{geni:job_title} Romersk Keiser ca 27 BC - 14 AD
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Name Prefix:Emperor Name Suffix: Of Rome
Caesar Augustus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Bust of Augustus Caesar"Augustus" redirects here. For the honorific title see Augustus (honorific)
Caesar Augustus (Latin:IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·F·AVGVSTVS) ¹ (23 September 63 BC; 19 August AD 14), known to modern historians as Octavian for the period of his life prior to 27 BC, is considered the first and one of the most important Roman Emperors, though he downplayed his own position by preferring the traditional Republic title of princeps, usually translated as "first citizen". Although he preserved the outward form of the Roman Republic, he ruled as an autocrat for more than 40 years. He ended a century of civil wars and gave Rome an era of peace, prosperity, and imperial greatness.
Rise to power
Augustus was born in Rome with the name Gaius Octavius Thurinus. His father, also Gaius Octavius, came from a respectable but undistinguished family of the equestrian order and was governor of Macedonia before his death in 58 BC. More importantly, his mother Atia Balba Caesonia was the niece of Rome's greatest general and de facto ruler, Julius Caesar. In 46 BC Caesar, who had no legitimate children, took his great-nephew soldiering in Hispania, and adopted him as his heir. Mark Antony charged that he had earned his adoption by Caesar through sexual favors, though Suetonius described Antony's accusation as political slander. By virtue of his adoption, Octavius assumed the name Gaius Julius Caesar. Roman tradition dictated that he also append the surname Octavianus to indicate his biological family, from which historians derive the name Octavian; no evidence exists that he ever used the name Octavianus, however.
When Caesar was assassinated in March 44 BC, his young heir was with the army at Apollonia, in what is now Albania. At the time, he was only eighteen years old, and was consistently underestimated by his rivals for power. He gathered support by emphasizing his status as heir to Caesar and took the name Gaius Julius Caesar. He crossed over to Italy and recruited an army from among Caesar's veterans.
In Rome, he found Caesar's republican assassins, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius, in control. After a tense standoff, he formed an uneasy alliance with Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) and Marcus Lepidus, Caesar's principal colleagues. The three formed a junta called the Second Triumvirate, an explicit grant of special powers lasting five years and supported by law, unlike the unofficial First Triumvirate of Pompey, Caesar and Crassus.[1]
The triumvirs then set in motion proscriptions in which three hundred senators and two thousand equites were deprived of their property and, for those who failed to escape, their lives, going beyond a simple purge of those allied with the assassins, and probably motivated by a need to raise money to pay their troops.[2]
Antony and Octavian then marched against Brutus and Cassius, who had fled to the east. At Philippi in Macedonia, the Caesarian army was victorious and Brutus and Cassius committed suicide (42 BC). While Octavian returned to Rome, Antony, went to Egypt where he allied himself with Queen Cleopatra, the ex-lover of Julius Caesar and mother of Caesar's infant son, Caesarion.
While in Egypt, Antony had an affair with Cleopatra that resulted in the birth of three children, Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene, and Ptolemy Philadelphus. Antony later left Cleopatra to make a strategic marriage with Octavian's sister, Octavia in 40 BC. During their marriage Octavia gave birth to two daughters, that were both named Antonia. In 37 BC Antony deserted Octavia and went back to Egypt to be with Cleopatra. The Roman dominions were then divided between Octavian in the west and Antony in the east.
Antony occupied himself with military campaigns in the east and a romantic affair with Cleopatra; Octavian built a network of allies in Rome, consolidated his power, and spread propaganda implying that Antony was becoming less than Roman because of his preoccupation with Egyptian affairs and traditions. The situation grew more and more tense, and finally, in 32 BC, Octavian declared war. It was quickly decided: in the bay of Actium on the western coast of Greece, after Antony's men began deserting, the fleets met in a great battle in which many ships burned and thousands on both sides lost their lives. Octavian defeated his rivals who then fled to Egypt. He pursued them, and after another defeat, Antony committed suicide. Cleopatra also committed suicide after her upcoming role in Octavian's triumph was "carefully explained to her" and Caesarion, the son of Julius Caesar by Cleopatra, was "butchered without compunction".[3]
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Octavian becomes Augustus
Augustus as a magistrateAfter Actium, Octavian had his work cut out for him; years of civil war had left Rome in a state of near-lawlessness. Moreover, Rome was not prepared to accept the control of a despot. Octavian was clever. First, he disbanded his armies, and held elections. Octavian was chosen for the powerful position of consul, the highest executive office of the Republic. In 27 BC, he officially returned power to the Senate of Rome, and offered to relinquish his own military supremacy and hegemony over Egypt. Reportedly, the sugeestion of Octavian stepping down as consul lead to rioting amongst the Plebians in Rome. A compromise was reached between the Senate and Octavian's supporters, known as the First Settlement. Octavian was given proconsular authority over the western half of the empire and Syria — the provinces that, combined, contained almost 70% of the Roman legions. Additionally, the Senate gave him the title "Augustus" and "Princeps". Augustus was a title of religious rather than political authority (see Augustus (honorific)). In the mindset of contemporary religious beliefs, it would have cleverly symbolized a stamp of authority over humanity that went beyond any constitutional definition of his status. Additionally, the harsh methods employed in consolidating his control meant that the change in name would also serve to separate his benign reign as emperor from his reign of terror as Octavian. "Princeps" translates to "first-citizen" or "first-leader". It had been a title under the Republic for those who had served the state well; for example,Gnaeus Pompey had held the title. It must be noted that neither of these titles granted Octavian any additional powers or authority; for all intents and purposes the new Augustus was simply a highly-honored Roman citizen.
These actions were highly abnormal from the Roman Senate, but this was not the same body of patricians that had murdered Caesar. Both Antony and Octavian had purged the Senate of suspect elements and planted it with their loyal partisans. How free a hand the Senate had in these transactions, and what backroom deals were made, remain unknown.
In 23 BC, he renounced the consulship, but retained his consular "imperium", leading to a second agreement between Augustus and the Senate known as the Second Settlement. He was granted the power of a tribune, though not the title (tribunicia potestas), which allowed him to convene the Senate and people at will and lay business before it, veto the actions of either the Assembly or the Senate, preside over elections, and the right to speak first at any meeting. Additionally, included in Agustus's "tribunician" authority were powers usually reserved for the Roman censor; these included the right to supervise public morals and scrutinize laws to ensure they were in the public interest, as well as the ability to hold a census and determine the membership of the Senate. Second, he was granted sole "imperium" within the city of Rome itself; all armed forces in the city, formerly under the control of the Praefects, were now under the sole authority of Augusts. Additionally, Augustus was granted imperium proconsulare maius, or "imperium over all the proconsuls", which translated to the right to interfere in and province in the Roman Empire and override the decisions of any governor. Additionally, with "maius imperium", Augustus was the only individual able to receive a triumph as he was obstensibly the head of every Roman army. 23 BC is the date on which Augustus is usually first referred to as the Roman emperor. He typically used the civil title Princeps ("First Citizen"). After the death of Lepidus in 13 BC he additionally took up the position of pontifex maximus.
With these powers in mind, it must be understood that all forms of permanent and legal power within Rome lay with the Senate and the people; Octavian Augustus was given extraordinary powers, but only as a pronconsul and magistrate under the authority of the Senate. Augustus never presented himself as a king or autocrat, once again only allowing himself to be addressed by the title Princeps.
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Reign
Having gained power by means of great audacity, Augustus ruled with great prudence. In exchange for near absolute power, he gave Rome 40 years of civic peace and increasing prosperity, celebrated in history as the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace. He created Rome's first permanent army and navy and stationed the legions along the Empire's borders, where they could not meddle in politics. A special unit, the Praetorian Guard, garrisoned Rome and protected the Emperor's person. He also reformed Rome's finance and tax systems.
Augustus waged no major wars. A war in the mountains of northern Hispania from 26 BC to 19 BC finally resulted in that territory's conquest. After Gallic raids, the Alpine territories were conquered. Rome's borders were advanced to the natural frontier of the Danube, and the province of Galatia was occupied. Further west, an attempt to advance into Germany ended with the defeat at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9. Thereafter Augustus and his successors accepted the Rhine as the Empire's permanent border. In the east, he satisfied himself with establishing Roman control over Armenia and the Transcaucasus. He left the Parthian Empire alone maintaining generally good relations with them.
In domestic matters, Augustus channeled the enormous wealth brought in from the Empire to keeping the army happy with generous payments, and keeping the citizens of Rome happy by beautifying the capital and staging magnificent games. He famously boasted that he "found Rome brick and left it marble". He built the Senate a new home, the Curia, and built temples to Apollo and the Divine Julius. He also built a shrine near the Circus Maximus. The Capitoline Temple and the Theater of Pompey are recorded as projects of Augustus, whose name was deliberately uncredited. He founded a ministry of transport that built an extensive network of roads — enabling improved communication, trade, and mail. Augustus also founded the world's first fire brigade, and created a regular police force for Rome.
Bronze statue of Augustus, Archaeological Museum, AthensRoman rulers understood little about economics, and Augustus was no exception. Like all the Emperors, he overtaxed agriculture and spent the revenue on armies, temples, and games. Once the Empire stopped expanding, and had no more loot coming in from conquests, its economy began to stagnate and eventually decline. The reign of Augustus is thus seen in some ways as the high point of Rome's power and prosperity. Augustus settled retired soldiers on the land in an effort to revive agriculture, but the capital remained dependent on grain imports from Egypt.
Augustus also strongly supported worship of Roman gods, especially Apollo, and depicted Roman defeat of Egypt as Roman gods defeating Egypt's. He sponsored Virgil's Aeneid in the hopes that it would increase pride in Roman heritage. Augustus also launched a morality crusade, promoting marriage, family, and childbirth while discouraging luxury, unrestrained sex (including prostitution and homosexuality), and adultery. It was largely unsuccessful (indeed, his own daughter was banished due to it.)
As a patron of the arts, Augustus showered favors on poets, artists, sculptors, and architects. His reign is considered the Golden Age of Roman literature. Horace, Livy, Ovid, and Virgil flourished under his protection, but in return, they had to pay tribute to his genius and adhere to his standards. (Ovid was banished from Rome for violating Augustus's morality codes.) He eventually won over most of the Roman intellectual class, although many still pined in private for the Republic. His use of games and special events to celebrate himself and his family cemented his popularity. By the time Augustus died, a return to the old system was unimaginable. The only question was who would succeed him as sole ruler.
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Succession
Augustus' control of power throughout the Empire was so absolute that it allowed him to name his successor, a custom that had been abandoned and derided in Rome since the foundation of the Republic. At first, indications pointed toward his sister's son Marcellus, who had been married to Augustus' daughter Julia Caesaris. However, Marcellus died of food poisoning in 23 BC. Reports of later historians that this poisoning, and other later deaths, were caused by Augustus' wife Livia Drusilla are inconclusive at best.
