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November 18, 2016

How did Augustus, Rome’s first Emperor, stay in power?

Forty-five years of unopposed rule seems an unlikely feat for any ruler in Roman history. After a civil war that lasted thirteen years, treachery, and chaos, Rome finally had an emperor it could count on. Rome’s first emperor was born as Gaius Octavius in 63 B.C.E. His family was unlike any other in Rome at the time; they were humble and kind to say the least.1 After the late dictator of the fallen Republic, Julius Caesar, adopted and named Octavian his heir in 45 B.C.E., he was thenceforth renamed Gaius Julius Caesar. His name was changed again in 27 B.C.E. to Augustus Caesar by the Senate.2 It was with this name Augustus was remembered for, and he stayed in power for decades. Augustus stayed in power for so long because he was intelligent, refused extravagant titles, was recognized as god-like, and single handedly restored Roman architecture and government.

Issued in 41 BC to celebrate the establishment of the Second Triumvirate "One of Three Men for the Regulation of the Republic" | Courtesy of WikiCommons.
Issued in 41 BCE to celebrate the establishment of the Second Triumvirate “One of Three Men for the Regulation of the Republic” | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

While trying to consolidate his power in Rome after Caesar’s assassination, Augustus looked to Marc Antony, then in Egypt, as an ally, and formed the Second Triumvirate with him and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Their shared power inevitably led to differences, but Augustus stayed level-headed, and intelligently went around Antony’s and Lepidus’s authority. Together, they defeated the last of the Republic forces and Sextus Pompeius (son of Pompey the Great).3 Soon after, Augustus and Marc Antony split up the Roman Empire and co-ruled, until Augustus caught wind that Antony was planning on creating an independent monarchy in Asia Minor. Seeing an upper hand in this situation, Augustus exposed Marc Antony’s intentions to the Senate. This led to Rome seeing Antony’s actions as an act of war, and the Senate did not hesitate to declare war on Antony and Cleopatra in 32 B.C.E. This act ultimately led to the demise of Egypt’s last Ptolemaic rulers, since Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide before being captured by Roman soldiers. Without Augustus’s intelligence, Rome might have had another civil war on its hands, had Antony been able to take control of Rome. The defeat of Antony gave Augustus complete power over Rome and its people.

Fearing another civil war, Augustus steered clear of naming himself as dictator or sole leader; instead, he took upon himself the role of consul or tribune. For thirteen consecutive terms, Augustus remained as head of the Roman Empire and refused extravagant titles. He was often called princeps, or “first citizen.” This name delivered the image Augustus wanted to uphold. His identification with the common people of Rome is what made his rule accepted in Roman society. Even when Augustus was given supreme power, he wanted to be called princeps and continued to defer to the Senate to keep the peace.4

Many of Augustus’s subjects saw him as god-like. Halley’s Comet was said to have appeared during the beginning of his reign, and Augustus claimed it was Julius Caesar’s spirit going to heaven. Rumor had it in Rome that if this were true, then Caesar was a god, which would make Augustus the son of a god.5 In addition to Augustus’s public persona, he hesitated to remove any who were unfit to serve beneath him. He routinely removed and exiled from his Empire any who threatened his legacy. He was swift and just in the actions he took with any who violated Roman law or morals. For example, after making adultery illegal in Rome, Augustus is said to have sent his daughter into exile for adulteries she committed.6

Make Rome Great Again would have been a just campaign slogan for Augustus. He did exactly that by restoring Rome’s architecture and government. In the autobiography by Augustus called, “Res Gastae Divi Augusti,” which translates as the deeds of the divine Augustus, Augustus tells of his good deeds to Rome throughout his reign as Emperor. In this autobiography, Augustus claims to have restored “eighty-two temples of the gods in the city by the authority of the senate.”7 It is said that Augustus found Rome as a city of brick and made it a city of marble. He also kept the Pax Romana, or Roman peace, alive and well throughout his rule. This led to an improved economy and caused the arts to flourish. Some lasting artists from Augustus’s rule include Horace, Ovid, Livy, and Vergil. The Senate was grateful for all of Augustus’s achievements for Rome, and they gave him the title of pater patriae—father of his country in 2 B.C.E.8

Through his ambition and expertise, Augustus single-handedly made Rome one of the greatest empires of all time. The amount of time Augustus ruled was unparalleled in the history of Rome. Augustus successfully kept his power with his military intelligence, refusing extravagant titles, being seen as god-like by Rome, and making Rome peaceful and prosperous.

