Augustus and the Creation of the Roman Empire
Introduction
Augustus was the first Roman Empire who transformed Rome from a republic to an empire, during the unrestrained years, after the murder of his uncle who was also his adoptive parent, Julius Caesar. He combined the military strength, foundation-building and statutory, thus becoming Rome’s single ruler, who laid the foundations of two centuries Pax Romana. In addition, Augustus was also able to maintain Rome’s peace through the Pax Romana, for a period of 1,500 years. He was very patient, skilled and efficient in providing ways through which the Roman Empire could become stable again. This paper will therefore converse the rise, achievements and legacy of Augustus and the Roman Empire.
The Rise of Augustus and the Roman Empire
Augustus supported his uncle Julius Caesar in winning the civil war in Africa, a move which made Julius Caesar to vow to adopt him. While in Apollonia undertaking military studies, Augustus learnt that Julius Caesar had been murdered. Augustus returned to Italy at the age of 18 years, and was told that Julius Caesar had adopted him as the leader of Rome (Mellor, 2005, 33). Mark Anthony, who was the Chief Lieutenant of Julius Caesar, refused to hand over Julius Caesar’s possessions to Augustus, and Brutus and Cassius, who were the masterminds behind the assassination of Julius Caesar, withdrew to the east.
Augustus and Mark Anthony later came into an agreement, and crossed the Adriatic, and under the leadership of Anthony, they won the battles of Philippi. This was a war which was won against Cassius and Brutus who had fled to the east (Mellor, 2005, 33). The victory over the two battles of Philippi changed the Roman Empire, marking a new beginning in the Roman Empire. During this period, Augustus who was the successor of Julius Caesar, had achieved what Caesar had failed to achieve, leading to his assassination (Hall, 192, 20).
Augustus and Rome’s Military Success
Augustus military success began immediately after falling out with Mark Anthony. This was a major challenge to Augustus, which was commonly known as Octavian during this period, a move which made him to come up with ways of restructuring the Roman military. After defeating Mark Anthony, most soldiers pledged allegiance to the Roman Empire, making the empire to remain strong. However, Augustus replaced Mark Anthony with Marcus Agrippa, who was Augustus classmate (Mellor, 2005, 41). Agrippa had no prior military experience, but was able to thrash Mark Anthony, making the Roman Empire to emerge victorious against Mark Anthony. Agrippa proved to be a strong Lieutenant as compared to Mark Anthony, as he won more battles, with a low military experience.
Under the leadership of Agrippa, the Roman military became very strong, due to the unique strategies which were employed in war (Hall, 192, 27). Lepidus was forced to into retirement, after seeking to contest over the Supremacy of Augusts. Lepidus was disarmed by Augustus military under the leadership of Agrippa, making the empire to remain peaceful.
Agrippa and Augustus succeeded in sending Mark Anthony out of Methone, after shutting Anthony’s fleet on the Gulf of Arta (Mellor, 2005, 43). This was during the battle of Actium, where Anthony was forced to flee to Egypt, after efforts to extricate his ships failed. Augustus later conquered Egypt, where Anthony had fled to, hence forcing him to commute suicide. This consequently marked the military success of Augustus, making the Roman Empire to rise again.
The Achievements of Augustus and the Roman Empire, and way of Ruling
Augustus was determined to change the lives of the Romans, and he did everything to bring back the peace which Rome deserved. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Augustus was determined to win the Philippi war, thus joining Mark Anthony in conquering Brutus and Cassius (Hall, 192, 27). Winning the Philippi war was one of the major achievements of Augustus, and according to Mellor in the first document on the achievements of Augustus, this was a period when Rome ushered in peace, after a century of civil unrest. Previously, under the rule of Julius Caesar, Rome had lost the Philippi war, thus making it hard for the empire to control its activities in peace (Mellor, 2005, 45). Augustus was determined to restore the peace which the Roman Empire had enjoyed, and the only way to do so, was through winning the Philippi war. After this victory, Augustus was able to restore peace in Rome, thus paving way for the establishment of the Roman Empire.
Augustus focused on the development of the Roman Empire. In order to grow the Roman Empire, Augustus ordered the construction of a highway, linking Rome and its empire. This was a move which was aimed at growing the economy of Rome, through allowing most activities to take place within the Roman Empire. Secondly, Augustus also developed an operational postal system, which aimed at easing communication within the Roman Empire. Transport and communication within the Roman Empire became smooth, making other empires to easily trade with Rome (Hall, 192, 41). Furthermore, most bridges and buildings were constructed in Rome, in order to ease transport and communication within the empire, thus making it to become a develop empire.
Augustus did not only develop Rome, but he also expanded the empire. During the reign of Augustus, he was able to expand the Rome, thus taking over regions like Dalmatia, Spain, Pannonia, Gaul and Egypt (Hall, 192, 41). The Roman Empire was expanded through a strong army which had been brought up by Augustus, thus making it easier for Rome to conquer other empires, hence expanding its spheres of influence. Rome became dominant empires during Augustus reign, due to the military strength which it possessed.
Augustus ruled the Roman Empire with love, and was only concerned with the prosperity of the empire. As a leader, Augustus was only concerned with the development of Rome, and not with enriching himself (Mellor, 2005, 51). Out of the love which Augustus had for his empire, he denied the title of a dictator. Augustus was dedicated to improve the state of the empire, thus ruling for a period of ten years as one trios who rejuvenated Rome. Through the achievements provided in this paper, it is clearly right to state that Augustus achieved more than what other leaders had achieved while ruling the Roman Empire.
Conclusion
The paper has discussed the rise of the Roman Empire, its political and military achievements under the rule of Augusts. Judging from the information provided, it is clearly evident that, Augustus was able to propel the Roman Empire towards the right direction, through developments, and military achievements. In addition, as stated in the paper, the Augustus’ form of ruling was different from Julius Caesar’s, since Augustus was not a dictator, but he used aristocracy form of leadership. Augustus was consequently able to deliver Rome from a republic to an empire, hence maintaining peace in the empire.
Bibliography
Mellor, Ronald. 2005. Augustus and the creation of the Roman empire: a brief history with documents. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hall, Clayton Morris. 1923. Nicolaus of Damascus' Life of Augustus, a historical commentary embodying a translation. A dissertation ... by Clayton M. Hall. Menasha: G. Banta.
[1] Ronald Mellor, Augustus and the Creation of the Roman Empire: A Brief History with Documents (Boston: Bedford/St Martins, 2006)48
[2] Nicholas of Damascus, Life of Augustus, translated by Clayton Hall (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1923) 8, 11, quoted Mwllor, Augustus and the Creation of the Roman Empire (Boston: Bedford /St