After the death of Marcellus, Augustus married his daughter to his right hand man, Marcus Agrippa. This union produced five children, three sons and two daughters: Gaius Caesar, Lucius Caesar, Vipsania Julia, Agrippina the Elder, and Postumus Agrippa, so named because he was born after Marcus Agrippa died. Augustus' intent to make the first two children his heirs was apparent when he adopted them as his own children. Augustus also showed favor to his stepsons, Livia's children from her first marriage, Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus and Tiberius Claudius, after they had conquered a large portion of Germany.
After Agrippa died in 12 BC, Livia's son Tiberius divorced his own wife and married Agrippa's widow. Tiberius shared in Augustus' tribune powers, but shortly thereafter went into retirement. After the early deaths of both Gaius and Lucius in AD 4 and AD 2 respectively, and the earlier death of his brother Drusus (9 BC), Tiberius was recalled to Rome, where he was adopted by Augustus.
On August 19, AD 14, Augustus died. Postumus Agrippa and Tiberius had been named co-heirs. However, Postumus had been banished, and was put to death around the same time. Who ordered his death is unknown, but the way was clear for Tiberius to assume the same powers that his stepfather had.
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Augustus's legacy
Portrait drawing of Augustus: a detail of the famous statue found at Prima PortaAugustus was deified soon after his death, and both his borrowed surname, Caesar, and his title Augustus became the permanent titles of the rulers of Rome for the next 400 years, and were still in use at Constantinople fourteen centuries after his death. The derived titles Kaiser and Tsar would be used until the early part of the 20th century. The cult of the Divine Augustus continued until the State Religion of the Empire was changed to Christianity in the 4th century. Consequently, we have many excellent statues and busts of the first, and in some ways the greatest, of the Emperors. Augustus' mausoleum also originally contained bronze pillars inscribed with a record of his life, the Res Gestae Divi Augusti.
Many consider Augustus as Rome's greatest emperor; his policies certainly extended the empire's life span and initiated the celebrated Pax Romana or Pax Augusta. He was handsome, intelligent, decisive, and a shrewd politician, but he was not perhaps as charismatic as Julius Caesar or Marc Antony; as a result, Augustus is not as renowned as either man, and is often confused with Julius Caesar. Nevertheless, his legacy proved more enduring.
The month of August (Latin Augustus) is named after Augustus; until his time it was called Sextilis (the sixth month of the Roman calendar).
In looking back on the reign of Augustus and its legacy to the Roman world, its longevity should not be overlooked as a key factor in its success. People were born and reached middle age without knowing any form of government other than the Principate. Had Augustus died earlier (in 23 BC, for instance), matters may have turned out differently. The attrition of the civil wars on the old Republican oligarchy and the longevity of Augustus, therefore, must be seen as major contributing factors in the transformation of the Roman state into a monarchy in these years. Augustus' own experience, his patience, his tact, and his political acumen also played their parts. He directed the future of the empire down many lasting paths, from the existence of a standing professional army stationed at or near the frontiers, to the dynastic principle so often employed in the imperial succession, to the embellishment of the capital at the emperor's expense. Augustus' ultimate legacy was the peace and prosperity the empire enjoyed for the next two centuries under the system he initiated. His memory was enshrined in the political ethos of the Imperial age as a paradigm of the good emperor, and although every emperor adopted his name, Caesar Augustus, only a handful earned genuine comparison with him (Trajan). His reign laid the foundations of a regime that lasted for 250 years.
Augustus was ranked #18 on Michael H. Hart's list of the most influential figures in history.
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Notes
^ From the Gracchi to Nero: HH Scullard p163
^ From the Gracchi to Nero: HH Scullard p164
^ Alexander to Actium: Peter Green pp 697
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External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Caesar AugustusWikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Caesar Augustus[edit]
Primary sources
The Res Gestae Divi Augusti (The Deeds of Augustus, his own account: complete Latin and Greek texts with facing English translation)
Selections from the Res Gestae (in a different English translation)
Suetonius' biography of Augustus, Latin text with English translation
Cassius Dio's Roman History: Books 45-56, English translation
Life of Augustus by Nicolaus of Damascus
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Secondary material
De Imperatoribus Romanis (A good detailed biography)
Octavian / Augustus
Augustus and the Roman army – Mutual Loyalty and Rewards
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Notes
1- Official name of Augustus after 27 BC. The meaning in English is "Emperor Caesar Augustus, son of the deified one". "Emperor" here is used as a given name (praenomen); it is not a common noun such as is the case in English today.
Preceded by:
— Roman Emperor
27 BC-14 AD Succeeded by:
Tiberius
wtf 4:565 Gaius Octavius (Octavian) Augustus Roman Emperor
http://www.touregypt.net/33dyn01.htm
Augustus (Octavius)
63 BC - 14 AD
Caesar's sole male relative was a slight, frail grandnephew only 18 years old, who was named heir in Caesar's will to three-quarters of his great wealth. By another condition in the will of the dead dictator, this youth was also adopted as Caesar's son, and so for a while he called himself Caius Julius Caesar Octavianus, or Caesar the Younger. After 27 BC, he is known as Augustus. Octavian Augustus was really the greatest civil leader that the ancient world ever produced. When he came to Rome after Caesar's murder, his only possessions were an inherited name and whatever appeal his youth might bring; but in cold, sagacious steps he made his way rapidly on the policy of avenging Caesar. Through his good sense, moderation, and conscientious attention to duty, Augustus won the support of all major elements in the Mediterranean world. In many provinces, which now enjoyed more careful government and suffered less from extortion, he was made a god, and the month of his final achievement was named after him. Augustus lived to be 76 years old. In his last year, he revised a recital of the great deeds he had achieved for the Roman state, which was to be set up at his tomb. The original version in Rome has disappeared, but another copy of this work, was carved on the temple of Augustus at Ancyra and still survives. In his administration of the Roman Empire, the disaster which upset Augustus the most took place in Germany. While Augustus remained at peace with Parthia, he advanced the Roman frontier in Europe to the Danube and Rhine. By this advance he subjected modern Switzerland, Austria, much of Hungary, and the Balkans to Roman rule and protected the connections between the western and eastern provinces of the Empire; no other Roman leader made such additions. In 9 AD, the governor of Germany, Varus, was lured into a trap and three Roman legions were wiped out; all of Germany was lost. Since Augustus had neither the energy nor the military strength to start a reconquest, the Roman frontier remained essentially on the Rhine. Yet, the Mediterranean world attained peace and prosperity under the government of Augustus, who was celebrated in temples, statues, and dedications as an earthly redeemer. The Empire was expensive in its demands of men for the armed forces and of money to support the political system, but the accompanying economic expansion supported these burdens without great difficulty for two centuries and more.
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http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/augustusbio/a/Augustus.htm
Augustus - The First Princeps or Emperor of Rome
Whether you date the reign of Augustus to Actium (31 B.C.) or the first constitutional settlement and the adoption of the name Augustus, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (aka Augustus) ruled Rome until his death in 14 A.D.
Augustus or Octavius (as he was called until the adoption by Caesar) was born 23 September, 63 BC. In 48 B.C. he was elected to the pontifical college. In 45 he followed Caesar to Spain. In 43 or 42 Caesar named Octavius Master of Horse. In March 44 B.C. when his great-uncle Caesar died, Octavius discovered he had been adopted.
Octavian styled himself Caesar and gathered troops (from Brundisium and along the road) as he went to Rome to have his adoption made official. There Antony prevented him from standing for office and blocked his adoption.
Through the oratory of Cicero, not only was Octavian's close to illegal command of troops legitimized, but also Antony was declared a public enemy. Octavian then marched on Rome with eight legions and was made consul in 43.
The second triumvirate soon formed (legally). Octavian gained control of Sardinia, Sicily, and Africa; Antony (no longer a public enemy), Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul; M. Aemilius Lepidus, Spain and Gallia Narbonensis. They revived proscriptions, an extra-legal means of padding their treasury, and pursued those who had killed Caesar. From then on Octavian acted to secure his troops and to concentrate the power in himself.
Relations deteriorated between Octavian and Antony in 32 B.C. when Antony renounced his wife Octavia in favor of Cleopatra. Augustus took Roman troops to fight the Roman traitor and defeated him decisively in a sea battle in the Ambracian gulf, near the promontory of Actium.
Over the next few decades the new powers of Augustus, the one leader of Rome had to be ironed out through two constitutional settlements and then the added title of Pater Patriae father of the country that was given him in 2 B.C. Despite serious illnesses, Augustus managed to outlive various men he had been grooming as successor. Augustus died in 14 A.D. and was succeeded by his son-in-law Tiberius.
Augustus
Names of Augustus
63-44 B.C.: Gaius Octavius
44-27 B.C.: Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian)
27 B.C. - 14 A.D.: Augustus
Augustus Resources
Augustus - Rise to Power Sources on Augustus - Res Gestae Politics and Political Life of Augustus
Augustus Resources
Articles on the Emperor Augustus The Augustan Age From Caius Julius Caesar Octavianus to Emperor Augustus Caesar
Augustus Resources
Timeline For Augustus "Empire"
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NEW ADVENT Catholic Encyclopedia
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02107a.htm
Augustus
The name by which Caius Julius Caesar Octavianus, the first Roman emperor, in whose reign Jesus Christ was born, is usually known; born at Rome, 62 B.C.; died A.D. 14. It is the title which he received from the Senate 27 B.C., in gratitude for the restoration of some privileges of which that body had been deprived. The name was afterwards assumed by all his successors. Augustus belonged to the gens Octavia and was the son of Caius Octavius, a praetor. He was the grand-nephew of (Caius) Julius Caesar, and was named in the latter's will as his principal heir. After the murder of Julius Caesar, the young Octavianus proceeded to Rome to gain possession of his inheritance. Though originally in league with the republican party, he eventually allied himself with Mark Antony. Through his own popularity, and in opposition to the will of the senate he succeeded (43 B.C.) in obtaining the consulate. In the same year he entered into a pat with Antony and Lepidus by which it was agreed that for five years they would control the affairs of Rome. This (second) Triumvirate (tresviri reipublicae constituendae) so apportioned the Roman dominions that Lepidus received Spain; Antony, Gaul; and Augustus, Africa, Sicily, and Sardinia. The first concerted move of the Triumvirate was to proceed against the murderers of Caesar and the party of the Senate under the leadership of Brutus and Cassius. A crushing defeat was inflicted on the latter at the battle of Philippi (42 B.C.), after which the fate of Rome rested practically in the hands of two men. Lepidus, always treated with neglect, sought to obtain Sicily for himself, but Augustus soon won over his troops, and, on his submission, sent him to Rome where he spent the rest of his life as pontifex maximus.
