Augustus (Octavian)

Caesar's adopted son, who ended the civil wars and became the first emperor of the Roman Empire.

Life

Caesar's adopted son

Octavian, the future Augustus, was Caesar's great-nephew and was adopted as his son in Caesar's will at the age of nineteen. After Caesar's assassination he formed the "Second Triumvirate" with Mark Antony and Lepidus and defeated the republicans who had assassinated Caesar.

Actium

In 31 BCE he defeated Antony and Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, at the Battle of Actium, and the following year annexed Egypt, ending a century of civil war. In 27 BCE the Senate granted him the title "Augustus" (the revered one); he called himself "princeps" (first citizen) and in effect founded the imperial system.

Pax Romana

He ruled Rome for more than forty years, established a standing army and the provincial system, and ushered in two centuries of the "Pax Romana." He died in 14 CE.

Legacy

Augustus was one of the longest-reigning and most influential emperors in Roman history, and the month of August is named after him.

Major works & achievements

• Res Gestae Divi Augusti

Did you know? He claimed: "I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble."

Key dates

• 44 BCEAdopted as son in Caesar's will
• 43 BCEForms the Second Triumvirate
• 31 BCEBattle of Actium
• 27 BCEReceives the title Augustus
• 14Died