During the Pax Romana he inaugurated, Roman culture spread throughout and beyond the Mediterranean world. Indeed, so great was his influence that "Augustus" became one of the most important titles of Roman emperors.Īugustus deserves more credit than any other ruler for Rome's lasting influence on the modern world. Augustus's constitutional reforms proved so durable that they survived several of Rome's most infamous emperors, including Caligula (37 to 41 AD) and Nero (54 to 68 AD). It laid the foundation for the Pax Romana, two centuries of relative peace and stability. The new Roman constitution fashioned by Augustus not only allowed Augustus to rule without serious challenge for 40 years. And of course being the richest man in the empire enhanced his influence with other Roman aristocrats. Augustus's vast landholdings allowed him to finance much of the Roman state with personal funds. The Roman legions swore an oath of allegiance to him personally rather than individual commanders who might be leading them in the field. He continued annual election of consuls, the top executives of the Roman state - though in practice they tended to be hand-picked by Augustus.Īt the same time, Augustus ensured that he would maintain ultimate control. While consolidating power behind the scenes, he preserved much of the traditional structure of the Roman Republic.Īugustus let the Senate retain some power and made a point of consulting it on major decisions. The solution revolved around a new title he adopted: "princeps," often translated as "first citizen." Where Julius Caesar increasingly behaved like a Roman King, Augustus carefully avoided the trappings of monarchy.
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The first citizenĪugustus was the man who finally figured out how to finesse this problem. So Julius Caesar's political enemies conspired to murder him. It also ran afoul of a deep taboo in Roman culture much like the United States, Rome's founding narrative focused on the people revolting against a despotic king.
This angered the powerful aristocrats in the Roman Senate. But when Julius Caesar tried to address this, he faced a deadly backlash.īelieving that the Republic couldn't be saved, Julius Caesar had himself declared dictator for life and began flirting with kingship. The basic dilemma was this: the traditional structure of the Roman Republic had proven unstable, with differences increasingly settled by violent conflict rather than political means. But Rome returned to civil war after Sulla passed from the scene - and Caesar barely lasted 4 years before he was murdered by his political enemies. Two previous generals - Sulla in 81 BC and Julius Caesar in 49 BC - had seized power and attempted to institute reforms that would end the cycle of bloodshed. Rome's dysfunctional politicsįor close to a century leading up to Caesar's death, the Roman Republic had been wracked by bitter and increasingly violent internal conflicts. Yet even after defeating his rivals on the battlefield, the biggest challenge was still ahead of him.
It took 13 years of political maneuvering and civil war for Augustus to emerge as the undisputed ruler of Rome in 31 BC. When Julius Caesar's will was unsealed, it named Augustus (who until 27 BC went by the name Octavian) as his heir, instantly catapulting the 18-year-old to the highest ranks of Roman politics. He made possible the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and prosperity that allowed the Roman empire to have a profound and lasting influence on the culture of the Europe.Īugustus was the grand-nephew of Julius Caesar, who was assassinated in 44 BC. Augustus was Rome's first emperor and one of the most accomplished leaders in world history.
Today marks the 2000th anniversary of the death of Caesar Augustus on August 19, 14 AD.
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