Today is Friday, July 31st, 2020.

On this day in 30 BCE, 53-year-old Mark Antony defended Egypt against Rome in the bloody battle of Alexandria.

It was a strange job for a man once hailed as a great leader of the Roman Empire,

but Antony's love for the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra,

had led him to question his loyalties.

His actions had fatal consequences.

Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original.

Due to the graphic nature of today's crimes,

listener discretion is advised.

Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13.

Today, we're covering the war that led to the death of Mark Antony.

Let's go back to July 31st, 30 b.C. to Alexandria, the capital of the bustling city of Alexandria.

Antony was determined to beat back Roman forces before Alexandria. his own.

Earlier in life, Antony was a close friend of Roman leader Julius Caesar

until Caesar's assassination in 44 BCE.

Antony then became one of three new Roman co-leaders.

The second was Lepidus, a statesman of Caesar's Rome.

The third was Caesar's teenage great-nephew, Octavian, who would become Antony's mortal enemy.

Octavian wasn't a warrior like Antony, but he was a cunning politician.

After Antony's Roman wife died, he was a cunning politician.

After Antony's Roman wife died,

Octavian arranged a marriage between his sister Octavia

...