Caesarion

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"Do you know what you've done? Caesarion would have sat on the throne of Rome."

―Cleopatra to Amunet, after the murder of Caesar, 44 BCE.

Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor Caesar (47 BCE – 30 BCE), better known as Caesarion (Latin: Little Caesar), was the last Pharaoh of Egypt. He was the eldest son of Queen Cleopatra, and the alleged biological son of Roman consul Gaius Julius Caesar, after whom he was named.

Biography

Born in 47 BCE, Caesarion moved to the Roman Republic with his mother, living in the outskirts of Rome. In 44 BCE, Caesar was assassinated by a group of Hidden Ones led by Aya, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. A few days later, Aya confronted Cleopatra in her residence when she was playing with Caesarion. When Cleopatra questioned Aya's actions, the Hidden One drew her Hidden Blade, which caught the attention of Caesarion. Before leaving, Aya threatened Cleopatra to do her job as pharaoh of Egypt, who later embraced Caesarion.

By 30 BCE, Caesarion had moved back to Egypt and resided in the royal palace in Alexandria. With the invasion by Augustus imminent, Cleopatra had her guards trained Caesarion in preparation for battle.

However, after Aya convinced the besieged Cleopatra that the best way to save Egypt was to take her own life, the Queen asked the Hidden One to protect and train Caesarion. Amunet gave her word and took the young man with her. With the help of Phoxidas, they departed Alexandria and set sail for Rome.

In 2012, he was included in a mnemonic set in Abstergo Industries' Project Legacy.

Trivia

• His name, Ptolemy XV Caesar “Theos Philopator Philometor”, means "the Father-loving Mother-loving God". [5]
• It's generally assumed that he was fathered by Caesar due to the absence of evidence to the contrary. [5]
  • However, alternate theories have been put forward regarding his paternity, the issue remains a bit controversial. It has been suggested that Caesar was infertile as he only acknowledged one biological child in his entire life, despite three marriages and numerous extramarital affairs. Conversely, a low birth-rate was typical of the Roman aristocracy at this time and it is plausible that Caesar may have had illegitimate children that went unrecognized such as Junia Tertia. Furthermore, Cleopatra was not reputed to have had any lovers prior to meeting Caesar which precludes any alternate candidates for Caesarion's paternity.[5]
• Despite his illegitimacy, his role as Cleopatra's successor seems to have gone unchallenged in Egypt. [5]
• Like most Ptolemaic princes, Caesarion would have been trained in the arts of rhetoric, oration, politics and philosophy. Caesarion’s personal tutor during his adolescence was a Greek scholar named Rhodon. [5]
  • In addition, his mother and his half siblings were also influential on his intellectual development. [5]
• Shortly after Ptolemy XIV’s death, Caesarion was proclaimed king and became Cleopatra’s new co-ruler. This succession was officially recognized by the Roman Senate in early 43 BCE, ensuring the legitimacy of Caesarion's official reign.[5]
• Caesarion’s alleged status as Julius Caesar’s son brought Cleopatra into conflict with Caesar’s adopted son and heir Octavian. Partly as a result of this rivalry, Cleopatra chose to ally with Octavian’s rival Mark Antony (83–30 BCE)[5]
• At the age of ten, Caesarion accompanied Cleopatra on a journey to Antioch where they met with Antony in late 37 BCE. [5]
• In 34 BCE, Caesarion was elevated above all his siblings and declared King of Kings while his mother was named Queen of Kings.[5]
  • In addition to this, Antony declared Caesarion to be Julius Caesar’s true son, an act which earned the ire of Octavian who was keen to reserve that title for himself.
• Caesarion came of age in the summer of 30 BCE, at which point he was enrolled in the lists of the gymnasium.[5]
  • This enrolment was a landmark moment in the life of Caesarion as he entered manhood in the eyes of his peers, a time when many rulers began to truly step into their political role.
• In August of 30 BCE, Octavian invaded Egypt and was engaged by Antony in multiple futile battles. Fearing that Octavian would remove his last rival by having Caesarion killed, Cleopatra made plans to send her first-born away with a large amount of wealth. Caesarion was sent to the Dodekaschoinos in Ptolemaic Nubia where he would be able to depart from one of the Red Sea port cities which conducted trade with Arabia and the Indian subcontinent.[5]
• Shortly after the death of his mother, Octavian invited Caesarion to return and rule Egypt as a client-king in his mother’s stead. Rhodon advised Caesarion to return to Egypt and accept the crown that Octavian offered. [5]
  • It is unknown whether Caesarion’s tutor betrayed him or earnestly believed that Octavian’s offer was genuine.[5]
• Rather than being welcomed into the country with open arms, Caesarion was intercepted on the road and slain by Roman soldiers. [5]
• Egyptian chronologies record the brief reign of Caesarion after the death of Cleopatra but this was really a bureaucratic fiction which bridged the gap between Cleopatra’s demise and the official commencement of Roman rule. Instead of the lofty legacy his mother intended, Caesarion would be remembered by historians as the last Pharaoh of Egypt and one whose untimely death heralded the end of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. [5]

Gallery

• 
  Caesarion as he departed for Rome

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Origins (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Origins comic

References

5. Ancient.edu