Her Early Years

Cleopatra, who was of Greek and Macedonian decent, was from an old dynasty of rulers. She was the first of them to enter Roman politics. Not particularly beautiful, men were attracted to this Egyptian blonde because of her manners, incredible personality, and her high political position in Egypt and later Rome. This famous queen was also very intelligent. She knew a great deal about Greek history, literature, philosophy, and spoke Egyptian, Syrain, and alledgedly other languages.
Being the third daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes, Cleopatra learned her lessons in politics very early by watching the rule of her father. When he died in 51 B.C., eighteen-year-old Cleopatra became ruler of Egypt with her ten-year-old brother and husband, Ptolemy XIII. Marriage between royal siblings was everyday life during this time. Cleopatra, now having control over Egypt, decided she wanted to get Egypt back to the way it was fouteen hundred years ago. Not only did Ptolemy's three advisors not like the sound of this, but also they feared her ambition to rule alone. This forced them to devise a plan to drive the young queen off the throne and out of Egypt. By 48 B.C., at the age of twenty, Cleopatra had been drove out of the country.