A new division of the territory of the Republic between Antony and Augustus resulted, by which the former took the East and the latter the West. When Antony put away his wife Octavia, the sister of Augustus, through infatuation for Cleopatra, civil war again ensued, whose real cause is doubtless to be sought in the conflicting interests of both, and the long-standing antagonism between the East and the West. The followers of Antony were routed in the naval battle of Actium (31 B.C.), and Augustus was left, to all intents and purposes, the master of the Roman world. He succeeded in bringing peace to the long-distracted Republic, and by his moderation in dealing with the senate, his munificence to the army, and his generosity to the people, he strengthened his position and became in fact, if not in name, the first Emperor of Rome. His policy of preserving intact the republican forms of administration and of avoiding all semblance of absolute power or monarchy did not diminish his power or weaken his control. Whatever may be said in regard to the general character of his administration and his policy of centralization, it cannot be denied that he succeeded effectually in strengthening and consolidating the loosely organized Roman state into a close and well-knit whole. He was a patron of art, letters, and science, and devoted large sums of money to the establishment and enlargement of Rome. It was his well-known boast that he "found it of brick and left it of marble". Under his management, industry and commerce increased. Security and rapidity of intercourse were obtained by means of many new highways. He undertook to remove by legislation the disorder and confusion in life and morals brought about, in great measure, by the civil wars. His court life was simple and unostentatious. Severe laws were made for the purpose of encouraging marriages and increasing the birth-rate. The immorality of the games and the theatres was curbed, and new laws introduced to regulate the status of freedmen and slaves. The changes wrought by Augustus in the administration of Rome, and his policy in the Orient are of especial significance to the historian of Christianity. The most important event of his reign was the birth of Our Lord (Luke 2:1) in Palestine. The details of Christ's life on earth, from His birth to His death, were very closely interwoven with the purposes and methods pursued by Augustus. The Emperor died in the seventy-sixth year of his age (A.D. 14). After the battle of Actium, he received into his favour Herod the Great, confirmed him in his title of King of the Jews, and granted him the territory between Galilee and the Trachonitis, thereby winning the gratitude and devotion of Herod and his house. After the death of Herod (750 A.U.C.), Augustus divided his kingdom between his sons. One of them, Archelaus, was eventually banished, and his territory, together with Idumaea and Samaria, were added to the province of Syria (759 A.U.C.). On this occasion, Augustus caused a census of the province to be taken by the legate, Sulpicius Quirinius, the circumstances of which are of great importance for the right calculation of the birth of Christ. See ROMAN EMPIRE; LUKE, GOSPEL OF.
Sources
The chief sources for the life of Augustus are the Latin writers, SUETONIUS, TACITUS, VELLEIUS PATERCULUS, and CICERO (in his Epistles and Philippics); the Greek writers, NICHOLAS OF DAMASCUS, DIO CASSIUS, and PLUTARCH. See also his official autobiography, the famous Monumentum Ancyranum. For the origin and character of the legends that, at an early date, made Augustus one of the "prophets of Christ" see GRAF, Roma nella memoria e nelle immaginazioni del Medio Evo (Turin, 1882), I, ix, 308, 331.
{geni:occupation} 1st Roman Emperor, Born 23 september 63 BC dog 19 augusti 0014
{geni:about_me} His other Profile (as adopted son of Julius Caesar) see:
[http://www.geni.com/people/Augustus/6000000012956339347 '''Augustus''']
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Links from wikipedia
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus '''Augustus 1st Emperor of the Roman Empire''']
*FatherNatural: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Octavius '''Gaius Octavius''']
*Adoptive: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar '''Julius Caesar'''](in 44 BC)
*Mother:[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atia_Balba_Caesonia '''Atia Balba Caesonia Secunda''']
===Consort to===
# Clodia Pulchra 43–40 BC
# Scribonia 40–38 BC
# Livia Drusilla 38 BC – AD 14
===Offspring===
# [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_the_Elder '''Julia the Elder'''];
# [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Caesar '''Gaius Caesar (adoptive)'''];
# [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Caesar '''Lucius Caesar (adoptive)'''];
# [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberius '''Tiberius (adoptive)''']
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=Augustus Caesar=
''From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.''
'''Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus''' , ( 62 BC - August 19, A.D. 14 ) was the first Roman Emperor . Before he became emperor, he is often referred to as Octavian in English speaking countries. He was accorded the name or title Augustus by the Senate of Rome in 27 BC , and as emperor is often referred to as Augustus Caesar ,Augustus Octavian , or simply Augustus .
Julius Caesar made provisions in his will adopting his great-nephew Gaius Octavius Thurinus as his son and heir. In the Roman custom, Octavius took his uncle's name as part of his own. At the time of Julius Caesar's death Octavianus was 18. Together with Mark Anthony and Lepidus he formed the Second Triumvirate to rule Rome. To take leadership of the Caesarian forces he returned to Rome from Greece and successfully outmaneuvered Marcus Antonius for leadership of Caesar's armies and control of his political forces, ultimately defeating Antony at the Battle of Actium on September 2 ,31 BC . He reformed the Roman state, becoming its sole ruler, although not in name ( Rome was still officially a Republic ). He was given the title Princeps (first citizen) and the title Imperator by the Roman Senate . The Roman Empire was devided into Senatorial and Imperial provinces. The Imperial provinces were on the outskirts of the Empire and held the bulk of the troops. He also created the Praetorian Guard , a 9,000 man private army for his own protection. When the Roman Pontifex Maximus Lepidus died, he also took that title, and thus became head of the Roman religion.
Octavian's military right-hand-man was Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa , and his link with the important class of the Equites or 'Equestrian class' was Gaius Maecenas . Augustus's evident intention was to have Agrippa succeed him; he arranged for Agrippa to divorce his wife and marry Julia, Augustus's daughter from his first marriage. When Agrippa died unexpectedly in 12 BC , Augustus's plans were upset. Until their deaths, Agrippa's minor sons (who were also Augustus's grandsons) Gaius and Lucius remained his heirs. His succession by his stepson and adopted heir Tiberius created the so-called Julio-Claudian dynasty from their two nomina or family names.
Ara Pacis Augustae --- the altar of the Augustan Peace
The Acts of the Divine Augustus , attributed to Augustus Caesar (summary)
Following is a summary of inscriptions that were found on two pillars in Rome . These pillars were in several Temples dedicated to the god of Rome ( Roma ). These Temples were built in honour of Augustus and the inscriptions recount the great deeds of Augustus.
At the age of nineteen, Augustus recounts that he was able to prepare an army at his own expense and with the blessing of the Senate . In that same year, the people made him consul . With this army and through other means Augustus (then known as Octavian) was able to exile and punish those individuals who had killed his adopted father Julius Caesar .
Augustus then fought many wars to expand the realm and influence of Rome. However, he wisely treated his captive states kindly; even allowing then to continue their customs and form governments so long as they paid tribute to Rome.
Augustus also mentions that he was a reluctant leader who decided to lead so long as his leadership did not break any established customs. He then states that he was made a Triumvir (of the Second Triumvirate ) and then Princeps .
Then Augustus states that he increased the number of patricians and held several censuses of the people in which the size of Roman citizenry rose by nearly one million people. However, he refused to be named Pontifex Maximus (head of the State religion) while a friend of his held that title.
His sons, Gaius and Lucius Caesar were made consuls-designate when they reached the age of fourteen and they were then made Princeps of the Youth.
Augustus then recounts how generous he was both with his own money, and with the money of Rome. Specifically, he mentions that the gifts that he gave "never came through to fewer than 250,000 men." He also mentions that he was able to help out the Public Treasury on four occasions.
Now he turns to the great building projects that he built. For example, he built the Curia (Senate House) and a temple to Apollo , and the Divine Julius. He also built a shrine near the Circus Maximus , temples of Jupiter Feretrius and the Thunderer. Augustus then shows how noble he is when he built both the Capitoline temple and the theater of Pompey without putting his name on them. He then goes into the repairs and expansions of infastructure projects -- including urban renewal.
How Augustus entertained the masses is also described in this document. For example, it describes how he funded three gladiatorial games which included the slaughter of 3500 beasts.
He ends the document with an account of conquests of the sea, Egypt and the recovery of several Roman standards.
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ID: I6878
Name: GAIUS @ OCTAVIAN JULIUS CAESAR
Prefix: Emperor
Given Name: GAIUS @ OCTAVIAN JULIUS
Surname: CAESAR
Nickname: Augustus
Sex: M
_UID: B30B2AFA5118D811BE490080C8C142CC52D2
Change Date: 18 Oct 2005
Note:
I INTRODUCTION
Augustus (63 bc- ad 14), first emperor of Rome (27 bc-ad 14), who restored unity and orderly government to the realm after nearly a century of civil wars. He presided over an era of peace, prosperity, and cultural achievement known as the Augustan Age.
Augustus was born Gaius Octavius and granted the title of Augustus by the Roman Senate, becoming the first emperor of Rome. The adopted son of Julius Caesar, he became consul after Caesar’s assassination. Augustus consolidated his power with the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium. As emperor, he instituted social reforms and encouraged education, art and literature.
Originally named Gaius Octavius, Augustus was born in Rome on September 23, 63 bc; he was the grandnephew of Julius Caesar, whom he succeeded as ruler of the Roman state. Caesar was fond of the youth and had him raised to the College of Pontifices—a major Roman priesthood—at the age of 16. When Caesar was assassinated in 44 bc, Octavius was in Illyria, where he had been sent to serve; returning to Italy, he learned that he was Caesar’s adopted heir. He consequently took the name Gaius Julius Caesar, to which historians have added Octavianus; in English, the name is usually shortened to Octavian.
II THE SECOND TRIUMVIRATE
GREAT WORKS OF LITERATURE
Tacitus: From The Annals of Imperial Rome
Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman historian who drew upon fact, rhetoric, psychology, and art in crafting The Annals of Imperial Rome. Only part of the original work has survived, but it represents the most complete literary record available about Rome from just before the death of Augustus, the first emperor, in AD 14 to the death of Nero, the fifth emperor, in AD 68. Although Tacitus claimed to be scrupulously impartial, he was easily roused to indignation, as demonstrated by these passages dealing with Augustus’s reign and Nero’s conspiracy to murder his mother, Agrippina.
