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The political structure of the roman empire
The political structure of the roman empire
The political structure of the roman empire
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30 BC ~ Octavian was given the title of Imperator, which was used in the Eastern provinces. Imperium suggests unlimited imperium (or power) (Antiquity 2 Interpreting The Past) This was the first of many titles that were to be given to Octavian after his defeat of Mark Antony in 31 BC at the Battle of Actium. It indicates that the provinces thought Octavian was worthy of being honoured, and that the power he possessed at the time should remain his. Therefore this was the first factor that initiated the rise of Octavian.
28 BC ~ During the struggle between Octavian and Antony, both men had purged the Senate of those who they viewed as posing a threat to them and who might initiate a revolt. These men were often replaced with loyal supporters of Octavian and Antony. In 28 BC, Octavian continued this trait by reducing the number of Senator to 800 (Antiquity 2 Interpreting The Past). This was a vital factor in Octavian’s rise to power, as it eliminated many of his rivals and enemies. The assassination of Julius Caesar, attested to the danger which might have otherwise arisen.
27 BC, The First Settlement ~ on the 13th of January, Octavian transferred the power of the state to the Senate and people of Rome. In doing this he was handing back the unofficial powers that he had held during the civil war. (Antiquity 2 Interpreting The Past) The accounts of ancient sources differ in relation to the time span of this event. Dio Cassius implies that this happened in one step early in the year. “I lay down my office in its entirety and return to you all authority absolute – authority over the army, the laws and the provinces – not only those territories which you entrusted to me, but those which I later secured for you.” (Roman History, A...
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...” (Res Gestae Divi Augusti). The title Pater Patriae, was the last factor that contributed to the rise of Octavian.
Works Cited
Toni Hurley, Philippa Medcalf, Christine Murray, Jan Rolph ~ HSC Course Third Edition Antiquity 2 Interpreting The Past, Published in 2008, pages 414-443.
Antony Kamm ~ The Romans: An Introduction Second Edition, Published in 2008, pages 47, 93
Dio Cassius ~ Roman History (as presented in Antiquity 2)
Augustus (Octavian) ~ Res Gestae Divi Augusti (as presented in Antiquity 2)
Eck ~ The Age of Augustus, p.45 (as presented in Antiquity 2)
Scullard ~ From the Gracchi to Nero, p.221 (as presented in Antiquity 2)
Peter Roberts ~ Excel HSC Ancient History, Copyright 2001, pages 316 – 324
http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/caesar-sugustus/
http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/augustus.html
http://www.roman-emperors.org/auggie.htm
T, Hurley et al. HTA Ancient History Study Guide. (2007) [Australia] History Teachers Association of NSW.
Livy’s The Rise of Rome serves as the ultimate catalogue of Roman history, elaborating on the accomplishments of each king and set of consuls through the ages of its vast empire. In the first five books, Livy lays the groundwork for the history of Rome and sets forth a model for all of Rome to follow. For him, the “special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behaviour set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you may select for yourself and for your country what to emulate, from it what to avoid, whether basely begun or basely concluded.” (Livy 4). Livy, however, denies the general populace the right to make the same sort of conclusions that he made in constructing his histories. His biased representation of Romulus and Tarquin Superbus, two icons of Roman history, give the readers a definite model of what a Roman should be, instead of allowing them to come to their own conclusion.
Scarre, Christopher. Chronicle of the Roman Emperors: The Reign-by-reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome. London: Thames and Hudson, 1995. Print.
Livius, Titus. The Early History of Rome. Trans. Aubrey De Sélincourt. London: Penguin Group, 2002. N. pag. Print.
Augustus created the office of emperor with the Augustan Principate, which was “to have no institutionalized authoritarian power, no perpetual dictatorship such as Julius Caesar had had himself voted early in 44, or anything like it (Stockton, 124).” Despite his wishes the people of Rome ended up giving Augustus eternal office, and powers to control the Senate with the rights to dictate agendas and veto (Stockton, 128). The people of Rome had created a position of absolute power, the exact thing Augustus was attempting to prevent. At the time the people of Rome could not have realized what they were creating in the office of emperor, for Augustus was a great man whose leadership created a great shadow over the shoulder of any future emperor.
