He was the true founder of the Roman Empire, ruled Rome for forty years, brought two centuries of peace and prosperity to Rome, was given the title of "Augustus" by the Senate before his death, he was the successor of Julius Caesar, he was greater than Julius Caesar, he was the first head of the Roman Empire Octavian.
Octavian was the nephew of Julius Caesar, designated as the first heir and adopted as an adopted son by Julius Caesar in forty-four BC, in Rome at that time, Caesar was an absolute dictator, his words were the law, Octavian had such a birth and background, it was only a matter of time before he took over Rome, he did not wait long, Caesar was stabbed to death in Rome, Octavian was leading the army outside, after hearing the news, he hurried back to Rome with his troops. Octavian marched to Italy and recruited and expanded Caesar's old ministry, and when he arrived in Rome, he found that the capital was in the hands of Caesar's murderers, and initially he thought of getting the support of Caesar's old general Antony, but Antony refused him, so he took advantage of the contradiction between Antony and the Senate and turned to the Senate, where he received the support of the Senate. Octavian then used force to force the Senate to elect himself consul.
At that time, the republicans Who had fled to the east, Brutus and Cassius, through their expansion in Syria and Macedonia, soon recruited more than ninety thousand soldiers and a large number of ships and money, ready to march on Rome, and the decisive battle between the Caesars and the republicans was fierce. Antony quickly united with Caesarist generals such as Rebida and Pronccar. Octavian also realized that he had to unite with Caesar's old ministry, and tried to reconcile with Antony through various means. In November 43 BC, Octavian, Antony, and Rebida formally formed the "Last Three-Headed Alliance". At the end of November, the latter three led troops into Rome, issued the "Declaration of Public Enemy", purged Caesar's murderers and personal political enemies, and took the opportunity to accumulate wealth. In forty-three BC, Octavian and Antony defeated the Republicans in the Battle of Philippi, and Octavian achieved his goal of revenge for Caesar. Octavian's army was victorious, and Brutus and Cassius committed suicide, after which Octavian returned to Rome while Antony traveled to Egypt. In 42 BC, Pompey the Younger cut off overseas supplies of goods to Rome, causing a sharp increase in Roman grain prices, causing famine and chaos, and leaving Octavian reproached by the populace. With the support of Antony and Rebida, he finally defeated Pompey The Younger, restored the long-destroyed peace on land and sea, and won widespread praise from the people. Subsequently, he sent people to eliminate the thieves in Italy and Rome, stabilized social order, fulfilled the duties of the consul dutifully, and properly placed the veterans, stabilized society, and promoted the recovery and development of the economy. In addition, he repaired or built new temples to provide jobs for the unemployed. In border matters, he sent men to restore order in Afrika, the Aosta Valley, and other places, and conquered Illyria. These achievements and victories greatly enhanced Octavian's prestige, and he was even elected as a lifelong protector.
Gaining popular support, winning the support of all of Italy, and then using the unified institutions of the Roman state were both Octavian's methods of increasing his own strength and his powerful means of fighting his opponents, which was epitomized in his contest with Antony. Antony was Octavian's strongest rival and his most important ally. Antony was a prominent general under Caesar and had an extraordinary influence among the army and civilians. Union with Antony was an important condition for Octavian's victory over the Republicans and the elimination of Pompey the Younger. But there was an irreconcilable contradiction between them on the question of the seizure of the supreme power in Rome. The Battle of Philippi made the conflict between them increasingly intense. After the signing of the Treaty of Linden, Octavian ruled the west of Rome, while Antony ruled the east, and the combined power of the two was equal. Antony's gradual loss of popularity was the key reason for his failure, and it was also an important condition for Octavian's gradual victory. In 35 BC, Antony wiped out the remnants of Pompey the Younger who had fled to the east and put him to death, making him a sworn enemy of Pompey's supporters. In 37 BC, Antony married Cleopatra VII, cleopatra, queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, and publicly declared that he would give Libya, Phoenicia, Syria, Silesia, Armenia, and the unconquered Parthian to the Queen of Egypt and the children born to her. These acts of his seriously violated Roman customs, harmed the interests of the Roman people, and aroused the strong dissatisfaction of the Roman people. Octavian took the opportunity to hype up on this.
In 32 BC, Octavian published Antony's will. In his will, Antony affirmed Caesarion's legitimacy, making it clear that he would pass on the eastern provinces of Rome to Cleopatra VII. This aroused the outrage of the Roman people, who stripped Antony of all office and declared him a public enemy. At the same time, the Roman people swore allegiance to Octavian. Antony was too busy with the wars in the East and his dealings with Cleopatra to take care of, while Octavian gained popularity in Rome, consolidating his power, slandering Antony, and Antony became more and more like an Egyptian rather than a Roman. The situation is becoming increasingly tense. Finally, in 32 BC, Octavian declared war on Antony. Soon the war broke out, and octavian defeated Antony at Aktium Bay on the west coast of Greece. Antony fled to Egypt, where he fought Octavian again, but was defeated again, and finally committed suicide, as did Cleopatra. Caesar the Younger was ruthlessly killed by Octavian so as not to affect his status as Caesar's only successor. After Antony's death, Octavian became the only dictator in Rome, and Octavian received the titles of consul, protector, and high priest. To strengthen his rule, he reformed his army, introduced a mercenary system, established janissaries, and garrisoned Rome and Italy.
He is good at judging the hour and sizing up the situation, being disciplined in advance and retreating, and acting with tact and decisiveness, prudence and stability. A series of domestic and foreign policies that were in line with the situation created a relatively stable political situation and laid the foundation for the prosperity of the early empire. Octavian fought for Rome all his life, he sacrificed everything he had, including all his family, he gave himself completely to Rome, and also won the eternal respect of Rome, Octavian died immediately after his death, he was immediately included in the ranks of the gods by Rome and deified. Both Caesar and his title Augustus became the permanent title of roman ruler for the next four hundred years. The byzantine Empire still uses the title after 1400. The titles of German Emperor and Tsar in the early 20th century were derived from his name. Until Constantine the Great adopted Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century, the god Augustus was an idol of the Romans. So today you can still see many exquisite statues of Augustus and busts.
Many consider Octavian to be rome's greatest emperor. The policies promulgated during his reign undoubtedly greatly extended the life of Rome and ushered in the flourishing of Rome, the "Peace of Rome", or "the Peace of Augustus". Augustus was personable, dignified, alert, perceptive, able to decide big things, and a very cunning political genius. But he was not as glorious as his adoptive father Caesar or his rival Anthony. Augustus's reputation was not as great as that of these two men. But it is undeniable that Octavian was the great ruler of Roman history no less than Caesar, the founder of the Roman imperial system, and looking back at Augustus's rule and his legacy to Rome, his high life can never be ignored, which is one of the key factors in the longevity of the imperial system that began with him. If he had died sooner, things might have been very different. The civil war of the Oligarchy of the Roman Republic and the longevity of Augustus were decisive factors in Rome's transition from a republic to an empire.
Augustus's personal city capitalism, patience, skill, and his growing political prestige also played a role. Its creation influenced later imperial policy in many ways, and its most important legacy was to maintain the empire's system of peace and prosperity for the next two hundred years. In the imperial era, his behavior was regarded as a model for the Ming Dynasty. Later Roman emperors have adopted the title of "Caesar Augustus", who is the real "emperor of all ages" in Roman history.
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