- Greek:
- âFlute Playerâ
- In full:
- Ptolemy XII Theos Philopater Philadelphus Neos Dionysos Auletes
- Born:
- c. 112 bc
- Died:
- 51 bc
- Title / Office:
- king (80BC-51BC), Egypt
Ptolemy XII Auletes
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Who was Ptolemy XII Auletes?
Ptolemy XII Auletes, a Macedonian king of Egypt, reigned from approximately 112 to 51 BC. Due to his questionable royal status, he relied on Rome to maintain his position, effectively turning Egypt into a Roman client kingdom.
In 80 BC, after the deaths of the last legitimate Ptolemaic rulers, he was invited to take the throne. Despite being known as a son of Ptolemy IX Soter II, his mother was a mistress, not a wife. To gain Roman support, Ptolemy assisted Pompey the Great and later bribed Julius Caesar, who recognized his kingship in 59 BC.
His subservience to Rome and the loss of Cyprus led to his expulsion from Egypt. He regained power in 55 BC with Roman military aid, executing his own daughter for leading the opposition. Before his death, he declared Cleopatra VII and his eldest son as coregents, leaving Egypt in debt due to his extensive bribery.
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When and where did Ptolemy XII Auletes rule?
Ptolemy XII Auletes, a Macedonian king of Egypt, ruled from 80 to 51 BC. Although considered a son of Ptolemy IX Soter II, his quasi-legitimate royal status led him to rely on Rome to maintain his throne, effectively making Egypt a client kingdom of the Roman Republic.
In 80 BC, he was invited to assume the throne by the people of Alexandria after the deaths of the last legitimate Ptolemaic family members. Shortly after arriving in Egypt, Ptolemy married his sister, Cleopatra V Tryphaeana, and was crowned in Alexandria in 76 BC. Driven out of Egypt in 58 BC due to his submissive attitude toward Rome and the loss of Cyprus, he was restored to power with Roman military assistance in 55 BC.
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Why was he called a Macedonian king of Egypt?
Ptolemy XII Auletes was called a Macedonian king of Egypt because he belonged to the Ptolemaic dynasty, a Macedonian Greek royal family that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's conquest in 332 BCE. The dynasty was founded by Ptolemy I Soter, who openly assumed the kingship of Egypt on November 7, 305 BCE. Although Ptolemy XII's quasi-legitimate royal status compelled him to depend heavily upon Rome for support for his throne, he was still part of this Macedonian lineage that had governed Egypt for centuries.
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What challenges did Ptolemy XII face during his reign?
Ptolemy XII Auletes faced numerous challenges during his reign. His quasi-legitimate royal status forced him to rely on Rome for support, making Egypt a client kingdom of the Roman Republic. Facing opposition in Alexandria and unsure of his status in Rome, Ptolemy bribed Julius Caesar, which led to a law acknowledging his kingship.
The loss of Cyprus and his subservience to Rome angered the people of Alexandria, who drove him out of Egypt and accepted his queen and eldest daughter as rulers. To regain power, Ptolemy promised Aulus Gabinius a large sum to return him to Egypt with a Roman army. His extensive bribery to maintain power left Egypt in financial trouble.
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How was Ptolemy XII connected to Cleopatra?
Ptolemy XII Auletes was Cleopatra VII's father, making him a key figure in her rise to power. Upon his death in 51 BCE, Cleopatra and her young brother, Ptolemy XIII, inherited the Egyptian throne. It's probable, though unconfirmed, that Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII married soon after their fatherâs death.
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How did Ptolemy XIIâs actions affect Egyptâs relationship with Rome?
Ptolemy XII's reliance on Rome significantly shaped Egypt's relationship with the Roman Republic. To secure his throne, which was quasi-legitimate, he heavily depended on Roman support, essentially turning Egypt into a client kingdom.
His actions included:
* Bribing Julius Caesar to officially recognize his kingship
* Dispatching troops to support Pompey the Great in Palestine
* Promising substantial payments to Roman figures like Aulus Gabinius to regain his ruleThese efforts and his submissive behavior towards Rome sparked outrage among the Egyptian people, leading to periods of exile and internal conflict. His extensive bribery also caused financial instability in Egypt, further complicating its position relative to Rome.
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Ptolemy XII Auletes (born c. 112 bcâdied 51 bc) was a Macedonian king of Egypt, whose quasi-legitimate royal status compelled him to depend heavily upon Rome for support for his throne. During his reign, Egypt became virtually a client kingdom of the Roman Republic. He was the first Ptolemy to include Theos (God) in his formal title. (Auletes was not part of his formal title.)
Following the sudden, violent deaths of the last two fully legitimate members of the Ptolemaic family in Egypt, the people of Alexandria in 80 invited Ptolemy XII to assume the throne. Although he was known as a son of Ptolemy IX Soter II, his mother was a mistress of Soter, not a wife. In 103 he was sent by his grandmother, Cleopatra III, queen of Egypt, in the company of his brother and Ptolemy XI Alexander II, his predecessor, to Cos, an Aegean island near Asia Minor, for safekeeping. Captured in 88 by Mithradates VI Eupator, ruler of Pontus, a kingdom in Asia Minor that was then at war with Rome, young Ptolemy appeared in 80 in Syria, from where, according to Cicero, he arrived in Egypt, while his brother became king of Cyprus.
Shortly after his arrival in Egypt, Ptolemy married Cleopatra V Tryphaeana (âthe Opulentâ), his sister, and in 76 he was crowned in Alexandria according to Egyptian rites. At Rome, however, anti-Senate politicians in 65 raised the issue of Ptolemyâs legitimacy, producing a questionable will of Ptolemy XI Alexander II purporting to bequeath Egypt to the Roman people. Ptolemy, seeking Roman support, sent troops to assist the consul and general Pompey the Great in Palestine. Cicero, representing Pompeyâs interests, persuaded the Senate to oppose Roman annexation. Facing serious opposition from the people of Alexandria and still unsure of his status at Rome, Ptolemy bribed Julius Caesar, one of the Roman consuls for the year 59, with 6,000 talents, in return for which Caesar passed a law acknowledging his kingship. Rome nevertheless divested Egypt of Cyprus the next year, and, when his brother in Egypt failed to support him, the islandâs king committed suicide.
The loss of Cyprus and Ptolemyâs submissive attitude to Rome outraged the people of Alexandria, who drove Ptolemy out of Egypt and accepted his queen, Tryphaeana, and his eldest daughter, Berenice IV, as rulers in 58. Residing at Pompeyâs villa at Rome, he employed bribery to obtain the support of the Roman senators. He also arranged the assassination of delegations sent by his opponents from Alexandria, where, following his queenâs death, the people had made Berenice IV sole ruler. While the Senate delayed an answer, Ptolemy, continuing to dispense bribes, fell deeper into debt to Roman moneylenders. Late in 57 the Senate passed a resolution to support Ptolemy, but, when a prophecy forbade the granting of active aid, the Egyptian king departed for Ephesus, a city in Asia Minor.
In 55, after promising Pompeyâs lieutenant Aulus Gabinius, proconsul of Syria, 10,000 talents, Ptolemy was returned to Egypt with a Roman army. Once restored, he executed his daughter, who had headed the opposition at Alexandria. Shortly before his death in 51 he proclaimed his eldest surviving daughter, the celebrated Cleopatra VII, and his eldest son coregents. His extensive bribery left Egypt in financial trouble.