Cyber #29

5/28/20

Aftermath to the Murder
  • Julius Caesar’s grandnephew - and adopted son - Octavian takes over at the age of 18 with his own triumvirate
    • Mark Antony is an experienced general
    • Lepidus is a powerful politician
  • This is the Second Triumvirate
  • Octavian forces the weak Lepidus to retire
  • He and Mark Antony become rivals
  • Mark Antony partners up with Cleopatra of Egypt
  • Militarily
  • Personally
  • Politically
  • Economically
  • Octavian defeats them at the Battle of Actium

Octavian
  • He is now the unchallenged ruler of Rome
  • He was given the honorific “Augustus”
  • “Exalted one”
  • He was also given the title “imperator”
  • Supreme military commander
  • This is where we get the word “emperor”
  • Now Rome is an empire, not a republic
  • 40 years of ruling as emperor (27BC to AD 14)
  • He began a stable era of peace and prosperity known as the Pax Romana (Roman Peace)
  • Pax Romana was 207 years long

Octavian's Accomplishments
  • Expanded the Roman Empire further into Africa
  • He set up civil service to run the government/empire
  • Building a network of roads
  • Collecting taxes
  • Establishing a postal service
  • Administering the grain supply
  • Building awesome public facilities
  • Buildings, aqueducts
  • Setting up a police department
  • Running a fire-fighting organization
  • Finally died of natural causes

The Age of Emperors
  • After Octavians death, power was passed down to emperors
  • Some were good, some were horrible, and some appeared to be completely insane
Tiberius
  • Ruled from AD 14 to AD 37
  • an excellent general, but a reluctant emperor
  • after the death of his son, he exiled himself from Rome and left his prefects in charge
  • died at age 77

Caligula
  • Ruled from AD 37 to AD 41 (only 4 years!)
  • won a power struggle after Tiberius' death
  • known for his cruelty, extravagance, and perversity - an insane tyrant
  • assassinated by a group of praetorian guards, Senators, and the imperial court, trying to re-establish the Republic
  • but it didn't work...

Claudius
  • Ruled from AD 41 to AD 54
  • suffered from many infirmities: a limp, stammering, shaking, slobbering... possibly because of cerebral palsy
  • took over because he was the last adult male in the family
  • ruled well - built roads, aqueducts, canals, and started the conquest of Britain
  • died by poisoning - it was his last wife's plan (she wanted her son Nero to rise to power)

Nero
  • ruled from 54 to 68
  • emphasized the arts
  • huge fire in 64 (although he DIDN'T fiddle)
  • he wanted to rebuild Rome to be more majestic
  • he hugely overspent, and even raided the temples for money
  • historians do not look kindly upon him




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