7. She Journeyed to Rome with Her Illegitimate Son to Put Pressure on Caesar
Our fave queen visited Rome twice: in 46 and 44 BC. The Romans saw her as a scandalous foreign temptress (arriving with her incestuous her brother-husband) who was in their city to seduce their leader. She stayed at one of Caesar’s villas outside the immediate city, along with her son by Caesar, little Caesarion. Perhaps she was not-so-subtly hinting that her kid should be Julius’s heir?
Some have suggested Cleopatra was just hanging out in Rome on Caesar’s dime, but that was far from the case. In reality, she was working to make alliances and secure her own throne back home; she’d learned from her father’s example that rulers of independent kingdoms needed Roman support to thrive. This was a state visit, not a pleasurable one.
Add Comment