Cleopatra I

Family/Spouse: Pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes. Ptolemy (son of Pharaoh Ptolemy IV Philopator and Arsinoe III) was born about 210 BCE; died in 181 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• General Information: Philometor means "mother-loving" probably because his mother ruled for him early in his life.
• 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.
• Last Full Review: 7 Jul 2020

Notes:

Name:

Ptolemy married Cleopatra II on yes, date unknown. Cleopatra (daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes and Cleopatra I) was born about 185 BCE; died in 116 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death
• Last Full Review: 8 Jul 2020

Notes:

History:
From 170 to 145 BCE, she was co-regent with her brother and husband Ptolemy VI Philometor. Cleopatra II was initially cited as a full equal of her husband in the original petition against Antiochus IV before the Roman Senate, and her status was confirmed in Egyptian documents shortly thereafter. This made Cleopatra II the first Ptolemaic queen to gain full political equality with a reigning king—actually, in this case, with two kings. Exactly why she became so established is a matter of conjecture, but most likely she had a talent for political affairs and was considered by all concerned as essential to the continued collaboration of Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII. In addition, Cleopatra II clearly was more popular among her subjects than either of her brothers, thus conjuring up images of her mother whose memory was a significant legitimizing factor behind this generation of Ptolemies.

As a result of Ptolemy VI's demise, Cleopatra II served briefly as regent for Ptolemy Neos Philopator, the younger of her sons. However, this arrangement did not last for long because Ptolemy VIII returned to Egypt to reclaim it as his own. Although Cleopatra II (with the help of a band of Jewish mercenaries) attempted to hold out against her brother, the Greek citizens of Alexandria weighed in decisively behind the return of Ptolemy VIII. As a result, Cleopatra II married her brother Ptolemy VIII (144 BCE), and the life of her younger son with Ptolemy VI was forfeited. Ptolemy VIII arranged for his murder. Not long after his return to Egypt and his marriage to Cleopatra II, Ptolemy VIII married the long-promised Cleopatra III (142), the daughter of his wife. Now married simultaneously to both mother and daughter, Ptolemy VIII was thus able to check Cleopatra II's status at court.

In 132 BCE, tensions at court erupted into civil war, and Ptolemy VIII was driven temporarily to Cyprus with Cleopatra III and his children. Not the type to miss an opportunity for vengeance, while in exile Ptolemy VIII sent as a birthday gift to Cleopatra II the dismembered body of their son, Ptolemy Memphites.

Ptolemy VIII finally engineered a successful return in 127 BCE, driving her to Syria and the shelter of her son-in-law, King Demetrius II. Cleopatra II, however, managed to abscond with most of the Egyptian treasury.

In 124 BCE, she made her peace with Ptolemy VIII and returned home to her husband and daughter. Since Cleopatra II had the Egyptian treasury in hand, and since important regions in Upper Egypt remained loyal to her alone even after Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III controlled Lower Egypt, Cleopatra II was made "welcome" by her brother and daughter. Thereafter, a balance reigned between the interests and factions of Cleopatra II and of Ptolemy VIII-Cleopatra III.

In 118 BCE, the Edict of 118 was issued by the three which constituted a serious reform of Egyptian law, which had been long neglected.

Cleopatra married Pharaoh Ptolemy VI Philometor on yes, date unknown. Ptolemy (son of Pharaoh Ptolemy V Epiphanes and Cleopatra I) was born in 186 BCE in Alexandria, Egypt. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Ptolemy VIII. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death, Egypt

Notes:

History:
On 170 BCE, he was crowned joint Pharaoh of Egypt with his borther Ptolemy VI Philometor.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Title(s): 1 (152 BCE)

Notes:

Title(s):
He was briefly co-regent with his father.

Other Events and Attributes:

• General Information: She was surnamed Eueteria (i.e., "good-harvest/fruitful season") was the ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire. She was queen consort of Syria from 150 to about 125 BCE as the wife of three Syrian kings: Alexander Balas, Demetrius II Nicator, and Antiochus VII Sidetes. She ruled Syria from 125 BCE after the death of Demetrius II Nicator, eventually in co-regency with her son Antiochus VIII Grypus until 121 or 120 BCE.
• Last Full Review: 13 Jul 2021

Notes:

Name:

Died:
She was killed by her son, Antiochus VIII Grypus.

Cleopatra married Alexander Bales, King of Syria about 150 BCE. Alexander died in 145 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Cleopatra married Demetrius II Nicator, King of Syria about 145 BCE. Demetrius (son of Demetrius I Soter "the Preserver", King of the Seleucid Empire and Laodice V) was born in 165 BCE; died in 125 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Cleopatra married Antiochus VII Sidetes on yes, date unknown. Antiochus (son of Demetrius I Soter "the Preserver", King of the Seleucid Empire and Laodice V) was born about 164 BCE; died in 160 BCE. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Offices Held: 1 (116 to 101 BCE)

Notes:

Offices Held:
She ruled as senior co-regent with her sons Ptolemy IX and Ptolemy X from 116/5-101 BCE.

Family/Spouse: Ptolemy VIII. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

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Information:
Sometimes identified with the shadowy Ptolemy Neos Philopator, who was briefly a juniorco-regent in the 130s BC.

Notes:

Information:
Briefly engaged to Attalus III of Pergamum, her parentage and even her membership of the Ptolemaic dynasty is entirely hypothetical.

Notes:

Ptolemy Memphites may be identical to Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator, but this identification is not universally accepted.

Notes:

Died:
He was killed by his mother for taking the crown without her permission.

Other Events and Attributes:

• History: birth to death

Notes:

Name:


History:
Grypus means "hook nose".

In 124 BCE, he was crowned King of Syria in joint rule with his mother. In 121, he became the sole King of Syria.

He divided the rule of Syriain 115 BCE with his brother Antiochus IX.

Died:
He was murdered.

Family/Spouse: Cleopatra Tryphæna. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Cleopatra V. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Laodice married Phraates II of Partha on yes date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]