15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
The death of Caesar was shocking, but the assailants expected that the people of Rome would rally to them and support their actions. However, most of the population remained wary and neutral, while many people and especially the political gangs, who controlled large areas of the city, were angered by the killing of Caesar. In the days after the assassination, there was an eerie calm in the city. Mark Anthony became the de-facto leader of the Caesarean party in the city, even though he had fallen out of favor in recent years with Caesar.<ref> Osgood, Josiah. Caesar's Legacy: Civil War and the Emergence of the Roman Empire (New York: Cambridge University Press (USA), 2006), p. 113</ref> He arranged a political compromise that allowed the killers of Caesar to go unpunished and for those who had been appointed by the dead man to remain in office. This made it possible to maintain some semblance of order in the city. The lower class became increasingly incensed when they learned more about the death of Caesar. <ref> Plutarch, Life of Anthony, xxiv</ref>
The reading of the will of Caesar came as a surprise, was surprising because he designated that Octavian, his grand-nephew , as his son and heir. Mark Anthony who was not even mentioned by Caesar in his will. Octavian immediately returned from Greece and as Caesar’s heir, he instantly became one of the most influential men in Rome. This only added to the confusion in Rome. The Senate supported decided to support Octavian, who because they distrusted Mark Anthony . Mark Anthony became worried about his safety and he was forced to flee the city. He assembled an army of five legions but was defeated by Octavian and the forces of the Senate at the Battle of Mutina in Northern Italy (43 B.C.). The two consuls for that year were also killed during the battle. Antony was forced to retreat, and his cause seemed lost, but he was fortunateRome.
After fleeing, Anthony assembled an army of five legions but was defeated by Octavian and the forces of the Senate at the Battle of Mutina in Northern Italy (43 B.C.). The two consuls for that year were also killed during the battle. Antony was forced to retreat, and his cause seemed lost, but the Senators undermined their position with Octavian. After the battle, the Senate tried to take his Octavian's army away from Octavian and give hand it over to one of the Caesar's assassins of Caesar.<ref> Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars, xxiv</ref> This The Senate's miscalculation persuaded Octavian to enter an alliance with Anthony and Lepidus. This was became the so-called Second Triumvirate . The Triumvirate seized power and it then divided the legions and provinces among the three alliesmen. The aim of the agreement Triumvirate was to consolidate control of Rome and avenge the assassination of Caesar. They soon occupied Rome and launched a campaign of terror in the city, summarily killing their enemies. However, their rule was opposed by the ''Optimates'' and the Caesar's assassins of Caesar rejected the Triumvirate's authority and this led to another started a second civil war.<ref>Galinsky, Karl. Augustan Culture. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998), p. 89</ref>
====The Civil War====
Those who were involved in the assassination of Caesar were placed under the command of Cassius and Brutus . They controlled much of the eastern portion of the Empire. Antony and Octavian sailed with an army to confront their enemies and the two armies confronted each other at Phillipa in modern Macedonia or Northern Greece. Here the The two armies clashed and over after two decisive battles the followers of Caesar prevailed. The battles had been closely fought and it was the personal bravery of Mark Anthony and the general Agrippa that ensured victory for the Second Triumvirate. The liberators and their ''Optimates'' allies all died in the battle or its aftermath.<ref> Suetonius, Lives of the Caesar, vii</ref>. Brutus and Cassius committed suicide in the aftermath of the defeat.
The defeat at Philippi was a decisive one and it effectively ended the Optimates as a military force. While there were to be more civil conflicts The Senate was also effectively neutered by the Senatorial elite were no longer active participantsTriumvirate's victory. Successive defeats and a series of proscriptions had decimated the old Republican elite and they had lost most of their power. Those who wanted to preserve the old ideas of the Republic no longer had the means or perhaps the will to prevent the concentration of power in the lands of one or two men.<ref> Osgood, p 227</ref>. The assassination of Caesar was motivated by a desire to restore the old Republican system and especially restore the influence of the Senate. In factessence, the civil war that ensued in the aftermath of the death of Caesar assassination was to result in the side-lining a spectacular failure. Instead of restoring the Senate and those who believed in the ideals of republic, the old Roman Republicwas destroyed.