Octavian’s victory over Mark Antony in the battle of Actium is labeled as the most important battle of Antony’s civil war. It directly led to Octavian’s final conquest over Rome and is labeled as the defining moment of the birth of the Roman Empire. Despite fairly evenly matched forces, an overwhelming lack of leadership on Mark Antony’s part and many brilliant tactical moves made by Octavian and his Admirals allowed this battle to be an extremely decisive victory in Octavian’s favor. This paper will analyze the tactical and leadership based decisions made by both sides.
July 13, 100 B.C, marked a beginning of a new part in Roman history. This day marked the birth of the greatest political figure in Rome, Julius Caesar. Caesar’s rise throughout Rome’s political levels of Rome came fast and it was that many people in the Senate believed that Julius Caesar was becoming too powerful to quickly and that Caesar was becoming a threat for the Republic. Caesar
Octavius was to reserve the peace of Italy and the western provinces, and to destroy the fleet of Sextus Pompeius, which was interfering with Roman commerce. Octavius used force and craft to secure his position in the West. He first put down an insurrection incited by the partisans of Antony. The young conqueror won the affections of the people, and tried to show them that peace and prosperity could come only through his influence. While everything in the West was turning in favor of Octavius, all things in the East were also paying to his success as well. But this was not due so much to his own skill as to the feebleness and foolishness of Antony. Octavius tried giving his sister Octavia to Antony in marriage, But Antony became fascinated by Cleopatra, the “Serpent of the Nile”. He divided the Roman provinces with Cleopatra, who was called “the queen of kings.” The Roman people were in shock when he desired his disgraceful acts to be confirmed by the senate. They could not help contrasting this weak and infatuated slave of Cleopatra with their own Octavius, the strong and prudent governor of the West. While Octavius was
Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, Yann Le Bohec. A History of Rome. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
Octavian’s rise to power was a long arduous one, which could have ultimately led to his death just like his great-uncle, Julius Caesar. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Rome was in chaos as different individuals including Octavian battled to gain control. Ultimately Octavian emerged the victor after a number of battles like the battle of Philippi and Actium. On January 11, 29 B.C.E. Octavian returned back to Rome. His return coincided with the closing of the Temple of Janus (Armstrong, 342). Octavian realized through intuition that relinquishing power would not extinguish the civil war and holding on to power as a dictator would eventually lead to his assassination; so he urgently had to find a solution to this dilemma. These predicaments did not happen in one fell swoop they occurred in different years, so did the remedies he devised them. The solutions he came up with was beyond cunning and allowed him to do both in a sense. First he had to legitimize his right to hold power: so he came up with a myth that presented him as the direct descendant of the founders of Rome and of the gods. As the adopted son of Julius Caesar, Octavian was clearly Caesar’s successor, but he did not want it to be too obvious. He wanted to separate himself from his great-uncle’s despotic ambitions but still be linked to him by ancestry. Cassius Dio stated in his book that one of Augustus’s aspirations was ...
It was the senate that gave Augustus his power and many titles, yet he managed to manipulate them from the outset, on 16th January, Octavian was given the title Augustus, the revered one. Augustus wanted to convince the people that he was merely the first citizen at a free community. Augustus form of government is now known as the principate. The roles and responsibilities of the senate 1have amended overtime.
1. Tim Cornell, John Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World, Facts On File Inc, 1982. (pg.216)
3)Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
Octavian success with the turmoil and unease for ruling the Roman Empire for 5 years came from his skills to connect with the people of Rome. At all times it helps a political figure to be capable to connect to its people, and that power made Octavian an important political figure. The roman people look up to him as a god to worship to bow down to him, but he did not want to be seen as one. He wanted the roman people to worship his notions instead. The citizens that worship the notions of Octavian are called the Augustilites, and in period and month of Sextlis is retitled Octavian in his
The reign of Augustus brought a lot of changes in Rome’s political, economic and social set up. The latter was originally known by his birth name as Gaius Octavius and was born in 63 BC. After the death of his father, Gaius Octavius in 59 BC, he was enthusiastically adopted by Julius Caesar and later was to be known as Augustus. This name was given to him by the senate to indicate the transition that took place in him after his espousal. The murder of his imposter father gave him an opportunity to portray his advance skills in leadership. The murder of Julius Caesar led to a prolong civil war that resulted to a rebirth of Rome into Roman Empire.