Cleopatra biography summary of winston churchill

I am Winston Churchill Brad is excited to join a small group of boys building a castle in the KidZone, but his enthusiasm quickly disappears when they refuse to listen to any of his ideas. Brad knows he could help make their castle amazing, if only they'd listen. To the Secret Museum! Our heroes go back in time to meet someone who knew exactly how to command attention: Winston Churchill. They meet Winston just as he's about to play a game of capture the flag with his new schoolmates, but none of them want to listen to his ideas on how to play the game! Knowing he could lead his team to victory, Winston keeps on sharing his ideas, confidently and politely, until the boys finally listen. Their big win shows Brad how important it is to speak up for yourself. I am Cleopatra Xavier is stoked to see a super awesome super moon in real life! There's just one problem: he'd have to stay up past bedtime. How can he ask his parents? What if they say no? To the Secret Museum! Our heroes go back in time to meet someone who was skilled at the art of negotiation: Cleopatra. They arrive in Ancient Egypt and find Cleopatra just as she's preparing to ask her father a big question of her own: she wants to end her daily lessons a full hour early so she can attend a festival in town. Luckily, Cleopatra knows exactly how to ask! You have to be prepared, confident, and polite. Seeing how well Cleopatra's strategy works shows Xavier how important it is to ask for things the right way.

Episode Duration: 28 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 107

About Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum:

Inspired by the best-selling kids book series, Ordinary People Change the World, by New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer and illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos, XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM follows the adventures of Xavier, Yadina and Brad as t

The last pharaoh to rule Egypt, Cleopatra was a woman of intelligence and charisma, only later celebrated as a great beauty. Sophie and Neil discuss why she is still an object of fascination today. 

This week's question 

Which country was Cleopatra's family originally from? Is it…

a) Macedonia?

b) Ethiopia? 

c) Egypt? 

You'll hear the answer at the end of the programme. 

Vocabulary

the jury's out on something
people haven't decide about something yet

prominent
noticeable

attributes
qualities

wily
clever

sibling
brother or sister

ruthless
without pity

charisma
the ability to attract people to you

underrate
place too small a value on something

spectacle
visual impact

calculated
(here) carefully planned

Transcript

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Neil
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil…

Sophie
And I'm Sophie. What do you know about Cleopatra, Neil?

Neil
Well, she was Queen of Egypt… quite a long time ago.

Sophie
Anything else?

Neil
Didn't she arrive for a meeting with Roman Emperor Julius Caesar rolled up in a carpet? Or is that a Hollywood invention?

Sophie
Some historical sources say she was rolled up in a carpet – and others say she was hidden inside a linen sack. Cleopatra is the subject of today's show. She was the last pharaoh to rule Egypt and is arguably the most famous female ruler in history.

Neil
And the most beautiful.

Sophie
Well, the jury's out on that one, Neil – and that means people haven't decided yet. Coins with Cleopatra's portrait on them, for example, show her with a prominent nose and thin lips.

Neil
Prominent means noticeable – and in this case, I think it means large! So what were her attributes – or main qualities –, then?

Sophie
Cleopatra was a wily politician. She made important alliances with Rome to protect her country and was ruthless in deal

Born c69 BC, Cleopatra was the third of a possible six children, all of whom shared a common father, Ptolemy XII.

The Ptolemaic dynasty, a Macedonian-Greek royal family that had ties to Alexander the Great, had ruled Egypt since 305 BC. Traditionally male rulers took the name Ptolemy, while Ptolemaic Queens were usually named Cleopatra, Arsinoë or Berenice.

Great reputations

Listen to all episodes now

How did Cleopatra become queen?

For Cleopatra, life as a royal daughter was one of luxury. The Egyptian capital Alexandria, the seat of Ptolemaic power, was a thriving cultural centre, attracting scholars, artists and philosophers from all over the world. It was also home to the great Pharos of Alexandria – the 137-metre-tall lighthouse that towered over the city and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Cleopatra’s first taste of power came at the tender age of 14, when she was made co-regent with her father, following his restoration to the throne after three years in exile, albeit with limited powers. Ptolemy XII’s return to the throne had cost Cleopatra’s elder sister, Berenice – who had seized power in his absence – her life.

There may have been a further elder sister, Cleopatra VI Tryphaena, but she too had died by this point. All of this meant that it was 18-year-old Cleopatra who became co-regent with her brother, Ptolemy XIII (aged ten), when her father died in March 51 BC.

In true pharaonic tradition, which aimed to keep the royal bloodline as pure as possible, Cleopatra married her younger brother and co-ruler, but it soon became clear that she had no intention of sharing power with him. Within months, Ptolemy XIII’s name had been dropped from official documents and Cleopatra’s face appeared alone on coins.

Newsletter Signup

<p>Sign up to the Little, Brown newsletter for news of upcoming publications, competitions and updates from our authors. From time to time we may contact you with surveys so that we can get to know you better.</p> <p> </p> <p>The data controller is <a href="https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/landing-page/little-brown-book-group/little-brown-book-group-company-information/">Little, Brown Book Group Limited</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p>Read about how we’ll protect and use your data in our <a href="/imprint/little-brown/page/privacy-notice-holder-little-brown/">Privacy Notice</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p>You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.</p>