Caesar’s assassination plunged Rome into turmoil. Octavian, determined to avenge his adoptive father and secure his own place, vied with Mark Antony, Caesar’s ambitious colleague, for power and honor. After some preliminary skirmishes, both political and military, during which Antony was driven across the Alps while Octavian was made senator and then consul, Octavian recognized the necessity of making peace with his rival. In late 43 bc, therefore, the two—joined by Antony’s ally, the general Marcus Aemilius Lepidus—met and formed the Second Triumvirate to rule the Roman domains. The alliance was sealed by a massive proscription, in which 300 senators and 200 knights—the triumvirs’ enemies—were slain. Among those killed was the aging orator Cicero.
Octavian and Antony next took the field against the leaders of Caesar’s assassins, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, both of whom committed suicide in 42 bc, after being defeated at Philippi in Macedonia. By 40 bc the triumvirs had divided the Roman world among them. Octavian was in control of most of the western provinces and Antony of the eastern ones; Lepidus was given Africa. Although Antony and Octavian clashed over the control of Italy, they patched up their differences, and Octavian gave Antony his sister, Octavia, in marriage. In 36 BC, Sextus Pompeius, son of Pompey the Great and the last major enemy of the triumvirs, was eliminated. Octavian then forced Lepidus from power, while Antony was in the east fighting the Parthians.
The triumvirate was now breaking up. Having sent Octavia back to Rome, Antony soon married Cleopatra, whom Caesar had installed as queen of Egypt, and recognized Caesarion, her son by Caesar, as her coruler. This undercut Octavian’s position as the only son of Caesar, and war was inevitable. He defeated Antony and Cleopatra’s forces in a naval battle off Actium in 31 bc; they both killed themselves the following year. Caesarion was murdered. In 29 bc Octavian returned to Rome in triumph, at age 34 the sole master of the Roman world.
III THE FIRST CITIZEN
In 27 bc the Roman Senate gave Octavian the title Augustus (“consecrated,” or “holy”) by which he is known, and his reign has often been considered a dyarchy because of the Senate’s participation in it. The Senate bestowed on him a host of other titles and powers that had been held by many different officials in the Republic. In 36 bc he had been given the inviolability of the plebeian tribune, and in 30 bc he also received the tribunician power, which gave him the veto and control over the assemblies. In addition, the Senate granted him ultimate authority in the provinces; together with the consulship, which he held 13 times during his reign and which gave him control of Rome and Italy, this vested in him paramount authority throughout the empire. After the death of Lepidus he also became Pontifex Maximus (“chief priest”) with the consequent control of religion. The summation of his powers was the title princeps, or first citizen. Despite all this, and the title imperator (from which “emperor” is derived), Augustus was always careful not to take on the trappings of monarchy. In fact, he made much of the claim that he was restoring the Roman Republic.
A patron of the arts, Augustus was a friend of the poets Ovid, Horace, and Virgil, as well as the historian Livy. His love for architectural splendor was summed up in his boast that he “had found Rome brick and left it marble.” As a straitlaced adherent of Roman virtues in times of growing permissiveness, he attempted moral legislation that included sumptuary and marriage laws. In the economic field, he tried to restore agriculture in Italy.
Augustus’ third wife was Livia Drusilla, who had two sons, Tiberius and Drusus Germanicus, by a previous marriage. Augustus, in turn, had a daughter, Julia, by a previous wife. His heirs, however, died, one after another, leaving his stepson and son-in-law, Tiberius, to succeed him when he died at Nola on August 19, ad 14.
IV EVALUATION
Both ancient and modern writers have been ambivalent about Augustus. Some have condemned his ruthless quest for power, especially his part in the proscription at the time of the triumvirate. Others, even such a Republican diehard as Tacitus, have admitted his good points as a ruler. Modern scholars sometimes criticize his unscrupulous methods and compare him to 20th-century authoritarians, but they usually recognize his genuine achievements.
Contributed By: Michael S. Cheilik
© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Birth: 23 SEP 63 BC
Death: 19 AUG 14
Father: Caius IV Octavius
Mother: Atia\Atila of Rome
Marriage 1 Livia Drusilla b: ABT 58 BC
Married:
Marriage 2 Clodia Pulcher
Married:
Marriage 3 Scribonia of Rome
Married:
Children
Julia Augusta b: 39 BC
Forrás / Source:
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jdp-fam&id=I6878
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Augustus adopted Livia's son Tiberius who became his successor by promissing to let Germanicus to reign after him.
Early Career of Augustus
Augustus or Octavius (as he was called until the adoption by Caesar) was born 23 September, 63 BC. In 48 B.C. he was elected to the pontifical college. In 45 he followed Caesar to Spain. In 43 or 42 Caesar named Octavius Master of Horse. In March 44 B.C. when his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, died, Octavius discovered he had been adopted.
"Augustus" Gains Imperial Powers
Octavian styled himself "Caesar" and gathered troops (from Brundisium and along the road) as he went to Rome to have his adoption made official. There Antony prevented him from standing for office and blocked his adoption.
Through the oratory of Cicero, not only was Octavian's close to illegal command of troops legitimized, but also Antony was declared a public enemy. Octavian then marched on Rome with eight legions and was made consul in 43.
The Second Triumvirate soon formed (legally). Octavian gained control of Sardinia, Sicily, and Africa; Antony (no longer a public enemy), Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul; M. Aemilius Lepidus, Spain and Gallia Narbonensis. They revived proscriptions, an extra-legal means of padding their treasury, and pursued those who had killed Caesar. From then on Octavian acted to secure his troops and to concentrate the power in himself.
Octavian, Antony and Cleopatra
Relations deteriorated between Octavian and Antony in 32 B.C. when Antony renounced his wife Octavia in favor of Cleopatra. Augustus took Roman troops to fight the Roman traitor and defeated him decisively in a sea battle in the Ambracian gulf, near the promontory of Actium.
The New Role of Emperor of Rome
Over the next few decades the new powers of Augustus, the one leader of Rome had to be ironed out through two constitutional settlements and then the added title of Pater Patriae father of the country that was given him in 2 B.C.
Augustus' Longevity
Despite serious illnesses, Augustus managed to outlive various men he had been grooming as successor. Augustus died in 14 A.D. and was succeeded by his son-in-law Tiberius.
Augustus
Names of Augustus
63-44 B.C.: Gaius Octavius
44-27 B.C.: Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian)
27 B.C. - 14 A.D.: Augustus
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Born : 23 Sep 63 BC
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Born : 23 Sep 63 BC
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Augustus (63 bc- ad 14), first emperor of Rome (27 bc-ad 14), who restored unity and orderly government to the realm after nearly a century of civil wars. He presided over an era of peace, prosperity, and cultural achievement known as the Augustan Age.
Augustus was born Gaius Octavius and granted the title of Augustus by the Roman Senate, becoming the first emperor of Rome. The adopted son of Julius Caesar, he became consul after Caesar’s assassination. Augustus consolidated his power with the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium. As emperor, he instituted social reforms and encouraged education, art and literature.
Originally named Gaius Octavius, Augustus was born in Rome on September 23, 63 bc; he was the grandnephew of Julius Caesar, whom he succeeded as ruler of the Roman state. Caesar was fond of the youth and had him raised to the College of Pontifices—a major Roman priesthood—at the age of 16. When Caesar was assassinated in 44 bc, Octavius was in Illyria, where he had been sent to serve; returning to Italy, he learned that he was Caesar’s adopted heir. He consequently took the name Gaius Julius Caesar, to which historians have added Octavianus; in English, the name is usually shortened to Octavian.
II THE SECOND TRIUMVIRATE
GREAT WORKS OF LITERATURE
Tacitus: From The Annals of Imperial Rome
Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman historian who drew upon fact, rhetoric, psychology, and art in crafting The Annals of Imperial Rome. Only part of the original work has survived, but it represents the most complete literary record available about Rome from just before the death of Augustus, the first emperor, in AD 14 to the death of Nero, the fifth emperor, in AD 68. Although Tacitus claimed to be scrupulously impartial, he was easily roused to indignation, as demonstrated by these passages dealing with Augustus’s reign and Nero’s conspiracy to murder his mother, Agrippina.
Caesar’s assassination plunged Rome into turmoil. Octavian, determined to avenge his adoptive father and secure his own place, vied with Mark Antony, Caesar’s ambitious colleague, for power and honor. After some preliminary skirmishes, both political and military, during which Antony was driven across the Alps while Octavian was made senator and then consul, Octavian recognized the necessity of making peace with his rival. In late 43 bc, therefore, the two—joined by Antony’s ally, the general Marcus Aemilius Lepidus—met and formed the Second Triumvirate to rule the Roman domains. The alliance was sealed by a massive proscription, in which 300 senators and 200 knights—the triumvirs’ enemies—were slain. Among those killed was the aging orator Cicero.
Octavian and Antony next took the field against the leaders of Caesar’s assassins, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, both of whom committed suicide in 42 bc, after being defeated at Philippi in Macedonia. By 40 bc the triumvirs had divided the Roman world among them. Octavian was in control of most of the western provinces and Antony of the eastern ones; Lepidus was given Africa. Although Antony and Octavian clashed over the control of Italy, they patched up their differences, and Octavian gave Antony his sister, Octavia, in marriage. In 36 BC, Sextus Pompeius, son of Pompey the Great and the last major enemy of the triumvirs, was eliminated. Octavian then forced Lepidus from power, while Antony was in the east fighting the Parthians.
The triumvirate was now breaking up. Having sent Octavia back to Rome, Antony soon married Cleopatra, whom Caesar had installed as queen of Egypt, and recognized Caesarion, her son by Caesar, as her coruler. This undercut Octavian’s position as the only son of Caesar, and war was inevitable. He defeated Antony and Cleopatra’s forces in a naval battle off Actium in 31 bc; they both killed themselves the following year. Caesarion was murdered. In 29 bc Octavian returned to Rome in triumph, at age 34 the sole master of the Roman world.
III THE FIRST CITIZEN
In 27 bc the Roman Senate gave Octavian the title Augustus (“consecrated,” or “holy”) by which he is known, and his reign has often been considered a dyarchy because of the Senate’s participation in it. The Senate bestowed on him a host of other titles and powers that had been held by many different officials in the Republic. In 36 bc he had been given the inviolability of the plebeian tribune, and in 30 bc he also received the tribunician power, which gave him the veto and control over the assemblies. In addition, the Senate granted him ultimate authority in the provinces; together with the consulship, which he held 13 times during his reign and which gave him control of Rome and Italy, this vested in him paramount authority throughout the empire. After the death of Lepidus he also became Pontifex Maximus (“chief priest”) with the consequent control of religion. The summation of his powers was the title princeps, or first citizen. Despite all this, and the title imperator (from which “emperor” is derived), Augustus was always careful not to take on the trappings of monarchy. In fact, he made much of the claim that he was restoring the Roman Republic.
