Baum, Margaux and Fiona Forsyth. Augustus. Part of the Leaders of the Ancient World series. 2017. 112p. ISBN 978-1-5081-7242-0. Available at B AUG on the library shelves.
The assassination of Julius Caesar caused a major upheaval in Rome. Two sides quickly coalesced. Caesar’s assassins believed they were doing the will of the Senate, but a triumvirate soon emerged to challenge them in the name of the people of Rome. Mark Anthony, one of Caesar’s generals made a deal with Octavian, Caesar’s great nephew and appointed heir, along with Lepidus. The three of them crushed the assassins’ faction and divided the Roman world among themselves.
Octavian had limited military experience, but was politically savvy and carried the people’s devotion for Caesar. Over the next decade, Octavian would skillfully maneuver himself into the position of first citizen of Rome, effectively achieving what Caesar had not. Through yet another civil war, this time against Mark Anthony, Octavian emerged victorious and in sole command of Rome’s sprawling lands.
Over the next decades, Octavian, who was renamed Augustus by the Senate, implemented a host of reforms to increase the bureaucracy’s efficiency, improve Rome’s military posture, and rebuilt the city of Rome through a massive public works program. He also influenced the morals of Roman society by leading an austere lifestyle. His contributions to Rome set up the pattern for the next three hundred years. As the first Emperor, Augustus remains one of the most famous persons of Antiquity.
Titles in the Leaders of the Ancient World include:
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