The Powerful Augustus
In Egypt, Mark Antony fell in love with Cleopatra, married her, and abandoned Octavius’ sister. Octavius used that as a pretext to attack Antony, whom he defeated decisively in 31 BC. He then seized Egypt and the eastern provinces, brought the entire Roman Empire under his control, and proceeded to reorganize the state. He ended the Roman Republic, whose political structure, created for a city state, had proved impractical for the governance of a vast empire. That impracticality had led to a century of chaos and bloodshed, until the reins were taken by Octavius, whom the Senate granted the honorific “Augustus”.
In the Republic’s place, Augustus established a stable, autocratic, and centralized de-facto monarchy: the Roman Empire. He inaugurated a period known as the Pax Romana, that brought to the Greco-Roman world two centuries of peace, stability, and prosperity. He held supreme power in the Roman world from 43 BC, first in conjunction with Mark Antony until 31 BC, and thereafter alone, until his death in 14 AD. As he lay on his deathbed, Augustus compared the role he had to play as emperor to the theater. His final words to those gathered around him were: “Have I played the part well? Then applaud as I exit“.