A patron of the arts, Augustus was a friend of the poets Ovid, Horace, and Virgil, as well as the historian Livy. His love for architectural splendor was summed up in his boast that he “had found Rome brick and left it marble.” As a straitlaced adherent of Roman virtues in times of growing permissiveness, he attempted moral legislation that included sumptuary and marriage laws. In the economic field, he tried to restore agriculture in Italy.
Augustus’ third wife was Livia Drusilla, who had two sons, Tiberius and Drusus Germanicus, by a previous marriage. Augustus, in turn, had a daughter, Julia, by a previous wife. His heirs, however, died, one after another, leaving his stepson and son-in-law, Tiberius, to succeed him when he died at Nola on August 19, ad 14.
IV EVALUATION
Both ancient and modern writers have been ambivalent about Augustus. Some have condemned his ruthless quest for power, especially his part in the proscription at the time of the triumvirate. Others, even such a Republican diehard as Tacitus, have admitted his good points as a ruler. Modern scholars sometimes criticize his unscrupulous methods and compare him to 20th-century authoritarians, but they usually recognize his genuine achievements.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus
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1st Emperor of the Roman Empire: 16 Jan 27 BC to 19 Aug 14 AD . Adopted son of Julius Caesar Dictator of the Roman Republic.
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Augustus adoptivfar er Julius Caesar
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Born : 23 Sep 63 BC
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narona
Narona
Narona was the name of the ancient Roman city that was located in the Neretva valley in present day Croatia. It was part of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The city was established after the Illyrian Wars [1] and was located on the alluvial planes, between present day city of Metković and village of Vid. It was founded as Hellenistic emporium in c. 3rd/2nd century B.C., first time mentioned in the chapter 24 of the Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax. Narona became the major Roman stronghold in the 1st century BC [2]. In the 6th century AD it came under Byzantine rule. The settlement ceased to be in 7th century after the arrival of Slavic tribes in the region.
In 1995 a Roman temple building was discovered, which had been dedicated by the governor Dolabella and contained statues of the emperors Claudius and Vespasian, as well as two of Augustus and his wife Livia. The statues had been vandalized in the 4th century: they were lying on the floor and their heads had been broken off. The heads of Vespasian and one of the Livias had been acquired in the surrounding area by Arthur Evans in 1878. The heads were reunited with their bodies, and the shrine's statues. The famous Roman statues have toured major European museums.
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Född: 63-09-23 f.Kr.
Död: 14-08-19 Nola
Noteringar
Räknas som det gamla Roms första kejsare.
Han hette egentligen Gaius Octavianus och var son till Atia, Julius Caesars systerdotter. Strax före sin död adopterade Julius Caesar Octavianus som sin son. Efter mordet på Caesar 44 f.Kr. hämnades Octavianus adoptivfadern och tog upp kampen om hans arv, vilket hade omhändertagits av Marcus Antonius. Trots detta, bildade Antonius och Octavianus, tillsammans med Lepidus det andra triumviratet och bekämpade framgångsrikt Caesars mördare.
Med kejsar Augustus fick Rom en ny start efter det kaos som rått i riket under många år. Mycket av detta åstadkom han genom att effektivisera administrationen och införa en sund penningpolitik. Utrikespolitiskt utvidgade Augustus Romarriket genom erövringar. När dessa väl var gjorda, förvaltade han erövringarna genom att åstadkomma och upprätthålla fred med rikets forna fiender, vilket ytterligare ökade Roms välstånd.
Genom samtliga dessa gärningar, lade Augustus grunden till den tvåhundraåriga freden - Pax romana - (romerska freden) vilket blev Romarrikets höjdpunkt socialt, militärt och inte minst kulturellt.
Historisk källor, vilka i fall med romerska kejsare måste bedömas som mycket tillförlitliga, visar att kejsar Augustus regerade mellan 27 f Kr och 14 e Kr.
Vid den tiden [när Jesus föddes] utfärdade kejsar Augustus en förordning om att hela världen skulle skattskrivas" Luk. 2:1
43 f. Kr. Konsuln för år 44 Antonius och Caesars adoptivson Octavianus samt Lépidus bildar det andra triumviratet. Cicero, republikan, förklaras fredlös och dödas under flykt från Rom.
42 f. Kr. Slaget vid Filippi i Nordgrekland. Caesarmördarna Brutus och Cassius besegras.
31 f. Kr. Öppen brytning mellan Octavianus och Antonius. I slaget vid Actium på Greklands västkust besegras Antonius.
27 f. Kr. Augustus principat. Detta år räknas som kejsardömets födelseår.
14 E.Kr. Död och begraves i Augustus mausoleum
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Primer Emperador de Roma, goberno del 27 ac, hasta su muerte en el 14 dc, lo cual lo convierte en el emperador que gorberno durante mas tiempo, un total de 44 años. Nacio cerca del 23 de septiembre del 63 ac, con el nonmbre de Cayo Octaviano Turino, fue adoptado por el famoso dictador Romano Julio Cesar quien era su tio abuelo, y desde el 44 ac paso a llamarse Julio Cesar Octaviano. En el 27 ac, el Senado Romano le concedio usar el nombre de Augusto, y fue asi que finalmente se convirtio en Cayo Julio Cesar Augusto. Tras el asesinato de Julio Cesar en el 44, se convierte en su heredero, y junto a Marco Antonio y Lepido conforma el segundo triunvirato, el cual se romperia tras el suicidio de Marco Antonio, y el exilio de Lepido. Augusto restaura los principios de la Republica Romana, el poder se establecia en el Senado, con los años la estructura de gobierno evoluciono y la entidad republicana podria ser dirigida por una sola persona mediante el "principado", pero dicho titulo no fue considerado como un cargo similar a la dictadura Romana, y aunque la sociedad le propuso asumir dicho cargo, Augusto lo rechazo formalmente, sin embargo su poder economico, y conquistas le ganarian la lealtad de las legiones y el respeto del pueblo.
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info from http://www.genealogy4u.com/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I52731&tree=western2007
The Emperor Augustus 27 BC-AD 14
The first and perhaps greatest of the Roman emperors, Augustus ended a bloody civil war, ruled with wisdom and power, and united and kept peace in Rome for many years.
Augustus was born with the name "Octavian." Well educated in philosophy, rhetoric, and military skills as a boy, he was adopted by his uncle Julius Caesar and became his heir. When Caesar was assassinated, Octavian raised an army to claim his inheritance and avenge his uncle's murder. At the battle of Actium in 31 BC, he defeated the last of his opponents, Mark Anthony, and took control of Rome.
To legitimate his power, the Senate named him Imperium proconsulare maius infinitum in 23 BC, which gave him control over the provinces and the army. He saw taking control as the only way to sustain the empire. Even though it was a nominally a republic, he ran it as an autocracy. He acted in the name of the Senate, and the Senate reflected his will to keep people satisfied that the government was working together.
Augustus also kept the people satisfied with their leader and proud of Rome. He built temples to encourage and place importance in Roman religion. He was a patron of the arts, gladly spending money to improve the artwork of Rome, and encouraged the wealthy class to do the same. To improve the moral climate of the empire, Augustus tried to revive the traditional Roman religion. He also tried to fortify the traditional Roman family by established laws which punished adultery and required marriage and the remarriage of widows.
To more effectively govern the empire, he developed an imperial civil service. To more effectively govern the city of Rome, he divided it into 14 wards, and organized a bureaucracy to control them. The Urban cohorts were his police force for the wards, and either senators or Augustus himself served as ward leaders.
The military was probably the focal point of his leadership. He had a great military mind, and used his military strength well. He organized the military with himself at the head, and used it to control the frontier regions of the Roman empire as well as invade new countries. Among his claims made include Spain, Gaul, Egypt, and Armenia. He also signed a peace treaty with Parthia, showing he used wisdom as well as aggression.
Augustus died with honor, and was remembered well by his people. He gave Roman control to his stepson Tiberius for he had no other living male offspring. He was a great leader for the Roman empire. His wisdom and intelligence benefited the people of his empire, for he was a strong as well as fair ruler.
More info:
Gaius Octavianus was born on September 23, 63 B.C. His parents were Caius Octavianus, a praetor, and Atia, a niece of the great Julius Caesar by his sister Julia. At the age of four, his father died. In 53 B.C., at the age of twelve, he delivered his first funeral oration for his grandmother, Julia. At this same age, he began his first priesthood.
Caesar became fond of his great nephew. Octavian even celebrated a few of Caesar's triumphs with him in Rome. Octavius was never possessed strength, and when Caesar saw this weakness, he offered to give him military training at Apollonia, in Epirus. Here, he studied not only the arts of war, but philosophy. While at Apollonia at the age of eighteen, Caesar was assassinated.
Rise to Power
Caesar had willed the position of emperor to Octavian. Octavian traveled to Rome, where he had to deal with his rival, Marc Antony . Antony was Caesar's best friend and had decided that he wanted all of the power. Even though Octavian was willed the position of emperor, Antony still felt that it should have been his. The Senate, however, thought differently. They were anxious to snub the ambitious Antony, so they made Octavian a senator and asked for his aid in the wars that had begun as a result of Caesar's assassination. Also, Octavian befriended M. Tullius Cicero, a fierce foe of Antony. Tensions between Marc Antony and Octavian eventually erupted into open warfare. The decisive battle came in April of 43 B.C., when Octavian fought Antony at Mutina. Octavian won, and as a result, Octavian's troops demanded that he be given a consulship. The Senate reluctantly agreed and Gaius Octavian became Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus.
Career
Even though Octavian had defeated Antony, there still was unrest within the city. In order to obtain peace and ensure that there would be no more fighting, Octavius formed the Second Triumvirate with Antony and Marcus Lepidus on November 27, 43 B.C. From this deal, Octavian assumed rule over Africa, Sicily, and Sardinia, leaving Antony control of the East. However, they did not come into power until they defeated the Liberators, the assassins of Julius Caesar, at Philippi in 42 B.C.
For political reasons, Octavian married Scribonia. She was a relative of Sextus Pompey, the son of Pompey the Great. Regardless of the importance of the marriage, Octavian eventually divorced Scribonia and married Livia Drusilla . He would live with her for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, Antony married Octavia, Octavian's sister. This move was supposed to help out the relationship between Octavian and Antony.
