Ptolemy V Epiphanes "the Apparent"

---

When Ptolemy IV died , his wife Arisnoe III ascended the throne although she was kept in the shadow during his reign . She put her son under her regency . Agathacoles and Sosibios hided the news of the death of King Ptolemy IV from the people of Alexandria and tried to kill Queen Arisnoe III so they hired a man called Philammon who was the lover Onanthe and Onanthe was the mother Agathacoles . Philammon succeeded in poisoning her . Then Sosibios and Agathacoles put the ashes of King Ptolemy IV's body into silver urns then carried them announcing that both the King and the Queen died . However the people of Alexandria never believed that the Queen met a natural death . Moreover , they forged a will of the King that proclaimed both of Sosibios and Agathacoles guardians on the young king , Ptolemy V , then; they became the regents of the new King . After a short period of time , Sisobius died and Agathacoles became the sole ruler of the country .
Sisobius was a wise man but Agathacoles surrounded himself with bad or notorious friends and put them in high positions and posts therefore the people of Alexandria really hated him and his family .
There was a trial of an innocent Greek officer which sparked revolts in Alexandria . So as to humiliate this officer all through the trial , they forced him to stand up naked in the court . When the news reached the people of Alexandria , they rapidly began launching revolts . It was such a wild revolt that all the attendants left the court immediately . The officer found himself standing alone , then putting on his clothes , he went back to his unit . Then , the people –with the help of the royal guard– succeeded in snatching the young King from Agathacoles and his family who were in the royal palace then , they arrested both . Then the people took Agathacoles and his family to the stadium of Alexandria to be trialed . After a short trial , they were found guilty and condemned to death , but to carry out this execution , they should take the permission of the young king Ptolemy V . But since he was still a child , an officer stood behind the young King and raised one of the arms of the King as a kind of permission . Then the execution was carried out and their bodies had been torn into pieces . So as not to make the King witness a horrible death scene , one of the officers standing behind the young King covered the King's eyes .
Because Ptolemy V was still a child , he was placed under the regency of a Greek officer called Telipomus , but he wasn’t a good ruler because any word of praise turned his head , so he was replaced by Aristomines .
Although Aristomines was a friend of Agathacoles , he was a good administrator . During the regency of Aristomines , Antiochus III invaded Coele-Syria and occupied it and this was called the Fifth Syrian War . However , Aristomines began negotiations with Antiochus III to avoid the war and at the end they reached an agreement . According to this agreement , King Ptolemy V was to marry the daughter of Antiochus III (she was called Cleopatra I) . In return , her dowry should be the revenue of Coele-Syria given to Ptolemy V . This marriage and the coronation of Ptolemy V were recorded on the Rosetta Stone . Displayed now in the British Museum , the Rosetta Stone mentions the marriage between Ptolemy V and Cleopatra I as well as his ascension to the throne .
When the King reached manhood , he married Cleopatra I and began to rule Egypt together . During his reign , the Egyptian revolts increased and the Egyptian people reached the highest positions in Egypt either in the army or in the administration .