Caesarion, The Last Pharaoh of Egypt

Caesarion was the child of the last Cleopatra of Egypt and Julius Caesar.   He was born on June 23, 47 BC.   Cleopatra VII brought him to live in Rome with his father.  When he was 4 years old, his father was killed and Cleopatra took Caesarion back to Egypt to be co-ruler with her.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Denderah3_Cleopatra_Cesarion.jpg

A new calendar called the Julian calendar was created in Rome in honor of Caesarion as was customary to do for new pharaohs.  The Julian calendar was slighty modified in 1582, by Pope Gregory and it is the Gregorian Calendar that we use today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar


After his father was killed, Cleopatra married a man named Mark Antony and had 3 children with him (Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene, Ptolemy XVI Philadelphus).


Caesarion was proclaimed a god, son of god and "King of Kings" when he became pharaoh.  A man named Octavian wanted to be ruler of Rome and all of its territory.  He fought Mark Antony and Cleopatra for it.  Cleopatra sent Caesarion away to live in India when he was 17.  Octavian defeated Cleopatra and Mark Antony.  He alledgedly invited Caesarion back to Egypt to be the ruler and then had him executed in Alexandria (at the age of 17) and then declared himself Pharaoh and renamed himself Caesar Augustus.


But did he really have Caesarion executed?  There seems to be some controversy with this.   Perhaps Caesarion survived.


By Rita Jean Moran (www.thelibrarykids.com)


Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarion