure, all the more damaging because of Ptolemy VI's "cowardly" flight, led to a revolution in Alexandria where the population briefly replaced Ptolemy VI, both as king and as the husband of Cleopatra II, with their brother Ptolemy VIII. After the capture of Ptolemy VI, Antiochus seems to have had ambitions on the Egyptian throne for himself until he learned of the accession of Ptolemy VIII. Thereafter, he invaded Egypt to return his recent antagonist, Ptolemy VI, to the throne. Initially successful, Antiochus left Egypt in 169 with Ptolemy VI reunited with Cleopatra and reinstalled on the throne, and with a strong Seleucid garrison in Pelusium (the fortress that defended Egypt's frontier from Syria). For Antiochus, there was influence to be gained through a manipulation of the rivalry engulfing the Ptolemaic house, that is, until more calculating heads held sway in Alexandria. Knowing that they needed a foreign champion to check Antiochus IV's ambitions in Egypt, Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra II sent an embassy to Rome to request protection from Seleucid Syria. Responding favorably to the request, in 168 the Romans sent an embassy under Gaius Popillius Laenus to demand that the newly returned Antiochus IV leave Egypt for good. Knowing that the Romans had already soundly defeated his father, and also knowing that they had recently crushed the Macedonians in Europe under Perseus, Antiochus caved in to the Roman ambassador and left Egypt permanently. Hoping to improve their standing through a deft manipulation of marriage politics, Ptolemy VI and Cleopatra initially betrothed their daughter Cleopatra Thea to a pretender, Alexander Balas, who had seized the Syrian throne from its king Demetrius I (150 BCE). When that marriage proved to be politically barren, the same daughter was forced to abandon her first husband to marry Demetrius II (145 BCE), the son of Demetrius I and thus the enemy of Alexander Balas. The latter took both personal and political affront at the Egyptian change of heart. Although Balas was unsuccessful in a military campaign fought in Palestine against the allied forces of Ptolemy VI and Demetrius II (145 BCE), Ptolemy VI died during this war as a result of a wound sustained when he fell from his horse.   [2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
  Siblings	2 Siblings
  + 1. Pharaoh Ptolemy VI Philometor,   b. 186 BCE, Alexandria, Egypt ▻ Cleopatra II + 2. Cleopatra II,   b. About 185 BCE   d. 116 BCE ▻ Pharaoh Ptolemy VI Philometor;   Ptolemy VIII   3. Pharaoh Ptolemy VII
  Person ID	I9488	| Roy Line, Boudreau Line
  Last Modified	13 Mar 2024

  
  

  Father	Pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes,   b. Abt 210 BCE   d. 181 BCE
  Mother	Cleopatra I
  Family ID	F6633	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Cleopatra II,   b. About 185 BCE   d. 116 BCE
  Marriage	yes, date unknown  [2, 3, 5]
  	They were brother and sister. She was about 6 or 7, he about 10. This under-age marriage was arranged by Eulaeus (a eunuch) and Lenaeus (an ex-slave), two regents who, in lieu of anyone better situated, assumed their authority after Cleopatra I's death. [2]
  Children	1. Ptolemy Eupator,   b. 15 Oct 166 BCE   d. Aug 152 BCE + 2. Cleopatra Thea,   b. Abt 164 BCE   d. 121 BCE   3. Cleopatra III,   b. Between 160 and 155 BCE   d. Sep 101 BCE   4. Ptolemy,   b. Abt 152 BCE   d. Abt 130 BCE   5. Berenice,   b. 160s BCE   d. Before 133 BCE
  Family ID	F6630	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	25 Jul 2021

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 186 BCE - Alexandria, Egypt  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Ptolemy VI Philometor

  
  

• Sources

  [S1815] David, Rosalie & David, Antony E. A Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, (London: Seaby, 1992). [S1838] Encyclopedia.com, (On-line: https://www.encyclopedia.com/). [S1834] Redford, Donald B. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, (Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2001). [S1816] Rice, Michael. Who's Who in Ancient Egypt, (London: Routledge, 1999). [S60] Stuart, Roderick W. Royalty for Commoners, The Complete Known Lineage of John of Gaunt, Son of Edward III, King of England, and Queen Philippa Fourth Edition, (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2002). [S304] Wikipedia, Ptolemy VI Philometor.