Officially, seven prominent queens of the Ptolemaic dynasty in ancient Egypt bore the name Cleopatra (ruling from 192 BC to 30 BC), with Cleopatra VII being the most famous. The other Cleopatras who sat on the throne or shaped the dynasty include:
Cleopatra I (Syra): Daughter of Seleucid King Antiochus III, she married Ptolemy V Epiphanes in 193 BC and later ruled as a respected regent for her young son.
Cleopatra II: Daughter of Cleopatra I, she co-ruled Egypt alongside her brothers (Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII) and notably launched a major civil war/rebellion to oust Ptolemy VIII.
Cleopatra III: Daughter of Cleopatra II and Ptolemy VI, she married her uncle Ptolemy VIII and later dominated Egyptian politics, ruling alongside her sons.
Cleopatra IV: Eldest daughter of Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra III, she briefly co-ruled with her brother-husband Ptolemy IX before fleeing to Cyprus and marrying a Seleucid ruler.
Cleopatra V Tryphaena: The wife of Ptolemy XII Auletes and mother of Berenice IV (and likely Cleopatra VII), she played an enigmatic co-regent role in the late 1st century BC.
Cleopatra VI Tryphaena: Often debated by historians as either a separate short-reigning co-ruler or the same individual as Cleopatra V.
Cleopatra VII: The last active pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt, famous for her alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. She is the one who is popularly known as Cleopatra
