Augustus Ceasar of Rome Essay

Around 71 B.C.,a few years before Augustus was born, Gaius Octavius started pursuing a job within the senate, but because of his latin instead of roman descent the pursuit of the job was very difficult for him. He continued pursuing the job in senate till around 70 B.C. when he won a quaestorship, a lower place in the government that entails supervising tax collection and doing special tasks for consuls in Rome, and joined the senate. Based on his latin descent winning a questorship was no small feat so it was no surprise when he was offered a spouse from one of Rome’s great trician clans. The only problem with this was he was already married to Ancharia who is not very well recorded in history so people have no firm evidence for why Gaius Octavius suddenly married Atia, a member of the Julian family making Julius Caesar his great-uncle. Together Atia and Gaius had two children, Octavius the younger and Gaius Octavian, named after his father, along with the one from Ancharia the second of the two being who we know as Augustus.

While Octavius became popular with the populace, Antony was falling back into destation. Morey (1901), stated that Octavius did not do anything but bided his time waiting for Antony to slip up. Romans have suspected that Antony was making treasonable acts with his army and frequent visits to Egypt meeting Cleopatra. This was deemed true as the Romans saw this as treason and demanded Octavius to war with Antony. Octavius appealed to the Romans that they should war against Cleopatra than Antony. Instead of the foreign war against Egypt, this was a civil war against Antony. Antony knew what this war was directed at, so he separated himself from Octavius and declared himself an enemy of Rome (Morey, 1901).

In the year 63 B.C Augustus became the first emperor of Rome, after the assassination of his adoptive father Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. Augustus raised an army at the age of 19 to overthrow the tyrant leader Mark Antony, whom gained power of Rome after the assassination of Julius Caesar. After overthrowing the tyrannical system, Augustus liberated his father, and was offered dictatorship by the people of Rome. Augustus rejected the title of dictator on more than one occasion; he instead titled himself princeps civitatis: the first among citizens. In his reign Augustus completed many building projects, including the repair and rebuilding of aqueducts, roads, and sewers that had been neglected over time. The expansion of the Roman Empire under Augustus was extensive, stretching from Egypt to Spain including

He returned Home to peace after defeated Anthony and took credit for “restoring the republic” (Citation). He first suggested to the Senate to give him an impressive amount of provincial command and became the legal commander of most of the Roman army. Octavian begins to gain the trust and powerful positions that will prepare him to take over the Senate, especially after letting governors appointed by the Senate govern his provinces. “Through this arrangement, Octavian showed respect to the Senate” (Citation). Respecting the Senate while taking over it was the strategy that Caesar had missed while taking over, and the determined Octavian was not going to make the same mistake. The day Octavian received the name of Augustus is the day of the beginning of the Roman Empire, and after resigned from the consulship, Augusts received and a power of command that covered the entire Roman world from the Senate. But the Senate couldn’t stop Octavian from taking over the Empire because they had also named him with the power of a tribune, and he could veto any actions he wanted along with offering legislation. Octavian had the power to control Rome’s legal system without anyone stopping him because it was illegal to do

After this, Octavian joined Caesar in the Spanish expedition in 46 BC despite of his delicate health. He earned the admiration of Caesar during this daring journey. Then Octavian was sent by Caesar to Apollonia, Greece to finish his education. Octavian was only eighteen years old and living in Apollonia, when he heard the news of Caesar’s assassination. He found out that he was Caesar’s adopted heir, and faced an array of advice from family, friends, and army officers. In 44 BC he took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, after the murder of Julius Caesar.

By the Senate giving Augustus legal power to command over Rome’s religious, civil and military affairs. With the downfall of his uncle, Julius Caesar, Augustus would not make the same mistakes he made who showed that he was a dictator. Augustus entered the Senate bearing in mind he was one of them and carefully proclaiming that he inclined to invigorate the Roman republic. As a result, he accomplished many things during his rule as emperor that set the tone for an unprecedented monarchy of peace and prosperity in Rome. This order he brought to Rome, a civilization that was once heavily exhausted and often demoralized was forever altered and took a different shape in Western

Octavian was a grandson of the sister of Julius Caesar and was named in Caesar's will as his got kid and beneficiary. Octavian was only 18 at the time of Caesar's passing (44 B.c.). In the wake of arriving in Rome to expect the legacy, he found that Mark Antony had appropriated Caesar's fortune. He then united with the Senate in driving Antony from Rome. Augustus soon comprehended that the Senate did not want to repel the enemies of Caesar.