====The Second Triumvirate====
The Second Triumvirate saw the rise of Octavian and Mark Anthony, who became the most powerful man in Rome. Lepidus was decidedly a the junior partner in the political arrangement. Octavian, Mark Anthony and Lepidus divided the Roman Empire between them, but Anthony and Caesar's heir soon deftly side-lined Lepidus. Anthony assumed responsibility for the pacification of the east which had become restive after the civil wars. Anthony successful reimpose reimposed Roman control over the Eastern section of the Roman Empire. The relationship between Mark Anthony and Octavian was sealed by a series of marriages. However, in truth, the two men were never really allies and both knew that there would be a day of reckoning. The Still, the Second Triumvirate allowed Octavian and Mark Anthony to rule the Roman Empire.
Octavian was the real power in Rome and he observed the forms of the Republican system .<ref>Holland, Tom, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic (London, Anchor Books, 2003), p. 207 </ref>. In the east , Mark Anthony began a relationship with the Ptolemaic Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra IV. For a brief period, the Roman territories were divided between Octavian who presented himself as champion old-fashioned Roman values and beliefs and Mark Anthony who seemed to be creating a personal domain for himself and Cleopatra in the east. For the entire duration of the Second Triumvirate, the Senate was subservient to the demand of, especially Octavianand Anthony. The political arrangement between Anthony and Octavian that was made possible by the assassins who sought to preserve the Republic, did much to undermine the old system of governance and politics.<ref> Holland, p 298</ref>.
====The Rise of Octavian and the End of the Roman Republic====
[[File: Ass of Augustus.jpg|200px|thumb|left| A statue of Augustus]]
Perhaps the most important result of the death of Caesar was the rise of his grand-nephew Octavian. He had not been particularly close to the great general and politician, but he was one of his last living male relatives. It seemed that the victor of so many battles saw something in the young man and Octavian was to prove his grand-uncle right. The death of Caesar cleared the way for the rise of Octavian and he was to prove to be one of the most calculating and brilliant politicians in the entire Roman era.<ref> Goldsworthy, Adrian. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome (Yale, Yale University Press, 2010), p. 213 </ref>
The young Octavian was able to manipulate the situation to make himself master of the Roman world. For example, he goaded Mark Anthony into a war and he defeated him at the Battle of Actium. This was to make him master of the entire Roman world. Octavian learned from the assassination of Caesar and he did not make the same mistakes as the legendary leader. He was very respectful to the Senators and observed all the procedures. This was to placate the sensibilities of the Roman aristocracy. Octavian made sure that he did not goad the senators’, but he also controlled them.<ref> Suetonius, Life of Augustus, cvii</ref> Caesar's heir slowly concentrated power into his own hands and created an Imperial system under the guise of a Republican system. He safeguarded his position by sharing power with the Senators and the rest of the Roman aristocracy. Many welcomed the stability that he offered, and he governed the Empire wisely. However, he was also slowly undermining the Empire. Octavian's pre-eminence was confirmed when he was granted the title Augustus. Such was his hold on power that he was able to pass on his position to his designated heir and established the first Roman Imperial dynasty. For this, Augustus is regarded as the first Roman Emperor and the founder of an Imperial system. The assassins of Caesar simply paved the way for the rise of the man who was to quietly dismantle the Republic.<ref> Osgood, p. 452</ref>
However, he was slowly undermining the Republican rule. Octavian's pre-eminence was confirmed when he was granted the title Augustus. The title of Augustus cemented his hold on power and allowed him to pass on his position to a designated heir. The Senate established the first Roman Imperial dynasty. For this, Augustus is regarded as the first Roman Emperor and the founder of an Imperial system. The assassins of Caesar simply paved the way for the rise of the man who was to quietly dismantle the Republic.<ref> Osgood, p. 452</ref>
====Conclusion====
The death of Caesar at the hands of aristocratic Romans had far-reaching consequences. It resulted in two civil wars and the rise of Mark Antony and Octavian and a civil war. The adherents of the Caesarean party sided with Ocatavian and Mark Anthony. The liberators and their Senatorial allies did not want to replace Caesar with Octavian and Anthony. The Liberators were smashed at the Battle of Philippi and the Roman Republic would never return. The defeat at Philippi was effectively the end of the military power of those who sympathized with the old Republican system. Caesar's death allowed Mark Anthony and Octavian to partition the Empire between them.
While the empire was split between Anthony and Octavian, Octavian became the center of power in the Roman Empire. He learned much from the death of his grand-uncle was an effectvely ruler and did not repeat his Casaer's mistakes. He created an imperial system while observing the outward form of the Republican system. As a result, he faced little opposition, even though he ended the Republic and crowned himself Emperor. The Imperial system created by Octavian lasted until 476 AD.
====Additional Reading====
