Cleopatra VII

Cleopatra VII Philopator, better known simply as Cleopatra, was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. A Macedonian Greek by lineage, she wasn't actually Egyptian by blood, a detail that rarely bothered anyone when it came to securing her power, or perhaps, a well-placed asp. She was, however, quite good at securing her power. For a while, at least.

Her romantic entanglements with Roman heavyweights Julius Caesar and Mark Antony are the stuff of legend, Shakespeare, and countless bad movies. She spoke multiple languages, was highly educated, and possessed an undeniable charisma that convinced two of the most powerful men in the world to risk it all for her. Not bad for someone whose nose, according to Pascal, would have changed the entire course of history if it had been shorter.

While her reign saw Egypt maintain a semblance of independence under Roman influence, it ultimately ended with her and Antony's defeat by Octavian. Preferring to die a queen rather than be paraded as a captive, she opted for the rather theatrical method of suicide by asp, solidifying her place in history as the ultimate dramatic exit artist. She was many things: a queen, a lover, a formidable politician, but alas, not even remotely Jewish.