Ancient Rome (II)
Chapter – 9
- Octavian, later called Augustus Caesar, transformed the entire character of the Roman state after 27 BC.
- His changes were a continuation of measures initiated by Sulla, the First Triumvirate, Julius Caesar, and the Second Triumvirate.
- The dictatorship of Sulla, the First and Second Triumvirates, and Julius Caesar’s dictatorship had undermined the institutions of the Roman Republic.
- Between 81 BC and 31 BC, these republican institutions ceased to function, and political power concentrated in the hands of warlords.
- Julius Caesar, after defeating Pompey, sought to become a permanent dictator.
- Caesar’s dictatorship was cut short by his assassination. Had he lived longer, his dictatorship might have resulted in a monarchy.
- After Caesar’s assassination, political power remained in the hands of his supporters.
- With the support of troops loyal to Caesar, Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian formed the Second Triumvirate.
- Octavian eventually eliminated the other two members of the Triumvirate: Lepidus was forcibly retired, and by 31 BC, Octavian became the unchallenged leader of the Roman Empire.