Power Struggle after the Death of Caesar: The Political Maneuvers of Octavian

By mid-March, in the year 44 BC, Julius Caesar was the most powerful man in Rome. With his new title of dictator-for-life and his wide-ranging executive powers, Caesar was in almost complete control of Roman politics. The system became increasingly dependent on his patronage and influence to function, as those who sought power in the system were forced to appeal directly to Caesar himself[1].

On March 15, at the height of his power, the dictator was assassinated by a group of conspirators, led by Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius, who felt threatened by Caesar’s dominating position and called ideologically for a return to a system of government that they called “the republic”. However, this republican revival never occurred as the assassins intended, for the period of conflict after Caesar’s death resulted in the emergence of another authoritarian system that brought about the end of the Roman Republic[2].

Overview of Events

The assassins quickly lost the initiative to a rising backlash of public opinion and were forced to flee from Rome. The consul Mark Antony, Caesar’s lieutenant, took the initiative and enacted a policy of conciliation towards the senate, which tended to support the assassins. In the meantime, Caesar’s heir Octavian emerged and used Caesar’s power base to gain his own supporters. Antony and Octavian grappled for control over this support base. At the same time, Antony’s agreement with the senate fell apart. The senate, led by the statesman and orator Cicero, turned against Antony; Octavian created an alliance with the senators to defeat Antony’s military forces.

Octavian, however, then turned against the senate himself, using the threat of military might to gain access to the political office of consul, and established a new alliance with Antony and a man called Lepidus. The three men became known as the Second Triumvirate, a political alliance comprised of three powerful and dictatorial positions. The formation of the authoritarian triumvirate irrevocably moved the Roman system away from the republican form of government. After sanctioning the legal killings of their political enemies, the triumvirate defeated the armies of Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC. The triumvirs then fell into political infighting; Lepidus was forced out of power. In 31 BC, Antony was killed by Octavian. Octavian then became known as Augustus, the monarchical ruler of the new Roman Empire[3].