6. Augustus Declined the Formal Office of Dictator, While Accepting All the Powers of a Dictator for Life
Rome’s elites had hated Julius Caesar because of the perception that he wanted to be king – a title and position that the Romans loathed. As seen previously, although a traditional Roman Republic dictator had nearly absolute and semi-monarchical powers, his term was limited to a maximum of six months. In 82 BC, Sulla had himself appointed dictator with no time limit set on his office, but he resigned the following year. By contrast, Julius Caesar had first gotten himself appointed dictator for ten years, then extended it to dictator for life. That made him king in all but name, so Rome’s traditionalists did away with him.
After Caesar’s assassination, the office of dictator was formally abolished. In 23 BC, the Senate offered to revive the office and make Augustus dictator. Well aware of his uncle’s fate and wishing to avoid a similar plot that could do him in, he declined. However, he accepted the executive powers of a consul for life, as well as those of a tribune – whose person was theoretically inviolate. Thus, Augustus effectively assumed the powers of a dictator for life, without the title. That setup was passed on to his successors.