After the death of Caesar, Cleopatra fled from Rome and went back to Egypt. However, in 41 B.C., Antony summoned Cleopatra to Tarsus to see if she had aided in the conspiracy. According to Plutarch, she didn't just meet him, she seduced him:
"She came sailing up the river Cydnus in a ship with a golden
stern and outspread sails, while silver oars beat time to the music
of flutes, fifes, and harps. She lay under a canopy of gold cloth,
dressed as Venus in a picture, while beautiful boys like painted
cupids stood on each side and fanned her. Her maids were dressed
like sea nymphs and graces, and some were steering the rudder
while others worked the ropes. All manner of sweet perfumes
were wafted ashore." *
In 37 B.C., the Triumvirate signed the Treaty of Tarentum. According to its terms, Octavian took the West, Antony received the East, and Lepidus governed Africa. This would be the last treaty that the Second Triumvirate would sign. Soon thereafter, Antony divorced Octavia and ran off to Egypt to be with Cleopatra. This enraged Octavian. However, he could not chase Antony to Egypt because a pirate, Sextus Pompey, was threatening Rome.
Finally in 36 B.C., Marcus Agrippa, Octavian's skillful right-hand man, defeated Sextus Pompey at Naulochus. Now Octavian could deal with Antony. However, another problem arose: Lepidus, the third person in the Triumvirate, feared that he was going to lose all of his power, so he revolted. Octavian now had to suppress this revolt before confronting Antony. Octavian defeated Lepidus with no problem and took away his legions and sent him into exile in Circeii. Now, there were only two people in charge of the Roman Empire.
Octavian used his head, though, and decided that a war was not the answer. Antony returned to Rome and took the title of Imperator. He decided that the Empire's boundaries were most important, so he staged campaigns at Illyricum and Dalmatia (35-33 B.C.) and then proclaimed the boundaries to be safe. While this was happening, Agrippa began a beautification program, which gained a lot of popularity for Octavian.
In October of 32 B.C., the western provinces swore allegiance to Octavian. War seemed inevitable and everyone knew it. Octavian tried to lure Antony and his army to an area in southern Italy for a decisive battle. Fearing treachery, Antony left Italy and set up his headquarters at Actium, off the coast of Greece. Antony overlooked a spot near Actium where Octavian could land his ships, so Octavian decided to ferry his troops to Actium.
On the morning of September 2, 31 B.C., the battle of Actium began. Antony had over five hundred ships, including one of Cleopatra's squadrons. Nonetheless, a few of Octavian's smaller, faster ships defeated Antony's heavily armored, slow moving ships. Upon seeing this, Cleopatra turned her ships around and sailed off toward Egypt. When Antony saw this he left his troops in the heat of battle and chased a woman!
Before running off after Cleopatra, Antony had nineteen legions, twelve thousand horses, a huge navy, provinces with inexhaustible resources of treasure and manpower, and a capital in Alexandria that rivaled Rome in wealth and splendor. When he ran away, he lost all of this. Once he was gone, Octavian, with the TREMENDOUS help from his skillful advisor, Agrippa, defeated Antony's forces.
* - Whether this was the exact time that Antony fell in love with Cleopatra VII is unknown, however, it is rather odd that she would be so alluring just to meet him upon his request!
Sole Rule of the Empire
After the battle of Actium in 31 B.C., Octavian had complete control of the empire. The wealth of Egypt flowed into his private treasury, and he was now undoubtedly the most powerful man in Rome. He had sixty legions at his command to control the empire. Once he obtained full authority, he held the consulship from 31-27 B.C. In 27 B.C. he gave up his powers to the Senate, saying that he would no longer be consul because his perpetual tenure of the office was causing offense and was keeping all of the other nobles out of the consulship. His adherents had been carefully briefed to say that Rome could not do without his services, and the people followed these cries and urged him to become dictator.
However, he said no. He declined because he knew that if he became dictator, the same thing could happen to him that happened to Caesar: he would have been killed. So, he gave up the dictatorship, but he remained consul and received special command, called imperium, of the most important provinces, which were Spain, Gaul, Syria, and a few others. He also remained the commander-in-chief of the Roman army. Moreover, the imperial provinces, which he did not directly govern, were governed by legates who were directly appointed by Octavian. He also received tribuneship for life and was allowed to sit between the two consuls and speak on matters of debate. These two privileges allowed him to wage war, make treaties, and regulate Rome's relations with dependent kings of states bordering the frontiers of the empire. Finally, he was given the name Augustus as an honor for so graciously "giving away his powers." Because of his previous actions and because of the positions that he had held in Rome, Augustus had complete authority. He took the name princeps, or "first citizen," and was the undisputed first citizen for forty-five consecutive years.
However, he demonstrated his political astuteness by refusing the dictatorship and the titles that came along with it. During his reign, Augustus had an extensive building program. He built things such as the Ara Pacis, Horologium, the Forum of Augustus, the Mausoleum of Augustus , the Theater of Marcelus, the Baths of Agrippa, and the Pantheon . He also made many repairs to existing buildings. There were a couple of statues that were made of him too, the most famous being the Prima Porta.* Augustus was completely dedicated to the beautification of Rome.
To further his power, he became pontifex maximus in 12 B.C. and was named pater patriae, or father or his country, in 2 B.C. The type of government that he had set up came to be known as principate, or "rule by the first citizen." While maintaining a Republican facade, he retained complete authority suntil he died in A.D. 14. His adopted son Tiberius took over his powers as emperor.
* - The Prima Porta is a larger-than-life size statue. It portrays Augustus addressing his troops. He is in his middle years with a face that is grave and firm. The center of the breastplate has a scene depicting the return of the standards captured from Crassus and Antony by the Partheans. Above, under a figure representing the sky, is the sun in his chariot preceded by the dawn with the moon giving place to them. Below is Mother Earth with a cornucopia and two children, representing the prosperity that comes with peace. On either side are Augustus' two particular divine patrons, Apollo with his lyre and Diana on a stag. The Prima Porta is currently in the Vatican.
Caius Augustus Octavius (Octavian) Caesar (C. Julius Caesar OctavianusAugustus), called Caesar Augustus in the New Testament of the Bible, St.Luke 2:1, born September 23, 63 B.C. at Nola in Campania, died August,A.D. 14, was the first Roman Emperor (27 B.C.-A.D. 14). Julius Caesar hadbeen murdered for his aim to efface the Constitution of the RomanRepublic of 460 years' standing. Augustus was slow to claim Caesar'spower as Imperator but, as the sole survivor of the second Triumvirateand, though still a young man, was master of the world and willing to beknown as "the first citizen of a free republic," he enjoyed the honorarytitle of Princeps Senatus (Chief of the Senate), which office was nothereditary. Augustus annulled the unconstitutional acts of the Triumvirsand in a decree to the Senate of January 13, 27 B.C. was officiallydescribed as having "restored the republic" but, on the day thoseliberties were restored, they were resigned once for all into the handsof their restorer. Lacking Caesar's commanding genius, Augustus possessedthe infinite tact and patience which succeeds where genius fails. He knewthat men are ruled by imagination, rather than by force. Thus hepreserved the Roman Republic in name, inviolate, and was careful toassume no title such as king or dictator, which would be offensive toRoman sentiment. "Augustus" is a mere title, of which the nearestcounterpart is to sought in the phrase "by the grace of God," applied tomodern rulers. He was, nevertheless, the first Emperor of Rome and theRoman Empire, which he founded, lasted about 500 years, from 29 BC to 476AD. The title of "Augusta" was later conferred upon fewer than tenfavored women.
Octavian’s links with Julius Caesar
mother: Atia (second wife of Gaius Octavius)
daughter: Octavia Minor
Atia’s parents
M. Atius Balbus (related to Pompey the Great)
Julia (sister of Julius Caesar)
died in 54 BC; Octavius delivered funerary oration (Suet. Aug. 8)
Octavian and Antony. When Caesar's will was read, however, Antonyreceived a nasty shock. In it Caesar named as his chief heir a virtualunknown by the name of C. Octavius, adopting him (posthumously) as hisson. Octavius was Caesar's grand-nephew on his sister's side, a rathersickly 18-year-old with only limited political and military experience.Upon his adoption, Octavius became C. Julius Caesar Octavianus (or, inEnglish, simply Octavian). Antony might well have expected little troublein dealing with a youth of so little experience, few politicalconnections, and virtually no personal authority. Unfortunately, Antonyfailed to recognize that in Octavian he was dealing with a natural bornpolitician. Octavian never was an imposing figure physically, and he owedhis military victories largely to the skill of his able lieutenants. Inthe political realm, however, he was without peer, rising from a virtualunknown in 44 B.C. to become the first of the Julio-Claudian emperors by27 AD. Tensions immediately arose between Octavian and Antony, as eachvied for the right to employ Caesar's substantial financial resources, tocall upon the loyalty of his troops, and, above all, to invoke theauthority of Caesar's name. On the one hand was Antony, Caesar's secondin command who had served him so ably since the 50s, who had been namedmagister equitum under Caesar, and who had been appointed priest (flamen)in Caesar's honor; on the other was Octavian, who could claim to beCaesar's son and heir. Tensions between the two soon reached the boilingpoint, only to be checked by senior officers in command of Caesar'stroops, who were united by their common loyalty to the dead Caesar andwere unwilling to fight against one another in the name of Caesar'sbickering heirs. By the middle of 44 B.C. an uneasy truce was establishedbetween Antony, Octavian, the Senate, and those involved in Caesar'sassassination.
Unfortunately Antony, while an able commander, was no Caesar when it cameto the delicate art of politics. In 44-43 he soon alienated virtually allof the other factions listed above, uniting them against him. He began byfoolishly attacking the orator and statesman Cicero, a leader of thesenatorial faction (the optimates). These personal attacks led Cicero todenounce Antony in a series of damning speeches, known as the*Philippics. Not content with alienating Cicero and the Senate, Antonyrenewed his attacks against Octavian, charging him with plots against his(Antony's) life. Octavian saw that his position in Rome was far fromsecure and withdrew to central Italy, where he began to raise troops onhis authority as Caesar's son and heir. At the end of 44, Antony steppedover the line altogether. As consul in 44 he had been assigned theprovince of Macedonia for 43. Antony realized, however, that departingfrom Rome at this particular juncture would be political suicide and sopassed a law that awarded him a five-year command in Cisalpine Gaul andGallia Comata (Gaul proper) instead.
