Cleopatra Thea

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Coin of Cleopatra Thea. Reverse shows a double cornucopia. The Greek text reads ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΚΛΕΟΠΑΤΡΑΣ ΘΕΑΣ ΕΥΕΤΗΡΙΑΣ. The date ΖΠΡ is year 187 of the Seleucid era, corresponding to 126–125 BC

Alexander Balas and Cleopatra Thea.

Cleopatra Thea (Greek : Κλεοπάτρα Θεά, which means "Cleopatra the Goddess") (ca. 164–121 BC) surnamed Euergetis (i.e., "Benefactress"), ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, was a daughter of Ptolemy VI of Egypt and Cleopatra II. She ruled Syria from 125 to 121 BC as a sole queen, but she has been a queen from 150 BC.

She married Alexander Balas (greek : Αλέξανδρος Βάλας) in about 150 BC. This union produced Antiochus VI Dionysus. Alexander Balas was, neither popular, nor efficient ruler. The condition of the state was getting worse, and so Demetrius II, the son of ex-king Demetrius I, was brought to claim the throne, ca. 147b.C.

By 145 BC, Alexander Balas was dead, and Cleopatra Thea married the 16 years old Demetrius II Nicator, (Greek : Δημήτριος Νικάτωρ) who became king. Cleopatra bore him two sons, later to be kings, Seleucus V Philometor, Antiochus VIII Grypus, and possibly a daughter (Laodice?). Demetrius grew unpopular among people of Syria, due to his harshness and corruption, and so, he faced uprisings. In 144 BC, a certain Diodotus, possibly with the help of Cleopatra Thea, claiming to be the protector of baby Antiochus VI, defeated Demetrius II and forced him to flee from Antioch and go to Selefkia. The state was divided and civil war begun.

In 141 BC, Diodotus murdered little Antiochus VI and became king, with the name Tryphon. The same year, Demetrius II was captured fighting against the Parthians and was consequently off the scene for a while.

After Demetrius' captivity, his younger brother, Antiochus VII Sidetes, who was raised in the city of Sidon of Pamphylia (hence his last name), returned and claimed the throne. He married Cleopatra Thea in 138 BC and became king. Cleopatra Thea bore him one son, Antiochus IX Cyzicenus, but the names of any other children are uncertain. He re-organized the state and ran a lot of campaigns, leaving to Cleopatra Thea the state internal affairs. In 129 BC, the Parthians released Demetrius II, as a political manoeuvre against Sidetes, to claim his throne and his wife.

In 129 BC, Sidetes was killed fighting the Parthians. Cleopatra had taken the precaution of sending Antiochus IX (her son by Antiochus VII) to Cyzicus in Asia Minor (hence his surname). Demetrius returned home and regained his throne, taking Cleopatra Thea with his side.

It was then when Cleopatra Thea's mother, Cleopatra II of Egypt, called Demetrius to invade Egypt, to help her against her brother Ptolemy VIII Physkon. The invasion was unsuccessful and in retaliation, the ruler of Egypt put forward Alexander Zabinas, allegedly a son of Alexander Balas as king of Syria, provoking civil war. After a defeat by Zabinas' forces at Damascus, Demetrius retreated to Ptolemais Hermiou only to find the city gates closed against him by Cleopatra Thea. He boarded a ship to flee in Tyrus, but was killed on Cleopatra's orders in 125 BC.

Demetrius' elder son, Selefkus, became king with the name Selefkus V. However, shortly after, his mother, Cleopatra Thea, who did not want to give up the power, had him murdered. From 125 BC to 121 BC, Cleopatra ruled Syria and to legitimize her reign, she shared the throne with her son, Antiochus VIII Grypus.

Grypus became less controllable as he grew up and in 121 BC she decided to eliminate him. As he returned from a hunt one day, she offered him a cup of wine. Since this was not common behavior for her, Grypus was suspicious and forced her to drink the wine, which killed her.

Grypus re-organised the state and for the next eight years he provided stability and financial recovery. This period would end ca. 114 BC, when Cleopatra Thea's other son, Antiochus IX Cyzicenus, returned to Syria to claim the throne and civil war started again.