Biography caesar augustus

Known as Octavius or Octavian until he was 35, in a divisive civil war, Caesar defeated Mark Anthony to become the undisputed leader of the new Roman Empire and he ruled from 27 BC until his death in AD Caesar was one of the most influential leaders in world history, setting the tone for the Roman Empire and left a profound legacy on Western civilisation.

His maternal great-uncle was Julius Caesar. When Octavius was four years old, his father died and he was later raised by his grandmother — Julia, the sister of Julius Caesar. Octavius became close to Julius Caesar — the dictator of the Roman Empire, and impressed by his young relative, Julius Caesar named Octavius as the main beneficiary of his will.

However, far from bringing peace, the assassination sparked civil unrest with Octavius leading the Second Triumvirate of Mark Anthony and Marcus Lepidus in defeating the assassins of Caesar.

Augustus full name

Mark Anthony was ruthless in deposing potential enemies, and proscribed the influential Senate figure of Cicero. Octavian later praised Cicero. However, although Gaius was now the adopted son of Julius Caesar, his position was still weak. The second Triumvirate soon broke down with Mark Anthony wishing to consolidate his power. This enabled him to gain support from within Rome.

Influential figures in the Roman Senate saw Octavian as the lesser of two evils compared to Mark Anthony — who was viewed with suspicion by many in Rome.