Octavian, once a consul, gained the title of “Augustus”, a name that many refer to him as.
Octavian was sent to fight Mark Antony in war. Octavian won the victory but shortly thereafter learned that it was the Senate who put him up to it. Angry, Octavian and Antony befriended each other. The two men, along with Marcus Lepidus, formed the second triumvirate.
Each three men gained a portion of the land of Rome to rule over. All seemed well for a while.
Antony fell in love with Cleopatra, an Egyptian queen. They had children together, and Antony wrote up a will. Octavian came upon it and was horrified when he discovered that Antony promised his half-Egyptian children the eastern provinces. Enraged, Octavian went to war with Antony and won again.
With most of Rome under his thumb, Octavian had to make a choice very soon. he knew that if he exercised full power his citizens would hate him. He also knew that if he retired, Rome would fall into civil war. There had to be somewhere to settle. Octavian found it. this was the Augustan Settlement.
Augustus (Octavian) wanted complete military command at his disposal, but he became very kind to the citizens, giving them Egyptian wealth and forgiving their tax debts.
Augustus also kept the Senate and consulship alive, giving the illusion that the Republic of Rome was still intact. In fact, he had most of the power, but he never waved it in the faces of the Roman citizens.
Virgil, a Roman writer, was commissioned by Augustus to write about the founding of Rome. Virgil decided to take the legend of Aeneas and embellish it. His work, the Aeneid, told the tale of a Trojan who, displaced by war, would eventually found the city of Rome. This was an indirect compliment to Augustus, whose parents claimed to be descended from Aeneas.
In conclusion, Rome was very prideful and easily corrupted, whether as a republic or as an empire.
Inquisitive Brianna 