1. Triumviri respublicae Constitendua

2. THE SECOND TRIUMVIRATE  FORMATION  In 43 BC Octavian met with Antony and Lepidus to reconcile their differences and ‘exchange enmity for friendship’. They formed the Second Triumvirate  They appointed themselves triumvirate for five years.

3. THE TRIUMVIRI REPUBLICAE CONSTITUENDAE  The formal document which gave them power equal to the consuls, was passed by the Tribal Assembly. Coins were issued which carried portraits of each of the tiumvirs.  They then distributed the Roman Empire among themselves: Antony kept Gaul, Lepidus took Spain, and Octavian took Africa, Sardinia and Sicily

4.  The triumvirs carried out proscriptions to destroy their enemies and to provide money and land for their troops. They included personal enemies as well as powerful men they distrusted. Appian records anecdotal evidence of the terror of the proscriptions in his Civil Wars

5.  Caesar’s death had shown that clemency did not pay, so the triumvirs eliminated their enemies, including 300 Senators and 2000 Equites.  The loss of so many Senators, including Cicero the defender of the Republic, meant the end of senatorial supremacy

6.  The triumvirs deified Caesar, appointed Lepidus to the consulship, and Octavian and Antony prepared to face Brutus and Cassius in Macedonia

7. Ancient Sources  “Octavian and Antony composed their differences on a small islet in the river Lavinius, near the city of Mutina. Each had five legions of soldiers whom they stationed opposite each other… Lepidus by himself went before them, searching the island, and waved his military cloak as a signal to them to come.” Appian

8. Ancient Sources  “ This triumvirate was very hateful to the Romans and Antony most of all bore the blame, because he was older than Caesar and had greater authority than Lepidus, and withal he was no sooner settled in his affairs but he turned to his luxurious and dissolute ways “ Plutarch  “ But upon intelligence that Antony, after his defeat, had been received by Marcus Lepidus, and that the rest of the generals and armies had all declared for the Senate, he, without any hesitation, deserted from the part of nobles; alleging as an excuse for his conduct the actions and sayings of several amongst them.” Suetonius

9. Modern Sources  “ The Triumvirate of Antony, Lepidus and Octavian was to an even greater extent than the partnership of Pompey Caesar and Crassus, an unstable equilibrium of conflicting elements.”  “ The best that can be said of the Second Triumvirate is that it was too bad to last. It was ruinously wasteful in men and wealth and it rested on nothing firmer than a precarious balance of essentially antagonistic ambitions.” Cary- A History of Rome.

10. Reasons for its Formation  The Second Triumvirate came into existence in 43BC by means of a tribunes law proposed by P Titius. The purpose of the alliance was officially to set the state in order and to defeat the Republican armies of Brutus and Cassius. Unofficially the Triumvirate was a means by which three men in command of large armies could pursue their individual aims in defiance of the Senate. The actions of the Triumvirate reflect the reasons for its formation.

12. Actions of the Triumvirate  Octavian to resign his consulship and Ventidius should take it for the rest of the year  A new magistracy of Antony,Octavian and Lepidus should hold for five years with consular power  That these three should designate the yearly magistrates  That a distribution of the provinces should be made, giving Antony the whole of Gaul, Spain was given to Lepidus while Octavian was to have Africa, Sardinia, and Sicily  Only the assignments beyond the Adriatic were postponed as these were controlled by Brutus and Cassius  Lepidus was to be consul the following year and retain 3 legions….and the other legions divided between Octavian and Antony so that each would have twenty legions to lead to war.  To encourage the army with expectation of booty, they promised them eighteen cities of Italy…as though they had been captured from an enemy in war.

13. Proscriptions  The purpose of the proscriptions was to confiscate estates in order to have money and land for their troops, and to destroy their enemies. Caesar had shown that clemency did not pay.  They resulted in the death of 300 Senators and 2000 equites, including Cicero. See Appian  Those Republicans that managed to escape joined Sextus Pompey  Read Appian for the ill omens seen in Rome

14. Battle of Actium

15. Strategy at Actium