Asher Sisneros

Octavian was Julius Caesar’s grand-nephew and heir. Through a series of tactful alliances—first with the Senate as a pro-republic ally of Cicero opposed to Antony, then an ally of Antony and Lepidus through the second triumvirate —Octavian became the dictator after Julius Caesar. He even marched against Bruttus and Cassius, his grand-uncle’s murderers, until they committed suicide. As much as this essay could focus on Octavian’s military accomplishments and political victories, that isn’t its focus. Instead, the topic is how Octavian kept power, avoided assassination, and prevented civil war from erupting after he retired. All of those things were achieved through the Augustan Settlement.

Octavian faced a dilemma. As generations before him—Sulla and Caesar—proved, military power was necessary for peace. Those who controlled the military possessed the most influence. So naturally, Octavian needed military power. He achieved that. It’s how he became a dictator. But he wanted a unified military for all of Rome under his command; an army no one could resist. However, replicating Caesar’s absolute power would solidify the same fate. If Octavian maintained a raw dictatorship with disregard for the republic, assassination was inevitable. Octavian knew that.

Before their falling out, Antony was madly in love with Egypt’s queen, Cleopatra. The love affair was disadvantageous for Rome. Antony’s blatant sympathy for Egypt and his children through Cleopatra became a nuisance for Rome. When Rome’s most prized provinces were given to Cleopatra, Octavian put his foot down and marched troops against Antony and Cleopatra. Egypt was sacked and the two committed suicide.

To gain favor, Octavian spent all of Egypt’s wealth on Romans. He also forgave property owners with unpaid taxes and shrank his military from 60 legions down to 28. Needless to say, Rome subsided any hostility towards Octavian.

The Senate murdered Caesar, but Octavian refused the same fate. He persuaded the Senate that the republic’s old way of government was safe and he “relinquished” his dictatorial powers. However, the Senate simply gave those powers back to Octavian. He was the “lesser of two evils” in their mind, and if Octavian wasn’t in power then someone worse would be. With that, he became Rome’s first emperor and the Senate gave him the title “Augustus,” which means, “majestic.”

By 23 BC, he resigned the consulship but maintained power through the Augustan Settlement. Such powers included an imperium that he could override any provincial governor’s authority, i.e., nobody had more authority than him and governors couldn’t rebel. He also received the tribunicia potestas, which made him the sole tribune. In other words, Octavian/Augustus became the people’s champion of liberty and exercised veto power over all legislation.

The Augustan Settlement was a beautiful play of power for Octavian/Augustus. It granted him all the authority of an emperor but in the name of a republic. It was a win-win. Octavian won absolute power, and Rome’s Republicans thought he was honoring their traditions. They were deceived. In reality, the Augustan Settlement was Octavian’s ploy to undermine and kill the republic.