Octavian convinced the Senate via a propaganda campaign to start a war against Cleopatra, since they were reluctant to declare war on Antony, as he was a true Roman and the last thing Octavian or the Senate needed was a mutiny. Then Antony divorced Octavia to marry Cleopatra. Romans were scandalized by this type of behavior. He did this by cleverly exposing Antony's will to the Senate, where he read out how Antony had left all his money to his children by Cleopatra, where they would reign as monarchs over kingdoms that he and Cleopatra would leave to them. Octavian was scheming to find a way to sever ties with Mark Antony, start a war to crush him, kill a potential rival and take control of the entire Roman world. Mark Antony was in Egypt with Cleopatra instead of his wife, Octavia, Octavian's sister. The last Republican civil war would mark the beginning of the Pax Romana, a period of relative internal peace and stability. Octavian, now Augustus, would be the first Roman emperor and would transform the Republic into the Roman Empire. Octavian became the most powerful man in the Roman world and the Senate bestowed upon him the honorific of Augustus in 27 BC. The two did however raise their own legions separately.įollowing the end of the war, Octavian brought peace to the Roman state that had been plagued by a century of civil wars. Both Antony and Octavian's legions were experienced veterans of previous civil wars who had fought together, many also having once served under Caesar. The war involved some of the largest Roman armies ever seen. After a decisive victory for Octavian at the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra and Antony withdrew to Alexandria, where Octavian besieged the city until both Antony and Cleopatra were forced to commit suicide. Forty-percent of the Roman Senate, together with both consuls, left Rome to join the war on Antony's side. Her lover and ally Mark Antony, who was Octavian's rival, gave his support for her cause. In 32 BC, Octavian convinced the Roman Senate to declare war on the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. The War of Actium (32–30 BC) was the last civil war of the Roman Republic, fought between Mark Antony (assisted by Cleopatra and by extension Ptolemaic Egypt) and Octavian.
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