Augustus Essay Research Paper Augustus was one — страница 2

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still a powerful man. Antony and Octavian, along with Lepidus, an important general and former colleague of Caesar, formed the Second Triumvirate. According to its terms, Octavian took the West, Antony received the East, and Lepidus governed Africa. The Second Triumvirate was an imitation of the first Triumvirate, which was formed by Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great and Crassus over ten years earlier. The first unanimous decision of the Second Triumvirate was to proceed against the murderers of Caesar and the body of the Senate under the leadership of Brutus and Cassius. An overwhelming defeat was given on the latter at the battle of Philippi. After the battle of Philippi, Lepidus sought to acquire Sicily for himself, but Octavian soon defeated Lepidus and sent him into exile in

Circeii. Now, there were only two men in charge of the Roman Empire: Octavian and Antony. In 41 B.C., Antony had fallen in love with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Cleopatra considered Antony the ruler of Rome and seduced him with success. At this point, Antony had to return to Italy to fortify his relations with Octavian, and agree to a treaty that forced him to marry Octavia, Octavian?s sister. Antony then took Octavia to his home in Athens, but in 37 B.C., he made the critical mistake of sending her back to Rome so that Cleopatra could join him. He needed her wealth to help him maintain his position against Octavian and to finance a new campaign against Parthia. In return, he would help Cleopatra create a new empire centered on Egypt. Antony and Cleopatra were then married,

although it was not recognized because Antony was still legally married to Octavia, and a Roman marriage to a non-citizen had no legal status. In Rome, Octavian was enraged at this treatment of his sister. He also realized that he could present himself as the guardian of traditional Roman values while Antony was seen as the immoral man being corrupted by the East. The quarrel between the two men could no longer be stopped. Octavian said that this was now a war for the integrity of Roman life itself. Octavian illegally removed Antony?s will from its seemingly protected storage with the Vestal Virgins and read it out in public. Supposedly, Antony had named his children by Cleopatra his heirs, which horrified Romans. There were even rumors that Antony was thinking of taking over

Rome and then moving the capital to Alexandria! For four years, Octavian worked hard building a strong fleet. In 31 B.C., he brought the fleet east to bring his rivalry with Antony to a climax at the battle of Actium, on the west coast of Greece. Octavian?s friend, the great general Marcus Agrippa, won the battle at sea. Antony and Cleopatra escaped in their ships to Egypt. Once in Egypt, both Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide: Antony stabbed himself and Cleopatra let a venomous asp bite her. After these events, Octavian had complete control of the Roman Empire. After obtaining full authority, Octavian held the consulship from 31 to 27 B.C. In 27 B.C., he gave up his power to the Senate, saying that he would no longer be consul because his perpetual tenure of the office

offended the Senate and was keeping all of the other nobles out of the consulship. Despite the apparent return of the legal government of the Republic, the Senate knew there was no alternative to strong one-man rule except civil war. Octavian?s only title, princeps, meaning ?first citizen,? was like a mask, behind which he exercised unlimited authority. Throughout the rest of his life, Octavian portrayed himself merely as the humble servant of the Senate and People of Rome, from whom he had legally received all his powers. By seeming to continue the Roman Republic, Octavian successfully avoided the fate of Julius Caesar. Rome would not be a monarchy or a dictatorship, but a principate. As he slowly developed into the first emperor, Octavian was given a new name by the Senate:

Augustus. He later recorded that, ?I received the title of Augustus by decree of the Senate, and the doorposts of my house were publicly decked with laurels, the civic crown was fixed over my doorway, and a golden shield set up in the Senate House, in recognition of my valor, clemency, justice, and devotion.? For the next four years, Augustus spent most of his time in Spain and Gaul on campaign of inspection. By remaining absent, he hoped to demonstrate that the Republic had been restored and that the Senate was in charge. Augustus wanted Rome to be well-run, decent, and moral. While he could be brutal to his enemies, in public he lived quietly in a small simple house instead of a grand palace. He was confident that his empire was secure and the issue of succession settled. In 13