1. The Rise of the Empire

2. Rome Becomes an Empire
After defeating Caesar’s assassins these 3 men created…
One side is led by the men who killed him
The Other side is led by three men; Caesar’s grandnephew
Octavian ,Antony, and Lepidus
Caesar’s death plunged Rome into another Civil War

3. The Second Triumvirate
Octavian took west in Rome
Antony took east in Rome
Octavian forced Lepidus
to retire from politics

4. The Drama…(even back then)
Octavian and Mark Antony came into conflict
Mark Antony fell in love with Cleopatra VII of Egypt and formed an alliance with her (Caesar’s Ex…)
Octavian told the Romans that Mark Antony (with Cleopatra) planned to make himself the sole ruler of the republic
Alarm spread among the Romans and enabled Octavian to declare war on Antony

5. Battle of Actium
In 31 B.C off the west coast of Greece, Octavian crushed the army and navy of Antony and Cleopatra
The couple then fled to Egypt
A year later as Octavian
closed in on them, Cleopatra
and Mark Antony killed
themselves

6. The Roman Empire
Octavian now stood on top of the Roman world , alone at age 32
Period of civil wars were over---but so was the republic
He lay the foundation for a new system of government

7. Octavian becomes Augustus
Octavian knew that many people, including Cicero, Rome’s greatest public speaker (his ideas influenced the writers of the United States Constitution) favored a republican form of government
In 27 B.C. Octavian appeared to do just that.
He gave power back to Senate, seemly putting them in control.
However, he gave himself the title, Imperator or commander-in-chief, and kept control of the army.
In time Imperator came to mean emperor. Octavian takes the name, Augustus, “the revered or majestic one” and becomes Caesar Augustus, first emperor of the new Roman Empire. 