     Caesar’s death brought turmoil to into Rome. Augustus was determined to avenge his adopted father’s death and

To understand Augustus Caesar, it is important to have a glimpse of the “Roman Revolution.” During this time, violence and intimidation dominated the government. Generals used their power to extract money from the locals to fund their political ambitions. Julius Caesar gained the support of his army and virtually became a dictator in Rome. Though he accomplished many reforms, he was strongly opposed by the Senate and in 44 BC he was assassinated by conspirators among them. At this juncture, Augustus the chief heir of Julius Caesar, entered Rome’s political arena.

Octavian Caesar, more commonly known as Augustus Caesar, was born to his adoptive father Julius Caesar as a successor to him in 63 BCE (BBC). Following his father’s assassination, he raised to the demands of Rome under heavy pressure from Lepidus and Marc Antony, as they formed the Second Triumvirate (History Channel), which determined how the power of Rome would be divided among the three. Following the Triumvirate, Marc Antony, a rival to Octavian (PBS), travelled to Egypt, where he was ultimately seduced by the Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra (PBS). Plotting against Rome, this forced Octavian into fighting against both Marc Antony and Cleopatra, openly declared enemies of the Roman State. Both Antony and Cleopatra were defeated in the decisive

In 44 B.C., at age seventeen, Octavius went to Apollonia to finish his academic and military training. While in Apollonia, Octavius learned of the assassination of his great-uncle, Julius Caesar. Upon his return to Rome, he found out that Caesar’s will made him, Caesar’s adopted son and heir to his political and personal fortune. Octavius was advised not to accept the inheritance because of his youth and inexperience in Roman politics. Nonetheless, he accepted his inheritance. As a result of his adoption and Roman custom protocol, Octavius’ name changed to Gaius Julius Caesar (hereafter “Octavian”), which was necessary for securing military support and funds. Julius Caesar’s supporters, including many from the Senate, rallied around Octavian

     Upon the defeat and death of Antony, Octavian proclaimed the restoration of the Republic of Rome. However, he had no intention of stepping down as leader. In 27 BC Octavian placed the republic at the disposal of the Senate and the Roman people. Octavian’s position was now legitimized by the Senate’s request that he command and lead Rome. He was given the military command, known as Imperium for ten years. This office included the administration of Roman provinces that required the presence of the army. The official name of Octavian became Imperator Caesar Augustus From that time would be known as Augustus, which means “the Exalted”.

Antony’s successful military campaigns resulted in him being appointed as a part of Caesar’s military staff to Gaul, where he exemplified his great military skills (“Marc Antony”). In 52 BC, Antony was appointed to the officer of quaestor, an office of financial administration that allowed him to have a lifelong place in the Senate (Badian). As a tribune of the plebians, he strongly supported Julius Caesar in the civil war against Pompey (Badian). After joining the campaign to force Pompey out of the Italian peninsula, Antony became consul and, later, priest of Caesar in 44 BC (“Marcus Antonius”). Julius Caesar, on the other hand, decided to appoint himself as dictator for life, tightening all political power under his rule. Antony’s close relationship with the most powerful man in Rome allowed him to officially become the second most important man in the

Augustus displayed different qualities than those of his uncle, such as caution, patience and a dedication and love of Rome’s past. He used these qualities to appeal to the Romans, who still frowned upon dictators. Augustus understood the full extent of the people’s power and hence tried to gain support instead of trying to declare a new age like Caesar did. He was willing to work with the Senate instead of trying to overthrow it. When Augustus was offered the dictator position, he refused it. Today, most historians agree that that was probably just another one of his tactics so he could legalize his position. He allowed commoners to elect their own representatives, who would become the administrator in charge of their district, showing them that he would not completely dictate their lives. Knowing that the title of “king” or “dictator” was still offensive to the Romans, Augustus did not ask for or command either title but instead called himself princeps, or “first citizen.” Unlike Caesar, Augustus did not rule openly with supreme power, but instead rose gradually through the ranks, thus making himself known. This seemed to be a great strategy for him—ruling without appearing to rule. Because of his subtlety, Augustus was able to become supreme ruler even though Rome blatantly hated monarchy. Caesar was not successful while Augustus was because Augustus actually had the

Augustus was a man of strong brutality and strength, one of the strong points in aiding his rise as emperor was his military control. Augustus differed greatly from Julius Caesar in the relationships between him and his enemies. While Julius Caesar would try to befriend his foes after defeating them, Augustus is more unforgiving and instantly tries to eliminate them. Julius Caesar only eliminated the major enemies that he deemed most threatening but, after he succeeded in defeating them, he made the mistake of looking past other past potential enemies. Augustus learned from Caesar’s mistakes. Augustus knew that he could easily be killed by the same assassins that killed his