Cleopatra: Femme Fatale Genius Strategist

There are a Great Pyramid of misconceptions about Cleopatra, last pharaoh of Egypt. One of the smartest, hardest working, and wealthiest women of the ancient world, Cleopatra leveraged Egypt’s resources and used personal diplomacy with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony to protect her kingdom. From her recruitment of a mercenary army to battle her brother for Egypt’s throne, to her star-crossed battle campaign with Marc Antony against Rome’s Octavian, hear how history’s greatest femme fatale used her nine languages, geopolitical insight, and understanding of the nature of war to hold power in history’s most dramatic era. Actor Nathalie Emmanuel joins father-daughter history team Jon & Emily Jordan to tell the story of Queen Njinga of Ndongo-Matamaba. Find us on social: @warqueenspodcast Learn more about War Queens: diversionaudio.com/podcast/war-queens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Om Podcasten

Game of Thrones and Fast & Furious actor Nathalie Emmanuel presents: Every week father-daughter team Jon and Emily Jordan examine the incredible stories of history’s most powerful female battle leaders, the brilliant methods and maneuvers history’s "killer queens” used to defend themselves and their people from enemy forces—and both father and daughter find out something about each other and how each generation appreciates these incredible women. From ancient Persia to modern-day Britain, experience the daunting thresholds these exceptional women had to cross and the clever, sometimes violent ways in which they smashed obstacles in their paths. History’s killer queens come in all colors, ages, and leadership styles, and from countries and cultures around the world. Elizabeth Tudor and Golda Meir played the roles of high-stakes gamblers who studied maps with an unblinking, calculating eye. Angola’s Queen Njinga was willing to shed (and occasionally drink) blood to establish a stable kingdom in an Africa ravaged by the slave trade. Caterina Sforza defended her Italian holdings with cannon and scimitar, and Indira Gandhi launched a war to solve a refugee crisis.