Cleopatra was pretty much the last ruler of an independent Egypt. Her importance came from her romances with Caesar and Mark Antony. Her ability to speak various languages was quite a feat as well. Born in either 69 or 70 B.C.E. (people are not sure for certain when she was born), she was the daughter of Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra V (the Cleopatra shown here is Cleopatra VII). After her father's death, Cleopatra and her 10 year old little brother, Ptolemy XIII, assumed the throne. When Ptolemy's advisers acted against her, Cleopatra had to flee to Syria. After she came back, Julius Caesar traveled to Egypt. Eventually, the forces of Ptolemy were crushed by Caesar's own forces (he helped Cleopatra by sending in his troops), and the pharaoh is believed to have drowned in the Nile afterwards. Caesar also remained in Egypt for a time, and he had a son, Ptolemy Caesar (Caesarion), with the queen. After Caesar's murder, she helped Mark Antony and Octavian defeat Brutus and Cassius (Caesar's killers) by sending in some of Caesar's troops, still stationed in Egypt, to the battlefield. She also seduced Mark Antony and gave birth to three kids during his stay in Egypt, known as Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene, and Ptolemy Philadelphos. When he gave land to his kids, an angry Octavian waged war on Cleopatra. After the Battle of Actium, in which the Egyptians lost, Mark Antony heard Cleopatra had committed suicide, and fell on his own blade. When news spread that the rumor was false, he was already dead. Cleopatra then locked herself in a room with two of her servants and also committed suicide, possibly having used an asp (aka. a poisonous snake) to bite her, and she died. After she died, the Romans took over Egypt and took her children with them.