Mark Antony was a Roman politician and general born in 83 BCE. Although he had gambling problems when he was younger, he proved himself to be a competent soldier. Rising through the ranks he quickly became an officer in the army of Julius Caesar (it also helped that they were related) and with the support of Julius Caesar he also held many offices, quaestor, tribune, even consul, just to name a few. Antony served under Caesar during the civil war against Pompey and he was the co-consul when Caesar was assassinated. He formed the second triumvirate with Octavian and Lepidus and the three of them were successful in destroying Caesar’s assassins. Antony was then left to govern the eastern portion of the kingdom and it was here that he would meet Cleopatra, his future lover and wife.
He summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus in 41 BCE and it is said that she sailed to Tarsus dressed as the goddess Venus to captivate Antony. He was so smitten with her that he followed her back to Alexandria, forgetting that the original reason he summoned her there was to enlist her help and to have her fund his future war against the Parthian Empire. He was summoned back to Rome in 40 BCE because of growing problems within Rome and with Octavian, however his wife Fulvia, who was trying to maintain Antony’s power in Rome, died before he arrived in Rome. Octavian and Antony actually blamed all of their problems on Fulvia who was only trying to help, so when Antony arrived in Rome the two men made peace. The treaty that they drew up gave Octavian supreme power in the West, mainly Europe and Italy, and it gave Antony power in the East, Greece Asia and Egypt, sealed by Antony’s marriage to Octavia, Octavian’s sister. The two of them lived together in Athens and he had two daughters with her.
He finally left in 37 BCE to go fight in his Parthian campaign but he met with Cleopatra in Syria, where she presented him with his twins that she bore; the boy was Alexander Helios and the girl, Cleopatra Selene. Antony then proceeded to marry Cleopatra and they had another kid together Ptolemy Philadelphus. War was inevitable because he married another woman, infuriating Octavian and the Roman people. His military expedition to Parthia ended without the Romans gaining anything of significance but losing many men which certainly did not help raise his social standing. He then proceeded to celebrate his victories in Alexandria as opposed to Rome in 34 BCE and he divided up the territorial gains among his children giving Armenia to his Alexander, the area west of it to Ptolemy, and Cyprus to his daughter Selene. The Romans were outraged and Octavian produced Antony’s will, claiming that Antony planned to give portions of his kingdom to Cleopatra when he died. The two lovers unite their forces at the battle of Actium but Cleopatra abandons the field and her lover, leaving Antony to fight alone and to be ultimately defeated. He escapes but when Cleopatra tries to fake her own death to save herself from Octavian, he commits suicide so that they wont have to be apart. Cleopatra then kills herself as well when she realizes that Octavian will show her no mercy.
He summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus in 41 BCE and it is said that she sailed to Tarsus dressed as the goddess Venus to captivate Antony. He was so smitten with her that he followed her back to Alexandria, forgetting that the original reason he summoned her there was to enlist her help and to have her fund his future war against the Parthian Empire. He was summoned back to Rome in 40 BCE because of growing problems within Rome and with Octavian, however his wife Fulvia, who was trying to maintain Antony’s power in Rome, died before he arrived in Rome. Octavian and Antony actually blamed all of their problems on Fulvia who was only trying to help, so when Antony arrived in Rome the two men made peace. The treaty that they drew up gave Octavian supreme power in the West, mainly Europe and Italy, and it gave Antony power in the East, Greece Asia and Egypt, sealed by Antony’s marriage to Octavia, Octavian’s sister. The two of them lived together in Athens and he had two daughters with her.
He finally left in 37 BCE to go fight in his Parthian campaign but he met with Cleopatra in Syria, where she presented him with his twins that she bore; the boy was Alexander Helios and the girl, Cleopatra Selene. Antony then proceeded to marry Cleopatra and they had another kid together Ptolemy Philadelphus. War was inevitable because he married another woman, infuriating Octavian and the Roman people. His military expedition to Parthia ended without the Romans gaining anything of significance but losing many men which certainly did not help raise his social standing. He then proceeded to celebrate his victories in Alexandria as opposed to Rome in 34 BCE and he divided up the territorial gains among his children giving Armenia to his Alexander, the area west of it to Ptolemy, and Cyprus to his daughter Selene. The Romans were outraged and Octavian produced Antony’s will, claiming that Antony planned to give portions of his kingdom to Cleopatra when he died. The two lovers unite their forces at the battle of Actium but Cleopatra abandons the field and her lover, leaving Antony to fight alone and to be ultimately defeated. He escapes but when Cleopatra tries to fake her own death to save herself from Octavian, he commits suicide so that they wont have to be apart. Cleopatra then kills herself as well when she realizes that Octavian will show her no mercy.