Berenice IV

Reign and fall

Berenice IV ruled Egypt from 58 to 55 BCE. She seized power as queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom when her unpopular father, Ptolemy XII, fled to Rome in exile. Her solo rule was short-lived. Ptolemy XII returned with Roman military aid led by Aulus Gabinius and defeated her forces. He ordered her execution in July 55 BCE for usurping his throne. Following her death, her image and name were systematically erased from official records and monuments.

The disastrous short marriages

As a female pharaoh, Berenice faced intense pressure from Egyptian courtiers to marry and appoint a male co-regent. Her attempt to secure a partner led to two brief, highly dramatic unions. In 56 BCE, she married a Seleucid prince named Seleucus. The Alexandrian public immediately despised him for his crude manners, mockingly nicknaming him Cybiosactes ("Salt-fish-monger"). Appalled by his vulgarity and realizing he could not command respect, Berenice had him strangled to death after just a few days of marriage.

Six months before the end of her reign, she married Archelaus, a Greek high priest from Cappadocia who claimed royal descent. Unlike her first husband, Archelaus proved deeply loyal. He fought alongside her against the Romans but was killed in battle in 55 BCE when the Roman army invaded to restore her father to the throne.

How her fate influenced Cleopatra's rise

Berenice’s downfall directly enabled the ascension of her younger sister, Cleopatra VII, in three profound ways:

• Elimination of rival siblings: Berenice was the eldest sister and the primary obstacle to the throne. By executing her for treason, Ptolemy XII effectively cleared the line of succession, leaving Cleopatra as the natural choice for his successor.
• Firsthand political education: When Ptolemy XII was initially exiled by Berenice, a 14-year-old Cleopatra traveled with him to Rome. She witnessed how he successfully lobbied the Roman Senate and purchased military backing. This taught Cleopatra that the survival of the Ptolemaic crown depended entirely on maintaining tight, strategic alliances with Rome.
• Blueprint for power management: Cleopatra learned from Berenice’s fatal mistakes regarding male co-rulers. Berenice outright refused to share power, which angered her court and led to her isolation. When Cleopatra took the throne in 51 BCE, she abided by custom by nominally marrying her younger brothers (Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV), but actively sidelined them to retain absolute control. Remembering how her father used Roman armies to crush her sister, Cleopatra later used Roman heavyweights Julius Caesar and Mark Antony to destroy her remaining siblings and ensure her own survival.