The Rise of Octavian
Ancient History Essay on the Rise of Octavian
Discuss the rise of Octavian
Gaius Octavius was born in 63 BC, the year of Cicero’s consulship, into a wealthy and respected family (Octavii) from the countryside south of Rome. With his birth, the future of the Roman Empire was radically changed. He was to become one of the most powerful men the world has ever seen, using his wit and ruthlessness to achieve the ultimate positions in the Roman Empire…becoming ‘tribunicia potestas’ and ‘imperium maius’. Having these powers Augustus had virtual control over the entire Roman Empire, and after changing his name to Augustus legitimately achieved these positions. So how did he do it? Octavian’s entrance into politics, his campaigns against the republicans and Mark Antony will all be discussed in this essay.
On the 15th March 44BC Brutus, Cassius and approximately 50 other senators murdered Julius Caesar by stabbing him to death. The motive of the murdering was to restore the Republic from the autocratic rule of Julius Caesar. Octavian did not learn that he was Caesar’s adopted heir until he returned to Italy. Despite the council of his parents not to challenge Antony and the senate, he pursued his intentions of avenging his father’s death, and to prove himself worthy of such a father as Julius Caesar and to possibly surpass his achievements to become the ‘Leader of Rome’ legitimately. Octavian knew the importance of having the support of the people of Rome so he was obliged to honour his father’s legacy and pay each man 75 denarii. This won him great popularity, and when he followed it up with games (honouring Venus Genetrix) at his own expense, his standing with the people was increased even further. During the games a comet appeared as recorded in Augustus’s Res Gestae, “On those very days of my games, the comet was seen for seven days in the region of heaven which is under the Great Bear. It would rise at the eleventh hour of the day and was evident to all the Earth.
Discuss the rise of Octavian
Gaius Octavius was born in 63 BC, the year of Cicero’s consulship, into a wealthy and respected family (Octavii) from the countryside south of Rome. With his birth, the future of the Roman Empire was radically changed. He was to become one of the most powerful men the world has ever seen, using his wit and ruthlessness to achieve the ultimate positions in the Roman Empire…becoming ‘tribunicia potestas’ and ‘imperium maius’. Having these powers Augustus had virtual control over the entire Roman Empire, and after changing his name to Augustus legitimately achieved these positions. So how did he do it? Octavian’s entrance into politics, his campaigns against the republicans and Mark Antony will all be discussed in this essay.
On the 15th March 44BC Brutus, Cassius and approximately 50 other senators murdered Julius Caesar by stabbing him to death. The motive of the murdering was to restore the Republic from the autocratic rule of Julius Caesar. Octavian did not learn that he was Caesar’s adopted heir until he returned to Italy. Despite the council of his parents not to challenge Antony and the senate, he pursued his intentions of avenging his father’s death, and to prove himself worthy of such a father as Julius Caesar and to possibly surpass his achievements to become the ‘Leader of Rome’ legitimately. Octavian knew the importance of having the support of the people of Rome so he was obliged to honour his father’s legacy and pay each man 75 denarii. This won him great popularity, and when he followed it up with games (honouring Venus Genetrix) at his own expense, his standing with the people was increased even further. During the games a comet appeared as recorded in Augustus’s Res Gestae, “On those very days of my games, the comet was seen for seven days in the region of heaven which is under the Great Bear. It would rise at the eleventh hour of the day and was evident to all the Earth.