Cleopatra vii biography for kids

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Cleopatra was very involved in running her kingdom. Octavian sent them to rule in Mauritania, where they lived a full life and had their own children.

With Cleopatra's death, the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt came to an end, and Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire.

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This History primary resource assists with teaching the following History objectives from the National Curriculum:

• I know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind 


• Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’, ‘civilisation’, ‘parliament’ and ‘peasantry’ 


• Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

  She ruled over the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

  Even though she was the most famous Egyptian Queen, she was actually Greek. Her father was Ptolemy XII Auletes. As Octavian's forces closed in on Alexandria in 30 BC, Antony, believing Cleopatra had ended her life, chose to end his own.

  Cleopatra, determined not to be captured and paraded as a prisoner in a Roman victory celebration (which was a common, humiliating practice for defeated enemies), chose to end her own life.

  She was the daughter of King Ptolemy XII Auletes. He argued that an asp's venom would cause a slow and painful death, starting with paralysis. This was a huge honor, as it was the first time a living person had their statue next to a god in a Roman temple!

• Cleopatra has appeared in countless books, plays, movies, and even songs!

  However, her daughter, Cleopatra Selene II, later married an African king named Juba II of Numidia. Octavian used this to turn the Roman people against Antony and Cleopatra.

  The Battle of Actium: A Turning Point

  The rivalry between Octavian and Antony eventually led to a huge war.

  When: 31 BC.
  Where: Off the coast of Actium, Greece.
  What happened: It was a massive naval battle.

  Once they’re familiar with the key events in Cleopatra’s life, get them to cut out the squares of the comic and see if they can piece it back together in the correct order. In 2010, a German historian named Christoph Schaefer suggested a different idea. The mention of her children on the reverse refers to the Donations of Alexandria.