Cleopatra VII Philopator, commonly known as Cleopatra, was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great. Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father, Ptolemy XII Auletes, and later with her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, whom she married as per Egyptian custom. Cleopatra sought to defend Egypt from Roman expansion, forming relationships with influential Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.