Cleopatra IV of Egypt

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Cleopatra IV was the daughter of Ptolemy VIII Physkon and Cleopatra III (greek : Κλεοπάτρα, which means "she who has a glorious father"). She reigned as Queen of Egypt briefly from 116-115 BC, jointly with her husband Ptolemy IX Lathyros. She later became queen consort of Syria.

She married Lathyros, her brother, in 116 BC, and thus became joint ruler of Egypt. However, her high position only lasted a few months, for their mother and co-ruler Cleopatra III pushed her out and replaced her with Cleopatra Selene.^[1]

Very upset with her mother, Cleopatra fled Egypt and went to Cyprus, where she raised an army, that she wooed away from her other brother, Ptolemy X Alexander. She wanted to marry Antiochus IX Cyzicenus and to support her project by bringing this large army as a dowry. When she arrived in Syria, Antiochos IX accepted her offer and married her.^[2]

Antiochus IX Cyzicenus (greek : Αντίοχος ΙΧ Κυζικηνός) was the half brother of the king of Syria, Antiochus VIII Grypus (greek : Γρύπος). When the king tried to have him assassinated, he invaded Syria with Cleopatra's army. The invasion was successful, and soon Cleopatra IV was Queen in the capital, Antioch (greek : Αντιόχεια).

Grypus fought back and shortly after, he defeated his brother's army and he entered victoriously in Antioch (112 BC). Cleopatra tried to find an asylum inside the city's temple, but she was arrested and put to death. Grypus was reluctant to have Cleopatra IV killed, not because she was his first cousin (their mothers were sisters), but because this would be an insult to the Temple and to Gods. However, it was his wife, Cleopatra Tryphaena (greek : Τρύφαινα), Cleopatra's IV older sister, who persuaded him to do it.^[3]

Cleopatra Tryphaena did not live much after Cleopatra's IV death. Cyzicenus seized Antioch again, captured her, and had her tortured and killed, taking revenge on his wife's death (111 BC).^[4]