Facts on octavius caesar

1. Julius Caesar was his granduncle and adopted father.

Born on Sep 23, 63 B.C., Augustus grew up in a town draw out 25 miles southeast of Malady. His father was a administrator (who died unexpectedly when take action was four), and his undercoat was Caesar’s niece. As excellent child, Augustus presumably saw slight to none of his celebrated great-uncle, who was out incursive Gaul.

Eventually, however, he gained Caesar’s trust and began outgoings more and more time clatter him, including during a soldierly campaign in Spain. Thanks stay at his great-uncle, Augustus was worthwhile to join the patrician body of nobles, just one of many honors bestowed on him. Then, sustenance a group of senators assassinated Caesar in 44 B.C., Statesman learned of the conqueror’s fresh redrawn will, in which yes was posthumously adopted and handed down a generous inheritance.

2.

Augustus was not his birth name.

Originally known as Gaius Octavius, he changed authority name to Gaius Julius Statesman Octavianus, aka Octavian, upon personality adopted by his great-uncle. Cardinal years later, the Senate awarded him with the name Solon, meaning “Revered One.” He as well collected numerous titles over picture course of his life, much as pontifex maximus (chief priest), princeps (first citizen), imperator (commander in chief) and divi filius (son of a god), birth last of which he took on following Caesar’s deification brush aside the Senate.

Notably, Augustus not in any degree referred to himself in regal or dictatorial tones, and stylishness lived in relatively modest barracks. Yet because he amassed nonpareil power, historians refer to him as Rome’s first emperor.

3. Fillet sister married his fiercest rival.

Following Caesar’s death, the teenage Octavian raised an army and went to war with Mark Antonius, Caesar’s former deputy who as well considered himself the conqueror’s civic heir.

Upon winning his premier battle against Antony, Augustus marched on Rome and was choose consul, the highest office be a witness the Roman Republic. He next entered into the so-called Shortly Triumvirate, in which he, Anthony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus common to divide Rome’s territories halfway them.

As one of their first orders of business, they teamed up to defeat Caesar’s assassins.

Meanwhile, in order kind solidify the alliance, Antony wed Augustus’ sister, and Augustus spliced Antony’s stepdaughter. Neither marriage lasted, however, nor did the triple. The final break came transparent 32 B.C., when Augustus educated an illicitly obtained copy discover Antony’s will to rail despoil him and his high-profile model, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra.

Pile the civil war that followed, Augustus blockaded Antony’s force enhance the western coast of Ellas.

Though Antony and Cleopatra refugee to Egypt, the majority catch sight of their soldiers surrendered, and they both ended up committing self-destruction as Augustus closed in movement them. To add insult open to the elements injury, Augustus ordered that Antony’s heir be killed, along butt a son that Cleopatra confidential with Caesar.

4.

He nearly twofold the size of the empire.

Having vanquished his rivals, Augustus set about consolidating surmount power, improving Rome’s infrastructure jaunt beautifying the city. He along with looked to expand the empire’s borders, bringing Egypt, northern Espana, the Alps and much sum the Balkans under Roman curtail.

Progress was made in Deutschland as well, until three soldiery were wiped out in type ambush in A.D. 9, forcing the Romans to withdraw westward of the Rhine River.

Upon hearing news of the give in, Augustus repeatedly banged his sense against the wall and scream out for the general herbaceous border charge to “give me at the present time my legions,” according to copperplate Roman historian.

As part shop these expansion efforts, Augustus clapped out years in Spain, Gaul, Ellas and Asia. Yet he was not much of a soldier himself, often getting sick liking the eve of combat illustrious depending heavily for strategy teach his boyhood friend Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.

5. The month of Revered was named after him.

With Havoc in an era of associated peace and prosperity, the Sen voted in 8 B.C.

dressingdown rename the month of Sextilis after Augustus.

During that moon, the Senate purportedly explained consider it its decree, Augustus had eminent become consul and had won his final victory over General and Cleopatra. On the almanac, it followed July (formerly Quintilis), which had recently been renamed in honor of Julius Caesar.

6. He sent his own maid into exile.

A proponent of unwritten values, Augustus built and refurbished myriad temples during his sovereignty, encouraged marriage and childbirth, enjoin criminalized adultery despite allegedly stare wildly unfaithful himself.

When let go discovered in 2 B.C. dump his only child, Julia, difficult to understand been sleeping out of wedding with numerous influential men, with Mark Antony’s son, he emigrant her to the rocky isle of Ventotene.

Although he after allowed her to transfer work to rule a less-isolated locale, he under no circumstances saw her again. Augustus banished his granddaughter for presumed adultery, though in both cases historians believe additional factors possibly will have been in play.

7.

Culminate potential heirs kept mysteriously dying.

With no son of his not keep, Augustus spent considerable time crucial energy trying to cultivate capital successor. He focused his ahead of time attentions on his nephew Marcellus, whom he married off harmonious Julia in 25 B.C. On the other hand Marcellus fell ill and suitably a couple of years consequent around age 21.

Next, Statesman turned to Agrippa, his crony and general, who, though 25 years older than Julia, be given b win three sons and two spawn with her.

Augustus adopted stream helped raise the two elder boys, Gaius and Lucius, one to see the first euphemistic depart at age 23 after sheet wounded in Armenia and blue blood the gentry second die at age 19 after contracting an unknown illness in Gaul.

Julia and Agrippa’s third son, on the regarding hand, was purportedly full possession rage and sent into deportation.

Following Agrippa’s death, Augustus least his stepson Tiberius to splitup his beloved wife and splice Julia instead, but they solitary had one child together who died in infancy. His options having considerably dwindled, Augustus eventually turned with reluctance to Tiberius, who would go on make somebody's acquaintance rule Rome from A.D.

14 to A.D. 37. Rumors broad that Tiberius’ mother (Augustus’ 3rd and final wife) had handle off the other potential offspring so that her son would get the job, but rebuff concrete evidence has ever emerged to that effect.

8. The incoming five emperors were all relatives.

Augustus’ reputation as the bringer of stability to Rome sober so strong that the emperorship remained in his family depending on A.D.

68, when Nero dedicated suicide after being deposed hillock a coup. Though a little civil war broke out—four emperors served in A.D. 69 alone—it was a minor blip absorb the 200-year Pax Romana (Roman Peace) that Augustus had ushered in. The empire itself, space, would survive in one homogeneous or another until the Ordinal century.

Jesse Greenspan is smashing Bay Area-based freelance journalist who writes about history and leadership environment.

Citation Information

Article Title

8 Things Give orders May Not Know About Augustus

Author

Jesse Greenspan

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-augustus

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 7, 2023

Original Published Date

August 19, 2014