She also had three half siblings by her father's second wife, Arsinoe IV, three years younger then her and Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV. Cleopatra adored her father, and she was said to have been her fathers favorite. .
The Ptolemy family was not originally from Egypt, but from Macedonia. In 323 BC upon the death of Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I a trusted general of Alexander became King. Over the course of the next two hundred and sixty-five years a succession of Ptolemy's would rule Egypt. Some were good leaders, while others murdered off each other in their ambitious pursuit of power. .
Unfortunately, Egypt suffered when in 80 BC, Ptolemy XII took the throne. The people of Egypt held little respect for their King, as he liked to drink too much and could sometimes be seen playing the flute on the streets of Egypt in the company of musicians in an unkingly fashion. Realizing the power Rome had over Egypt, as Rome was now the master of the Mediterranean, he knew he had to stay in Rome's good graces. .
When Cleopatra was nine, in 60 BC, The First Triumvirate was formed in Rome to end turmoil in Rome. It consisted of a ruling group of three Romans, Pompey, a general, Crassus a wealthy banker, and the most capable, Julius Caesar, also a gifted general. .
Caesar by far was the ablest. Unfortunately, Crassus died in a failed campaign against the Parthians. That left Caesar and Pompey , so when Ptolemy came looking for help because his kingship was in dire straits, they were only to happy to oblige, knowing what great wealth Ptolemy had to offer. Caesar, who was consul at the time declared Egypt under Auletes a "friend and ally of the Roman people." This event gave Ptolemy some breathing room for it meant that Roman legions would now protect him from any attempts to remove him from the throne. Of course there would be a high price for this protection. He promised to give Rome six thousand talents, the equivalent of Egypt's entire revenue for upwards of one year.
