The Cleopatras belonged to two, obsessively inter-married and alarmingly inbred dynasties that ruled ... death and legend of the great Cleopatra VII show. The Ptolemaic dynasty owed its origins ...

Famed for her intelligence, charisma and political skills, Cleopatra VII ruled Egypt with her brother Ptolemy XIII. She defeated Ptolemy with the help of Julius Caesar and became Caesar's mistress.