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Cleopatra Was a Bad Bitch, and Rome Killed Her For It.
A fresh look at an iconic world leader.
“She was such a threat to Rome that her suicide may very well have been a regicide.” — Kara Cooney, Egyptologist
Cleopatra Ptolemy VII was a Pharaoh, a mother of four, a High Priestess, and the lover of renowned military leaders. If you compare her reign to Kings across time, she holds up as a bold and savvy monarch…until our deep-rooted issues with sex, woman, and power start kicking in.
The truth is Cleopatra does not have the luxury of being compared to her “colleagues” — if you will — because she was a ruler who did not shy away from her femininity and her sexuality.
Cleopatra’s personal life resulted in strong alliances and a bloodline that could claim the Roman Empire. She was hardly as scandalous as her peers, like King Henry VIII and his murderous marriages. But like Henry VIII, all we seem to remember about Cleopatra is her seductive lifestyle.