4/16/12 1 10 years of bloodshed • 42 Philippi – Antony & Octavian def. Brutus & Cassius • Antony stays in East • Octavian returns to Italy – 100,000 soldiers need to be demobilized • Perusia 40 – Octavian def. L. Antonius & Fulvia • 38: triumvirate renewed – Octavian gets West; Antony gets East – Lepidus gets Africa – Antony marries O’s sister, Octavia Pompey’s son • Sextus Pompey has taken Sicily (grain supply!) • Octavian and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa aXack – 36 BC Naulochus: Sextus defeated • Octavian now has 600 ships & 24 legions = the restorer • Lepidus’ troops desert to Octavian • 3533 Octavian campaigns in Illyricum (prep. war vs. Antony) Octavian vs. Antony • Antony in Alexandria; falls for Cleopatra • 33 BC: Octavian launches propaganda assault – Antony = debauched, unRoman drunkard; loveslave of Egyp^an queen, who wants to move capitol of Rome to Alexandria! • 31 BC: Consul Octavian declares war; defeats Antony & Cleopatra at BaXle of Ac^um • 29 BC: Octavian now supreme commander of all Roman armies (just 34 years old) • Celebrates triple triumph for Illyricum, Ac^um, and Egypt & purges senate of enemies • 27 BC: Octavian announces resigna^on to senate Octavian won five decisive civil war campaigns: 1) Mu^na (ag. Antony) 2) Philippi (ag. Cassius and Brutus) 3) Perusia (ag. Antony’s brother and wife Fulvia) 4) Sicily (against Sextus Pompey 5) Ac^um (ag. Antony and Cleopatra)
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
• Sextus Pompey has taken Sicily (grain supply!) • Octavian and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa aXack – 36 BC Naulochus: Sextus defeated
• Octavian now has 600 ships & 24 legions = the restorer
• Lepidus’ troops desert to Octavian • 35-‐33 Octavian campaigns in
Illyricum (prep. war vs. Antony)
Octavian vs. Antony
• Antony in Alexandria; falls for Cleopatra • 33 BC: Octavian launches propaganda assault – Antony = debauched, un-‐Roman drunkard; love-‐slave of Egyp^an queen, who wants to move capitol of Rome to Alexandria!
• 31 BC: Consul Octavian declares war; defeats Antony & Cleopatra at BaXle of Ac^um
• 29 BC: Octavian now supreme commander of all Roman armies (just 34 years old)
• Celebrates triple triumph for Illyricum, Ac^um, and Egypt & purges senate of enemies
• 27 BC: Octavian announces resigna^on to senate
Octavian won five decisive civil war campaigns:
1) Mu^na (ag. Antony) 2) Philippi (ag. Cassius and Brutus) 3) Perusia (ag. Antony’s brother and wife Fulvia)
4) Sicily (against Sextus Pompey 5) Ac^um (ag. Antony and Cleopatra)
4/16/12
2
Restora^on of the Republic? • Jan. 13, 27 BC: appearance of returning power to Senate & People of Rome, but actually cements power and gives it legal basis
• New Name: Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus
• Not dictator/king: princeps (1st among equals)
What led up to 27 BC?
• triumvir 43-‐33; consul 31-‐27; tribune since 37 • Change begins in 28 BC:
-‐ stops using all 24 consular lictors (shares 12) -‐ takes tradi^onal oath of consul leaving office -‐ takes census -‐ begins Temple to Apollo on the Pala^ne (Ac^um) -‐ produces games; gives out grain & cash; cancel debts
-‐ abolishes illegal ac^ons of triumvirate
• Recent history is cancelled and the glorious Republican past re-‐emerges?
Augustus’ take on 27 BC: normally seen as end of Rep. and beg. of Principate…
• “In my sixth and seventh consulships, aker I had ex^nguished the civil wars, and at a ^me when with universal consent I was in complete control of affairs, I transferred the republic from my power back to the dominion of the senate and people of Rome..... Aker this ^me I excelled all in influence (auctoritas), although I possessed no more official power than others who were my colleagues in the several magistracies.” Res Gestae 32. 1, 3
Power of the princeps • New posi^on, but expressed in tradi^onal terms and as throwback to past
• 3 stages of trial & error to shape new power: how to present sole ruler as first among equals in a Republic?
• Stage 1: “resigna^on” and “compromise” in which Senate votes Augustus 10 year consular power in provinces requiring legions: – Spain, Gaul, Syria, Cilicia, Cyprus, and Egypt. – Governs through legates so free to be at Rome – Republican precedent exists for combined provinces and for governing by legate
4/16/12
3
Provinces A few problems:
• 27-‐24: consul every year • But ques^ons popping up: – Can Augustus as consul interfere in provinces of other governors (proconsuls)
– In 23 BC, 40 yr-‐old Augustus falls extremely ill
– Tension building with old nobility over Augustus’ monopoly on one consulship a year
• So, on 1 July 23, surrendered consulship, and senate voted him 2 new powers instead
• 23 real date of founding of Roman Empire?
Stage 2 (23 BC): pillars of monarchy
1) Tribunicia potestas = power of tribune -‐ Summon senate and put mo^ons to it
-‐ Summon assembly and put bills to it
-‐ Right of intercessio (veto)
-‐ Coerci7o: right to compel obedience
-‐ ius auxilii: right to protect ci^zens against oppression
2) Imperium proconsulare maius = “greater proconsular power” (renewed every 5-‐10 years)
Stage 3: moral revival
• Augustus in the East and Agrippa in the West • Riots at Rome 22, 21, 20, 19
• 19 Augustus returns and receives consular powers at Rome for life
• Mos maiorum (morality legisla^on); renewal of religious ceremony; restora^on of temples
• The problem of succession – The solu^on: collegiality – Agrippa junior colleague with imperium maius
4/16/12
4
Augustus monopolizes old routes to glory
• Imperium: military and civilian power • Power of tribune: persuasion • Auctoritas: moral authority, pres^ge = Princeps; just nobilis on colossal scale • Pre-‐emp^ve auctoritas: – Military success = imperator as first name! – Since Aug. commander in chief, any victories won are celebrated as his triumph (generals just his legates)
– So public buildings now all built by or for princeps
Religious authority • 42 BC son of a god; 36 BC power of tribune (sacrosanct)