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__NOTOC__[[File: Ass of caesar one.jpg|300px|thumb|left|An 18th-century painting of Caesar’s assassination]]__NOTOC__The assassination of Caesar was a turning point in the history of Rome, not only did it end the career of one of the most powerful Romans, but it also initiated a chain of events that changed the very nature of Rome and its Empire. Among the consequences of the assassination were a brutal civil war and the rise of Mark Anthony and Octavian. The death of Caesar on the Ides of March sent the Roman Republic into a crisis that ultimately led to its abolition and the emergence of the Imperial system.

====Background==Why was Caesar Killed? ==

On the Ides of March (15th of March), the conspirators lured their target Caesar to the Theatre of Pompey. After he arrived, one of the conspirators seized his toga and up to sixty assailants stabbed Caesar. Caesar later died because of blood loss. What were the motivations of those who killed Caesar? They were convinced that he wanted to become king and end the Republic. The killers of Caesar were all Republicans and they stridently believed in the Roman Constitution and the rule of the Senate. Brutus and the others thought that they were delivering the Romans from the tyranny. The assassination of Caesar was carried out to protect the Republic and to preserve the ancient Constitution of the city.<ref> Goldsworthy, p. 314</ref>

====Immediate Aftermath of the Assassination==What happened Immediately Caesar was Murdered? ==

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. <i>Caesar's Legacy: Civil War and the Emergence of the Roman Empire</i> (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, <i>Life of Anthony</i>, xxiv</ref>

====The How did Augustus win the Civil War==against the Optimates? ==

The defeat at Philippi was decisive and it effectively ended the Optimates as a military force. The Senate was also effectively neutered by the Triumvirate's victory. Successive defeats and a series of proscriptions had decimated the old Republican elite and they lost most of their power. Those who wanted to preserve the old ideas of the Republic no longer had the means or perhaps even 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 restore the influence of the Senate. In essence, the assassination was a spectacular failure. Instead of restoring the republic, the old Roman Republic was 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 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 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. 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, <i>Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic</i> (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 a champion of 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 Octavian and 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 Why did Rise of Octavian and the End of the Roman Republic==? ==

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 slowly undermining the Republican rule. OctavianCaesar's pre-eminence was confirmed when he was granted the title Augustus. The title of Augustus cemented heir slowly concentrated power into his hold on power own hands and allowed him to pass on his position to a designated heir. The Senate established the first Roman created an Imperial dynasty. For this, Augustus is regarded as the first Roman Emperor and system under the founder guise of an Imperial a Republican system. The assassins of Caesar simply paved He safeguarded his position by sharing power with the way for Senators and the rise rest of the man who was to quietly dismantle Roman aristocracy. Many welcomed the Republicstability that he offered and he governed the Empire wisely.<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. The adherents of the Caesarean party sided with Octavian 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.