The Rise and Reign of Emperor Augustus

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On the 23rd of September 63BC a baby boy was born. Little did his family know that this amazing child was going to be one of the greatest politicians in Rome, he was also going to touch the lives of many Roman Citizens and to be remembered by thousands of people many years after his death. He was to rule an empire that stretched from Spain to Judea. Turn the Mediterranean Sea into a peaceful Roman Lake and was eventually to be worshipped as a god. The future Emperor of Rome was called Gaius Julius Octavious, whom we all know now as Augustus.

In this section I will be analysing how Octavian/Augustus rose to become the first Emperor of Rome and his reign thereafter. I will also be looking at how he gained his position and what being and what being an Emperor meant back then politically and it’s relation to war.

Octavious used many different ways to become Emperor one of them however, he had little control over. This was his family. His only evident advantage in life is that his grandmother is Julia, sister of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar saw great talent in the boy and encouraged Octavian by offering him a military position at the young age of 16. However what Julius Caesar probably didn’t know was that be teaching Octavian these skills he would now have the correct skills to help him rise to becoming the first emperor of Rome. At the age of four Octavian’s father passed away and even though he was still very young, this event left a large impact on his life. Octavian was a very bright boy and never ceased to amaze people he possessed a quality that not many leaders of the time had – grace. At the ripe age of 15 he was appointed the role of Pontifex. However, this was just the beginning. Octavian served under Julius Caesar (h...

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...n’s weakest link, Cleopatra and Antony sailed for Egypt and the remainder of Antony’s forces surrendered after just a week of interrogation

Octavian returned to Italy to pay his soldiers and settle them on land and then in 30BC he invaded Egypt and on August the 1st Alexandria Surrendered. Both Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide. After further reorganisation of the eastern provinces, Octavian arrived home to Rome in 29BC, having secured the following Sole rule of the Roman world, Personal ownership of Egypt, the closing of the Temple of Janus in Rome on January the 11th 29BC, as a symbol of restored peace and a triple triumph on 13, 14 and 15 August for his victories in Illyricum, at Actium and in Egypt.

Works Cited

http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa09#ixzz0ojkPWpKc

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