# Cleopatra’s bloody rise to power

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/historyextra-podcast-746104/cleopatra-s-bloody-rise-to-power
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/historyextra-podcast-746104/cleopatra-s-bloody-rise-to-power.md
Podcast: [HistoryExtra podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/historyextra-podcast-746104)
Published: 2026-05-30T23:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR8724755475.mp3
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR8724755475.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/historyextra-podcast-746104/episodes/cleopatra-s-bloody-rise-to-power
Duration seconds: 1776

## Resource

From formidable overseas leaders to vicious internecine conflict, Cleopatra’s rise to the top was bloody and brutal. So what personal qualities did she draw upon to navigate these shifting sands? And should her success mean we see her in a new light? In the second episode of our four-part Sunday Series on the ancient queen’s life and world, Islam Issa – professor of public humanities at Birmingham City University – tells Matt Elton about the truth behind the myth. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Captivated by Cleopatra? Matt Elton has curated a collection of essential reading, listening and viewing from the HistoryExtra vaults to help bring the ancient queen to life: https://bit.ly/3Pgs3hv And don’t miss our HistoryExtra Academy, Royal Women with Professor Kate Williams, for more on some of the past’s most powerful female leaders – from Cleopatra to Elizabeth II: https://bit.ly/3PRpwue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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## Transcript

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