Eventually, Caesar and his forces were able to push back Achillas’ and Ptolemy XII’s forces, and defeat Ptolemy XII. Caesar immediately called for the execution of Pothinus while Achillas escaped the palace and roused forces to the palace where Caesar and Cleopatra took refuge.Įven though Caesar had very few resources in combating the assault Achillas has brought upon him and Cleopatra, Caesar continued to endure until his reinforcements arrived in order to protect Cleopatra (who was pregnant with Caesar’s son, Caesarion, at the time). During the banquet, a slave of Caesar overheard that Achillas, Ptolemy’s military general, and Pothinus were plotting the death of Caesar. Caesar was so moved and compelled by Cleopatra’s boldness and beauty that the two shortly became lovers, and Caesar claimed her legitimacy to the throne as co-ruler with Ptolemy XII.Ī banquet was held to celebrate the recent joint rule. With the help of her friend Apollodorus the Sicillian, Cleopatra sneaks into the palace at night by hiding in a bed sack that Apollodorus carried into the palace. This secret meeting is very well characterized in Plutarch’s The Life of Julius Caesar, and serves as the catalyst to the romance shared between Cleopatra and Caesar. Cleopatra sees this as a big opportunity to reclaim the legitimacy she had to the throne, and arranges a secret meeting with Caesar in the Capital palace where he is staying. Caesar labels this killing of Pompey a cowardly act, and seizes the Egyptian Capital. In an attempt to put Egypt in good relations with Rome, Ptolemy XII orders the decapitation of Pompey, which enrages Caesar. Pompey, who was a rival of Caesar, fled to Alexandria to seek refuge from Caesar’s forces during the Roman Civil War. While Cleopatra was in exile, Ptolemy XII had full control of the throne. Sibling conflict arose between the two concerning the throne, and Cleopatra was forced into exile under the threats of Ptolemy XII and his main adviser, Pothinus. Prior to 48 BC, Cleopatra and her brother, Ptolemy XII, had joint ownership of the throne. Cleopatra and Julius Caesar’s iconic relationship revolved around the affirmation of Cleopatra’s legitimacy to the Egyptian throne.
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