He has the Roman Republic missed the final death blow. In the four decades of his power, he changed the empire fundamentally. His death was a staging.
“I found a city of brick, and I left you a city of marble.” This sentence is the first Roman emperor Rome said who, as he lay in the southern Italian port town of Nola dying exactly 2000 years ago. But of the 75-year-old Augustus says lest Rome’s architecture, but the conversion of a split by civil war and lust for power Roman polity in a stable and pacified Empire. When the ruler in the year 14 after Christ died on the 19th day of the month of August named after him, he has more than four decades at the helm of Rome. His historic achievement was the construction of a completely new system of rule. Under him is the old republic gone down, the Empire has manifested itself
Youngest Consul
Augustus -. Born 63 BC, as Gaius Octavius in Rome – is not yet 18 years old when his great-uncle Julius Caesar can exclaim after years of civil war dictator for life. Parts of the Roman Senate will see the Republic so definitely before the off and let Caesar in March 44 murder before Christ.
historians Emperor Augustus
Emperor Augustus connect many not much more than today a mention in the Christmas story. But he also had a dark side.
clearing
Octavius waiting for this time to the Greek Adriatic coast on it, pulling on Caesar’s side in the war against the Parthians. Far as she is by the murder in Rome but not. In his will of the dictator adopted his grandnephew posthumously – a time not uncommon procedure. This support is the only one pound, with which the young Octavius comes up initially
He then begins as Caesar’s political heir his rise. With nearly 20 years Octavius takes his first consulate. Never before has someone so young achieved the highest Roman office. In the battle of Philippi, he defeated Caesar’s murderers-Brutus and Cassius, later he fights against Antony to the autocracy. The empire is sinking back into civil war. . The victory over his opponent in the decisive battle of Actium, Octavius gained final supremacy of the Roman Empire
“bloodthirsty” have you once called him, says historian Martin Zimmermann (see interview) – and says so the brutal civil war time. .. “He made a lot of people to death” Even Caesars single biological descendant of Caesarion, son of Cleopatra should include as a potential political threat to the victims
By the mid 30 Octavius gets Senate sole power conferred: the so-called “Principate”. It is equipped with the honorary title Augustus, “the Exalted”. Officially, he is after the turmoil of the Civil War, the public legal order of the Republic restored. De facto, however, depends Augustus a monarchy, as they had not given 500 years before in Rome.
As supreme commander of the Roman legions, he expanded to such a degree as no other Roman emperors after him. However, his army must suffer a bitter defeat in 9 AD to the Cheruscan Arminius. The blame for the disaster in the Teutoburg Forest invites Augustus from alone on his commander Varus.
The pacification of the kingdom leads inward to that literature, architecture and art thrive. Because men like Virgil, Ovid, Horace and Vitruvius one speaks of the “Golden Age” under Augustus. But the ruler wants to change the Roman society: He ordered the upper class with its customs laws a marriage obligation. Who is not married, is punished and discriminated against in the allocation of offices and posts. The project to implement morality by law, but fails terrific.
controls are difficult, especially if people flee in marriages. And also about Augustus himself is in the rumor mill so much to hear: While he is in the third marriage quite happily with his wife Livia, but probably not averse to other pleasures
Pompous funeral
<. p> Historians say Augustus had staged his life. And so his death: To be deathbed in Nola he gathered most of his family. And even then he is concerned about the welfare of the state. It’s at the end of it, will survive that picture of him
After the pompous funeral procession through half of Italy is Augustus’ body magnificently in his -. Built at the age of 34 years – colossal mausoleum in the Campus Martius in Rome buried. A few weeks later the Roman Senate decided that the ruler is recorded as “Divus Augustus” among the gods – like his adoptive father Caesar. His widow Livia is nachgeholfen and a Senator million paid sesterces, so that he testify, the Emperor went up into the sky -. A prerequisite for the so-called “consecratio” by the Senate
Augustus’ successor Tiberius – a kind of Prince Charles of antiquity – had to wait many years as an adopted Crown Prince for this moment 2,000 years ago. He has in his reign, but not so lucky hand like its predecessor. And subsequent rulers like Caligula or Nero remain only as a tyrant in memory. The dynasty founded by Augustus comes 90 years after its foundation, with the death of Nero basis, erected by him Principate but remains more than two and a half centuries.
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