She Led A Fleet At The Naval Battle Of Actium

The Engagement of Actium was a naval battle between Octavian's maritime force and Mark Antony's and Cleopatra VII Philopator's combined fleets. The fight took place in the Ionian Sea on September 31, BC, near the former Roman colony of Actium, Greece, and was the culmination of Octavian and Antony's decade-long conflict.

Antony tried to persuade Cleopatra to retire to Egypt in the days leading up to the historic naval battle at Actium, but she refused, believing that stopping Octavian in Greece would be more advantageous in the defense of Egypt. In the Battle of Actium in September 32 B.C., Antony and Cleopatra's bigger but untrained naval fleet engaged the professional naval troops of Octavian headed by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. At the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf, Cleopatra commanded several dozen Egyptian warships aboard her flagship, the Antonias. Officers, kings, and generals defected to Octavian's side, and the fight quickly became one-sided. Cleopatra and Antony were forced to retreat to Egypt after breaking through the Roman line.