Woman, by definition, is the nurturer of life. She struggles during birth, takes care of her family's needs, and takes on endless responsibilities. And while women gave birth to the ancient and modern male heroes we have come to glorify to this day, we must remember that some of those same women have also been tremendously influential and valuable throughout history. One such woman is Cleopatra, the temptress whose ambition and seduction increased the prestige of her empire and brought about its theatrical downfall. Cleopatra was immediately established from the moment she emerged from her mother's womb as a member of the Ptolemy royal family; the family that had controlled the Egyptian throne since the reign of Ptolemy I began in 323 BC. She was born the daughter of Ptolemy XII, king of Egypt, in 69 BC, her full name was Cleopatra VII, or "Thea Philopator" in Greek: a name which literally translates to "a goddess who loves her father". She definitely loved her father, so much, in fact, that he granted the throne to Cleopatra upon his death in 51 BC. From the moment she stepped onto the throne, co-ruling Egypt with her brother and obligated husband Ptolemy XIII, she was intent on forcing his, and only her, influence over all of Egypt. More specifically, she desired to possess a less influential spouse so that she could impose her ideas and policies more on Egypt. It is for this reason that Cleopatra began one of the most notorious and controversial relationships of all time with one of the most important figures in history; Julius Caesar. Caesar fell in love with Cleopatra from the moment he saw her. While she was not known for being exceptionally beautiful, many accounts say she was the definition of an evil temptress, the defining characteristic that obviously won Caesar's heart. Of course, Caesar aided Cleopatra after Ptolemy XIII's advisors ousted her from the throne and declared war on Ptolemy XIII. Caesar and Cleopatra were victorious, and Cleopatra returned safely to the throne. Shortly after the coup, Cleopatra was noticeably pregnant. The product of this pregnancy was a son, named Caesarion, who is widely believed to have belonged to Caesar. After Cleopatra successfully inherited the Ptolemaic territories of Syria and Palestine from Caesar, she vowed to find a new suitor who could push her further into a stranglehold on ruling power in the Middle East.