Augusus
... adopted as his son. Octavius then called himself, “Caesar son of Caesar, instead of Octavian son of Octavius, and he continued to do so forever.” Being the leader of a great army, ready to follow the commands of Caesar’s heir thrust tremendous power on Octavian. He used this army to occupy Rome and force the Senate to make him consul. He also formed an alliance called the Second Triumvirate with Mark Antony and Lepidus. They divided the land that Rome conquered with Octavian controlling the West, Mark Antony controlling the East, and Lepidus in charge of Africa. Soon, they turned on each other. First, Octavian attacks Lepidus and took control of Africa and all of Italy. In 31 BC, war broke out between Octavian and the combined forces of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, and Mark Antony who had just divorced Octavian’s sister in favor of Cleopatra. Octavian defeated them at the naval battle of Actium and became the sole emperor of Rome. Rome then became an mighty empire needing a strong, central authority that can make quick, efficient decisions. Later, Rome entered a long, stable, and peaceful time of Pax Romana. In 27 BC, Octavian, hoping to gain power, made a bold and clever political move by declaring the Republican Government restored. Immediately, he offered to resign from the position of consul, but instead of accepting his offer, the Senate decides to give him the position of princeps of “first citizen”. The Senate also give him the name Augustus meaning ”revered one”. Because Augustus held tremendous personal wealth, controlled a vast army, and ended civil wars, the Senate knew that they could no accept Octavian’s resignation. For that reason, the Senate decides to give Augustus control of Gaul, Syria, Spain, and Egypt, which had large numbers of troops stationed within their borders, giving Augustus almost total military control. Octavian renounced his position as consul in 23 BC and became proconsul, giving him absolute control over the army. Augustus was next granted the title of tribune of the people giving him authority to veto any laws passed by the Senate and let him represent the citizens of Rome. Augustus now had all the political powers of an emperor without the hatred that cane with the title. To help run the empire, Octavian established an imperial household that runt the empire and completed the various political tasks required by Octavian. He filled positions with former senators, statesman, talented laborers, and an occasional slave, which make it more efficient. To beautify Rome, he organized fire...