  1. Patricia Southern, Augustus (Roman Imperial Biographies) (New York: Routledge, 2013), 6.
  2.  Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, September 2015, s.v. “Caesar Augustus,” by Michael Witkoski.
  3.  Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, September 2015, s.v. “Caesar Augustus,” by Michael Witkoski.
  4.  Ancient History Encyclopedia, August 2010, s.v. “Augustus,” by Joshua J. Mark.
  5. Nandini Pandey, “Caesar’s Comet, the Julian Star, and the Invention of Augustus,” Transactions of the American Philological Association, vol. 143, no. 2 (2013): 407.
  6.  Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, September 2015, s.v. “Caesar Augustus,” by Michael Witkoski.
  7. Thomas Bushnell, The Deeds of the Divine Augustus, transl. Thomas Bushnell (Cambridge, Mass: Internet Classics Archive, 1996), 20.
  8. Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, September 2015, s.v. “Caesar Augustus,” by Michael Witkoski.

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Recent Comments

Irene Astran

I had no idea that Julius Caesar had adopted a son and named him as his heir. That is very interesting. For a good portion of the article I was impressed with the kind of rule Augustus had over Rome until you made an allusion to Trump’s campaign slogan. Then it made me think that he was a not so modest leader who had harsh and unreasonable laws enacted.

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27/01/2017

8:24 pm

Mario Sosa

I think it is rare to see a Roman leader that looked after the common citizen, rather than being a self-glorifying dictator. I have heard plenty about Julius Caesar, but never of Augustus. It was fascinating how he was able to keep Rome thriving mostly by himself. Not just that, but to prevent a civil war from happening is quite astonishing. Overall, great article!

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02/02/2017

8:24 pm

Sam Vandenbrink

One of the most powerful men ever to live in my opinion, very informative article. I thought I knew allot about Augustus, but this article might have taught me more then I already knew. I didn’t know he ruled for so long, back in the roman empire that is an incredibly long time! Being able to lead Rome throughout a civil war is another great task in itself. Great! very informative article!

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03/02/2017

8:24 pm

Cameron Adelman

There was a little awkwardness in phrasing and sentence structure, but overall this was a solid article. I think you did a very good job highlighting the key facets that made Augustus such an effective ruler, and provided solid evidence to back up those claims (in fact, with a little tweaking, you probably could have presented this as an explanatory article). Either way, it was definitely an interesting read. Great job.

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10/02/2017

8:24 pm

Sergio Cervantes

This article was well-written and researched. It is interesting to see how such a powerful man remained in power by humbling himself and obeying the Roman laws. It shows how wise he was to seek the advice of the Senate instead of simply taking matters into his own hands. He must have been loved by the people since he sought to be as close to his subjects as was possible. All of this is proof that he was an exemplary leader, one to be seen as a role model for all future and current leaders of government.

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23/02/2017

8:24 pm

Erick Martinez

Great article, you were able to portray Augustus’ life very well. It is amazing to learn of a man with such power and intelligence who was able to remain in power for so long, yet remain so humble. He ruled fairly different compared to previous emperors, allowing him to find the success he did in leading Rome, and improving its architecture and government.

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24/02/2017

8:24 pm

Johnanthony Hernandez

Great informative article, I do not know much on Roman history other than the basics. But your article gave me a better understanding of the Roman Empire and Augustus Caesar. I did not know that he refused the title of dictator or sole leader so that he could maintain control over Rome without the fear of another civil war and his rule being overthrown or the he and Mac Antony had co-ruled the Roman Empire for a time together.

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24/02/2017

8:24 pm

Steven Clinton

Great article. Through the selfless action, Emperor Augustus took, the Roman Empire was able to become a stable, prosperous civilization. All goes to show you what selflessness does for the group. Augustus was an Emperor that the people truly looked up to. Augustus rule lasted so long because of his dedication to the people of the empire. This is a great article

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28/03/2017

8:24 pm

Osman Rodriguez

We can learn many things from the Roman Empire and its leaders. I wonder if Augustus could be considered one of the greatest leaders this world has ever had. It is true that being able to hold such a position for a long period of time is definitely no easy task. It seems as though Augustus enjoyed his position and actually led Rome, instead of just misusing his power. I hope our government is able to find leader with such characteristics.

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17/08/2017

8:24 pm

Tara Sellers

We learned about Augustus, Julius Caesar, and Marc Antony in my high school Latin class. I always find their story interesting. This article was very informative of how Augustus became Rome’s first emperor. First with the death of Julius Caesar, then the triumvirate, then splitting up Rome, finally with pronouncing war on Antony and Cleopatra. The article pretty much sums up the messy way Augustus became emperor of Rome.

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25/08/2017

8:24 pm

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