This would allow him to keep tabs on affairs in Rome and had the addedadvantage of providing him with an army camped just north of Italy.(Clearly Antony had the precedent of Caesar's own career in mind.) Thethreat now posed by Octavian led Antony to speed up his plans: he decidedto proceed to Cisalpine Gaul and assume command of his new provincesearly. At this point the Senate was still unwilling to defy Antony tooopenly, but it did direct the current governor of Cisalpine Gaul, D.Junius Brutus Albinus (who had been involved in the conspiracy againstCaesar), to maintain his position. When matters reached a crisis theSenate, at Cicero's urging, turned to Octavian for help. Octavian had hisown forces; more importantly, he could invoke the name of Caesar, thusundercutting Antony's claims to represent Caesar's legacy. Cicero hopedthat the young Octavian would be malleable -- a tool that the Senatecould employ and then discard at its will. The plan was to have Octaviansupport the consuls for 43 (A. Hirtius and C. Vibius Pansa) in drivingAntony off, then to have Octavian surrender his troops to Brutus, thelawful governor of the region. The first part of the plan worked: Antonywas compelled to retire further into Gaul, where he joined up withLepidus (see above). Unfortunately for Cicero and the Senate, however,Octavian was neither malleable nor stupid. He realized that, were he tosurrender his troops to Brutus, he would not only lose an importantbargaining chip but, given Brutus' association with Caesar's murder,would fatally undermine his claims to be Caesar's loyal son. As ithappened, through one of those twists of fate that seem to occur so oftenin Roman history, the two consuls Hirtius and Pansa had been killed inthe battle against Antony: Octavian saw a vacuum and marched south withhis forces, determined to fill it. Confronted with Octavian's troops, theSenate was compelled to allow him to run for the office of consul, towhich he was duly elected for the year 42. His adoption by Caesar wasofficially ratified and Caesar's assassins outlawed: thus Octavian couldassume the role of the loyal son attempting to avenge his father's murderand continue his father's work in "reforming" the state. (The leaders ofthe opposition to Caesar, M. Junius Brutus and C. Cassius Longinus, hadalready fled to the East, planning, like Pompey earlier, to raise troopsand challenge Antony and Octavian.)
The Second Triumvirate. Suddenly Octavian was no longer a youthfuloutsider but a major force with which to reckon. He realized, however,that his own position vis a vis the Senate was far from secure anddecided to make common cause with his former enemy, Antony. Thus, in 43,Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus were officially appointed as a panel ofthree (a triumvirate) to govern Rome with consular authority for a periodof five years for the purpose of restoring constitutional order. Thisalliance is known as the *Second Triumvirate. Through a curious twist offate, Caesar -- who originally had been viewed as a dangerous,power-seeking popularis and a traitor -- now became the beloved leaderwhose legacy was being threatened and in whose name Octavian, Antony, andLepidus must seize control of state affairs.
Despite its official standing, the Second Triumvirate was in reality amilitary junta. Following the precedent of Sulla, its first order ofbusiness was to pay back its political enemies and raise some much-neededcash (necessary if the junta's troops were to be kept happy).Proscriptions were held in which some 300 senators and 2000 equites weredispatched, as much for their property as for their political sympathies.The most famous victim was Cicero, whose head and hands were cut off andhung from the speaker's platform (the Rostra) in the forum. [TheTriumvirate also raised taxes, aiming first (as was the Romans' wont) atwealthy and "extravagant" women. This policy led to a woman namedHortensia presenting a public speech in the forum in which, we are told,she sounded the now familiar theme of no taxation without representation(i.e., without granting women the franchise).]
Julius Caesar was officially deified as well (his deified spirit beingidentified with a comet that appeared in July of 44): this measurereinforced the Triumvirate's claim to represent Caesar's legacy but itstrengthened Octavian's hand in particular, since he was now officiallythe son of a god (divi filius).
The next order of business, once matters had been settled in Rome, was todeal with the forces of Brutus and Cassius in the East. The official linewas that these forces were traitors to Rome, led by Caesar's assassins.Viewed objectively, however, they represented one of the last hopes ofthe Roman Republic, fighting a cause that was utterly unrealistic -- thedays when the traditional constitutional Machinery could cope with theeconomic, social, and political realities in Rome were long past -- butnoble nonetheless. The final confrontation occurred in 42 at *Philippi inMacedonia (see Map 3 in Dudley), where Brutus' and Cassius' forces werequickly defeated in a series of battles by the combined forces of Antonyand Octavian. The victory led to an immediate rise in Antony's fortunes:never much of a general, Octavian had presented a poor showing atPhilippi, losing one important battle and spending a good deal of thetime sick in his tent. For the moment, at least, Antony was very much thesenior partner among the triumvirs.
With their enemies subdued both at Rome and abroad, the two leadingmembers of the Triumvirate soon returned to their old personal rivalries.Lepidus was quickly gotten out of the way: accused of treason, he wasdeprived of his provinces and allowed to remain a member of theTriumvirate only on sufferance. The other two triumvirs divided Rome'sholdings between them: Octavian got Spain, Antony Gaul. Antony, however,had larger ambitions. Encouraged by his success at Philippi, he revivedCaesar's plans for a grand military campaign in the East. His intentionsclearly were to follow the precedent set by Sulla, Pompey, and Caesarhimself: to win power, fame, and money through a series of militarytriumphs abroad and then return to Rome and oust his political rivalsonce and for all. In 41, therefore, he set out for the East, where hesoon became entangled with the Egyptian Cleopatra.
Octavian, by contrast, was given the thankless task of dealing withaffairs in Italy, particularly the necessity of finding land for his andAntony's veterans. Antony clearly hoped that Octavian would becomeembroiled in Italian politics, squandering both his time and, moreimportant, his popularity with the masses. In the end, this was a poorstrategy on Antony's part. Not only did his own military ventures notfare well, but, by leaving Octavian in Rome, he allowed his rival to plyhis considerable political skills in waging a propaganda war againstAntony.
At first, however, Antony's plan appeared to succeed. Octavian's problemwas to find land for his and Antony's veterans; his solution was toconfiscate land throughout Italy. The Italian cities were outraged, andthis sense of outrage was encouraged by Antony's wife Fulvia and hisbrother L. Antonius, who incited a civil war. The rebels were suppressedthrough a combination of Antony's delay in supporting them and thebrutality of Octavian's reprisals (particularly against the city ofPerusia, in the so-called Perusine War). Antony eventually returned toItaly in 40, landing at Brundisium, but by then Octavian had not onlysecured Italy but had seized Gaul. War nearly broke out between Antonyand Octavian, but their troops refused to fight against one another. Atlast a deal was cut: Antony was to pursue his ambitions in the East,while Octavian was granted the western half of Rome's empire. To cementthe deal, Antony married Octavian's sister *Octavia (Fulvia having diedof natural causes in the meantime).
Antony accordingly returned east, where from 40-35 he was engaged in aseries of largely unsuccessful campaigns against the Parthians. Hisdesperate need for financial and military support drove him into the armsof Cleopatra (literally and figuratively) and he became her officialconsort. Antony had 3 children by Cleopatra. In 36, despite their age (6,6, and 2, respectively), he granted each of these children, as well asCleopatra herself, territories in the East as their official realms; healso lent his support to the claims of Caesarion (then 13 years old) tobe Caesar's true son and heir. To Roman eyes these moves were troubling,suggesting that Antony was becoming a champion of Egypt and its orientalqueen.
Meanwhile, Octavian was busy in the West fighting *Sextus Pompeius, a sonof Pompey the Great. Sextus had gathered the last of the Republicanopposition about him in Spain and by 42 controlled Sicily. With hisfleet, Sextus was able to harass Roman shipping, nearly cutting off Rome's
grain supplies. To the degree that Sextus could claim to be fighting forthe cause of his father, Pompey, he represented the last forces of theold Republic; in reality, he was as much a military overlord/adventureras Antony and Octavian. Octavian once again showed his lack of militaryexperience, suffering a series of humiliating defeats, and, in 38, wasforced to meet with Antony in order to ask for reinforcements. (At thesame time the term of the Triumvirate, originally slated to expire in 38,was extended for another five years.) In 36 Octavian -- or, rather, hisgeneral *M. Vipsanius Agrippa, working in tande M with Lepidus -- finallydefeated Sextus at the battle of Naulochus. Lepidus made an attempt toseize Sicily for himself, but was soon deserted by his supporters andcaptured. As pontifex maximus Lepidus could not be killed (as we shallsee, Octavian was beginning to develop scruples!), so he was merelystripped of his official powers and placed under permanent house arrestin Rome.
Actium. The year 36 marks something of a turning point in Octavian'scareer. From this point on he began to doff the role of ruthless militarywarlord and instead present himself as a defender of the Republic (suchas it was!). This strategy was to stand him in good stead in thepropaganda war against Antony. Antony, Octavian could claim, had becomethe thrall of a depraved eastern
monarch: he had "gone native" and (Octavian claimed) planned to reduceRome to a mere subject state, transferring the capital of the empire toEgypt. The Romans would be slaves to a mongrel horde of oriental eunuchsand their lascivious queen, compelled to worship Egypt's decadent,bestial gods and to adopt the perverse religious practices of a landwhose rulers regularly married their own siblings.
Tensions between Antony and Octavian began to reach a head in 35, whenAntony formally repudiated Octavia, who had remained loyal to him despitethe repeated humiliation to which he had subjected her. In 33, when theTriumvirate officially expired, Octavian held the consulship: he was thenable to present Antony as a private Roman citizen acting without theauthority of the state and to contrast his own position as loyal servantof the Republic. There followed, in 32, the public reading of Antony'swill (which, according to custom, had been deposited in Rome for safekeeping): the provisions it contained were not outrageous -- for example,Antony asked to be buried with Cleopatra and requested officialrecognition for his children by Cleopatra and for Caesarion -- but theyfurthered the impression that Antony now regarded himself as an Egyptian.
n the end war was inevitable. The issue was decided in 31 at the navalbattle of *Actium (in northwest Greece). Antony had established camp inthe bay of Actium in late 32, hoping to use it as a base of operationsagainst Octavian. He became mired there, however, his lines of supply cutoff and his forces steadily shrinking due to disease and desertion. Astime wore on, his troops became ever more de Moralized, in part due tothe presence of Cleopatra in their camp: Roman soldiers did not like theidea of being the servants of a foreign queen (think of Livy's portrayalof Tanaquil). Moreover, Antony's Egyptian fleet was outnumbered andout-generaled by Octavian's fleet, led by Agrippa. By September of 31Antony had realized that his position was untenable and attempted to slipaway with his fleet to Asia Minor. His plans were poorly executed by hisde Moralized troops, however, and only Cleopatra's ships managed toescape, followed by Antony with a few Roman stragglers. The remainder ofAntony's forces surrendered after only token resistance. The battle ofActium was, then, something of a fiasco: a failed tactical retreat.Octavian and his supporters, however, presented it as a glorious triumph,spreading the story that Antony, accompanied by Cleopatra, had intended afull-scale naval battle but had turned tail and deserted his troops whenhe saw Cleopatra's ship fleeing in fear. In this version, Antony isbetrayed by his besotted obsession with the cowardly and depravedEgyptian queen.
Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt, where they committed suicide.Octavian, however, hailed his triumph as belonging to the Roman Senateand people -- a victory for Rome's political and religious traditionsover a nefarious threat from the decadent East. (Notice that once againOctavian held the consulship -- his third -- in this crucial year,allowing him once more to present himself as the servant of the Romanpeople fighting in defense of the Republic, rather than as a militarydespot intent on wiping out a hated rival.) He claimed to have beensupported in this victory by the god *Apollo, who had a small temple on anearby promontory. Apollo, the god of Actium, became a prominent figurein Octavian/Augustus' reign. A god of poetry, music, and culture, heprovided a fitting contrast to the "degenerate" Egyptian culturechampioned by Antony. He also embodied two contrary features thatOctavian found useful, for Apollo was both a powerful god of retribution,smiting those who strayed beyond the proper bounds set for mortalambitions, and a gentle god of refinement and culture. (These twocontrasting features are symbolized by two of Apollo's attributes: thebow and the lyre.) As we shall see, the poets and artists who celebratedOctavian/Augustus' achievements presented his career as displaying thesesame two contrasting features, with Actium as the turning point. BeforeActium, we find the stern triumvir who employs violence to punish hisfather's murderers, restore "order" to Italy, and check the wildambitions of Antony and Cleopatra; after Actium, we find the benign rulerwho oversees a political, moral, and cultural renaissance at Rome.
Augustus and the Principate. Octavian was now in complete control ofRome's affairs. He was 32 years old, with little in the way of practicalexperience in peacetime politics, but a brilliant politician by nature.He was particularly skillful in his use of symbolism and in his abilityto manipulate and control the public's mood. As Caesar's rightful heirand the man who had quelled the threat of the monstrous Cleopatra, he wasin a powerful position; more to the point, the proscriptions, the wars inItaly, and the defeat of Sextus Pompeius and Antony had effectivelyobliterated opposition to Octavian's supremacy.
In the years immediately following Actium, Octavian copied Caesar'sclemency, sparing most of those who had sided with Antony. At the sametime he took advantage of people's weariness to establish the elaboratefiction that the various battles of the years 42-31 had been fought inthe name of restoring the Roman Republic to its former grandeur. WithAntony defeated and the "threat" to Rome's constitutional and religioustraditions now gone, Rome would return to the noble ideals and politicaltraditions that had made it great in the days of the Early Republic. Theold forms (consuls, senate, tribunes) were therefore maintained, but itjust so happened that Octavian/Augustus was consul every year from 31 to23. He also held tribunician authority throughout most of these years,thus maintaining the important right to veto acts of the Senate and ofother tribunes. Other magistrates were elected on his "recommendation,"while all provinces of note (i.e., those which entailed significantmilitary forces and/or financial resources) were under his control. Thus,like Sulla, Octavian/Augustus reduced the threat of other adventurersemploying either the military or the tribunate to rise against him, buthe did so by effectively reserving the reins of power to himself. UnlikeCaesar, however, he managed to do this while (on the surface, at least)strictly observing the traditional practices of the Republic, avoidingany hint of an attempt to set himself up as a hellenistic style monarch.
Octavian returned to Rome in 29, whereupon he celebrated a triple triumphin honor of his victories at Actium and in the East. He then set aboutthe delicate task of establishing an imperial autocracy while maintainingthe facade of being merely a servant of the people and the Senate. Hisfirst challenge was to restore people's confidence, to assure them thatthe days of civil war and military rule were past. On a practical levelhe did this by addressing the economic havoc wrought by years of war,adopting (as Caesar had before him) the techniques of the old populares.In addition to donations of grain and money to the urban mob, heinstituted an elaborate building program. This not only provided animportant boost to Rome's economy but furnished tangible signs of thereturn to peace and prosperity: the citizens of Rome could see a new,grander city rising out of the ashes of the old. [It is in this periodthat Rome first becomes noted for its architecture. Octavian/Augustushimself remarked that he had found a Rome built of brick and left one ofmarble.] Particular emphasis was placed on the refurbishing of the city'stemples, which had fallen into neglect and decay during the years ofpolitical turmoil. Here was tangible evidence of a revival of traditionalpiety, since many of these temples were thought to have been founded inthe days of Romulus and Numa or in the period of the Punic Wars. Romecould be seen to be returning to the ancient moral and religioustraditions that had made it great in the days before the rise offactionalism under the Gracchi et al.
We shall find that Octavian/Augustus frequently associated himself withindividuals and achievements from Rome's glorious past: for example,Aeneas, Romulus, the first two Punic Wars. (Like Aeneas and Romulus,Octavian/Augustus is a "founder" of Rome, rescuing it from the chaos thatthreatened to overwhelm it and restoring the Republic. In doing so, hereturns the Romans to the glorious days when they were world conquerors,subduing foreign enemies, before greed, personal ambition, and corruptionembroiled them in constant internal wars.) Here it is worth noting thefrequency with which *Numa is recalled in Augustan propaganda. You willremember that Numa was associated with a golden age of peace, piety, andprosperity, and with the establishment of many of Rome's most importantreligious traditions. Several measures of Octavian/Augustus clearly weredesigned to suggest that his reign represented a return to the days ofNuma. One that stands out is the closing of the gates of Janus onOctavian's return to Rome in 29. Janus is the double-faced god ofgateways, doorways, transitions, and beginnings. According to ancienttradition, the gates dedicated to Janus in the forum were opened wheneverRome declared war, thus ensuring good fortune for the troops as theymarched out on campaign. When no wars were being fought, the gates wouldbe closed, symbolizing peace. Rome's history being what it was, the gatesof Janus had been closed only two times prior to Octavian's day: firstduring the reign of Numa, then at the conclusion of the First Punic War.In reality, this arcane rite had no doubt lost its significance over theyears and been largely ignored. In 29, however, Octavian closed the gatesof Janus with a great flourish, providing a dramatic and emotionallyeffective symbol of a Rome that had rediscovered its antique virtues ofpiety and political harmony. The closing of the gates of Janus isrecalled in a number of Augustan texts, with the suggestion that thebrute forces of violence and chaos that had haunted the Republic for somany years finally have been locked away.
In addition to restoring old temples, Octavian/Augustus built new ones.The most prominent was the temple complex built in honor of *Apollo onthe Palatine hill. This provided an elaborate and conspicuous tribute tothe god of Actium, but it also further symbolized the reign ofOctavian/Augustus as a golden age of peace and culture, since a notablepart of the temple complex consisted of a library of works in both Greekand Latin. The symbolism here is multiple. On the one hand, thisprominent temple on a hill overlooking Rome would recall the Parthenon inAthens, suggesting that Augustan Rome, like fifth-century Athens, was tobe a center of art and learning under the guidance of its divine patron,Apollo, and its human patron, Octavian/Augustus (a second Pericles?). Onthe other hand, such a library complex could not help but recall thefamous library at Alexandria. In the 3rd-1st centuries B.C., Alexandriahad been the most glorious city in the Mediterranean, botharchitecturally and as a center for learning and the arts. The messageimplicit in the building of such a library on the Palatine, inconjunction with Octavian/Augustus' building program, could not bemissed. (The fact that it housed separate collections in Greek and Latinperhaps suggested another message: that Latin letters in this new agewere to rival the achievements of the Greeks in the Classical andHellenistic periods.) Lest anyone miss Octavian/Augustus' connection tothis new age, his house was right next door to the temple, a virtual partof the complex.
By 27 Octavian clearly felt that his position as Rome's ruler was secureenough that he could establish his authority on a different basis. Anelaborate bit of political theater was staged in which Octavian offeredto resign all of his offices and give up control of his provinces,arguing that the Republic had been successfully restored and that hiswork was done. The Senate, however, "compelled" him to retain theconsulship as well as control of the strategic provinces of Spain, Gaul,and Syria. The Senate also awarded him various honors of a less tangiblesort. A golden shield was set up in the Senate to honor Octavian's valor,clemency, justice, and piety. (You will want to remember this shield whenwe read Vergil's Aeneid.) He was granted the privilege of decorating thedoorposts and lintel of his house with laurel and oak, an honor grantedthose responsible for saving citizens' lives (!). Most important, he wasgiven the honorific title *Augustus. The significance of this term iscomplex. Literally "majestic," "venerable," "worthy of honor," it hasvaguely religious overtones, suggesting that its bearer is greater thanmortal and the bestower of a divine beneficence. None of these overtonesis overt, however: the term need mean no more than "lofty" or "august."(Octavian clearly had learned from Caesar's fate: while quite happy toemphasize Caesar's posthumous apotheosis and his own status as son of agod, he was careful not to appear to covet divine honors for himself.)The term effectively marked its bearer as unique. Above all, it allowedOctavian to set aside his past: the proscriptions and confiscations, thecivil wars in Italy, the years of military dictatorship -- those allbelonged to the young Octavian, not to the wise and beneficent Augustus.(We can get an idea of the effect for which Octavian was striving fromthe story that he considered adopting the title Romulus and thus directlyidentifying himself as Rome's second "founder." His rejection of thistitle, which could be regarded as tasteless and presumptuous, and theselection of "Augustus" is a sign -- one of many -- of his politicalastuteness.)
The fiction, from this point on, was that Augustus' position was merelythat of "first among equals" (*princeps -- the word gives us the English"prince"), a man whose political authority rested solely on his personalmerits. By 23 Augustus clearly was feeling sure of his position. OnAugust 19, 14 CE at 3:00 PM, Augustus Caesar dies, 35 days from his 76thbirthday, at Nola in Campania. Tiberius becomes emperor.
Augustus adoptivfar er Julius Caesar.
OR "GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR OCTAVIANUS"; 63 BC-AD 14; EMPORER 27 BC-14 AD
Augustus_Statue
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=87712d61-5bbc-4507-be99-b835298b1501&tid=10145763&pid=-517527052
Augustus_Statue
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=87712d61-5bbc-4507-be99-b835298b1501&tid=10145763&pid=-517527052
See Notes in Birth tab
AKA:
AUGUSTUS CAESAR OCTAVIUS OF ROME
GAIUS OCTAVIUS AUGUSTUS EMPEROR DE ROME
GAIUS OCTAVIAN JULIUS CAESAR
GAIUS J. C. OCTAVIUS AUGUSTUS EMPEROR ROMAN EMPIRE
GAIUS OCTAVIUS AUGUSTUS CAESAR
OCTAVIAN CAESAR AUGUSTUS EMPEROR OF ROME
GAIUS OCTAVIUS JULIUS CAESAR.
Emperor (Gaius Octavius) Augustus
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=63845bb9-66d1-4ffc-978f-fab71509efc2&tid=10145763&pid=-517527052
Emperor (Gaius Octavius) Augustus
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=63845bb9-66d1-4ffc-978f-fab71509efc2&tid=10145763&pid=-517527052
OR "GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR OCTAVIANUS"; EMPORER 27 BC-14 AD.
http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:1538846&id=I24469
Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Augustus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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