Gaius Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) was only eighteen years old when his great- uncle Julius Caesar, ruler of the Roman world, was assassinated on March 15 (the Ides of March) 44 B.C. As Caesar’s heir, he faced the Liberators (as the assassins were known), defeating them one by one. Brutus and Cassius, Caesar’s chief assassins, were defeated at the Battle of Philippi in northern Greece Augustus, 2010). However, that did not mean that Octavian’s position was secure. He still had to outsmart, outmaneuver, and eventually outfight Caesar’s cousin, Marc Anthony, and Anthony’s lover, Queen Cleopatra of Egypt (War Between Anthony and Octavian, 2015).
Once Anthony and Cleopatra were defeated and dead, Octavian had to figure out how to become sole ruler of Rome without arousing the opposition of Senators and aristocrats. Julius Caesar had been assassinated in part because it was feared that he planned to make himself king of Rome. Octavian knew that Rome needed one single leader, but he carefully worked with the Senate to persuade them to gradually offer him various offices and powers. He was given the status of a proconsular, which allowed him to preside over the Senate and speak first when any debate was occurring or new laws were being presented. He accepted the title of Imperator, which made him commander-in-chief of the army. Like Caesar before him, he became the Pontifex Maximus, head of the State religion. Finally, the Senate named him Princeps Civitates, or the First Citizen. The implication was that he was first among equals, not raised above others. Eventually, that would change (The Roman Empire, 2015).
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Every step of the way, Octavian listened to his advisors, and he made sure that the Senate offered him power and titles rather than Octavian demanding them. Some historians claim he wanted to be called Romulus, after the legendary founder of Rome. However, his closest advisors were against that name, because Romulus had been a king. The name Augustus was eventually proposed, and as Caesar Augustus, Octavian eventually became the sole ruler of Rome for life. He did his best to keep the people happy, bringing in corn and grain from the new province of Egypt and other conquered lands. He embarked on a massive public works program that included roads, temples, government buildings, aqueducts, and public arenas for games (The Roman Empire, 2015). Towards the end of his life, Augustus boasted that “I found Rome a city of bricks and I left her a city of marble (Augustus, 2010).” He also made it clear that his stepson, Tiberius, was to be his successor, and after Augustus’ death in 14 A.D., Tiberius did assume the Imperial mantle as Emperor, as Augustus had intended. Rome was now an empire, not a republic.
- Mark, Joshua (2010). “Augustus.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. http://www.ancient.eu/augustus/
- Penn State University (2015). “The Roman Empire: August and the Principate Period.” (2015). http://sites.psu.edu/cams101tiberius/augustus-and-the-principate-period/
United Nations of Roma Victrix (2015). “War Between Anthony and Octavian.” http://www.unrv.com/fall-republic/war-octavian-antony.php
