At the Battle of Actium on 2 September 31 BCE Octavian's forces, under the general Marcus Agrippa, defeated the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra, scattered them (many had already defected to Octavian's side before the battle) and pursued the survivors until 1 August 30 BCE when, after the loss of Alexandria, Antony and Cleopatra killed themselves. The Senate revoked Antony's consulship and declared war on Cleopatra VII. The will gave away Roman territories to Antony's sons and contained directions for a great mausoleum to be built in Alexandria for Antony and Cleopatra, among other stipulations which Octavian felt threatened the grandeur of Rome and branded Antony a renegade.Īmong the worst of Antony's offenses was his declaration that Caesarion was the true heir of Julius Caesar, not Octavian. He forced the priestesses of the temple of Vesta in Rome to surrender Antony's will and had it read in the Roman Senate. To Octavian, Antony's behavior in the east, both in private, politically and militarily, was intolerable. Does it really matter where, or with what women, you get your excitement?” Octavian charged that Antony had misused his sister when Antony divorced Octavia in favor of Cleopatra in 33 BCE which prompted Antony to write Octavian, “What's upset you? Because I go to bed with Cleopatra? But she's my wife and I've been doing so for nine years, not just recently. Antony, though, had allied himself closely with Cleopatra VII of Egypt (the former lover of Julius Caesar and mother of his son Caesarion) and, in fact, had become her lover. In 40 BCE, in an effort to solidify their alliance, Octavian had given his sister, Octavia Minor, in marriage to Antony. Augustus, Antony & Cleopatraĭuring this time, however, relations between Octavian and Mark Antony began to deteriorate. Lepidus was stripped of all his titles save Pontifex Maximus and the Second Triumvirate came to an end. Octavian, however, offered Lepidus' troops more money than Lepidus could pay and his army defected to Octavian. The Second Triumvirate was victorious over Pompeius, and Lepidus, glorying in the triumph and confident of his strength, insulted Octavian by ordering him to leave Sicily, the theatre of operations, with his troops. At the Battle of Phillipi in October 42 BCE, the forces of Brutus and Cassius were defeated by those of the Second Triumvirate forcing both assassins to kill themselves.īetween 38 and 36 BCE, Octavian and Lepidus battled Sextus Pompeius (son of Pompey Magnus, Julius Caesar's great rival) for rule of Rome with Antony lending aid from Egypt. Having cleansed Rome of the 'bad blood' of their opposition, the Second Triumvirate then turned their attention to Caesar's assassins. Exactly which of the three was most responsible for the killings is disputed by ancient and modern writers alike with some claiming Octavian innocent and others ascribing to him the most bloodshed. Their first order of business seems to have been the systematic killing of any political rivals and supporters of Caesar's assassins. Together with another supporter of Caesar, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, Antony and Octavian formed the Second Triumvirate in October of 43 BCE. He led successful conquests of Egypt, Dalmatia, Pannonia, Norcium, and Hispania, and made all the neighboring states his client states.Having cleansed Rome of the 'bad blood' of their opposition, the Second Triumvirate then turned their attention to Caesar's assassins.Īfter Julius Caesar's assassination in March of 44 BCE, Octavian allied himself with Caesar's close friend and relative, Mark Antony. During his reign, the Roman Empire attained Pax Romana (an era of relative peace), a new taxation system, road networks, courier system, the Praetorian Guard and official police and fire-fighting services. After several political alignments, wars and treaties he finally received his due. But he soon realized that the road to inheritance wasn't that simple as Mark Antony, Caesar's old ally and friend had taken hold of Caesar’s assets and the papers. Caesar had no legitimate heir under the Roman law and hence had named Octavian as his adopted son and heir, who gladly accepted the will and travelled to Italia to claim his inheritance. While studying and undergoing his military training in Illyria, he heard of his maternal great-uncle Julius Caesar's assassination. He first gained prominence after delivering the funeral speech for his grandmother Julia as a young boy and some years later, he was elected to the College of Pontiffs. Augustus, also called Octavian, adopted name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, was the founder of the Roman Empire and its first Emperor.
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