Political Betrayal

The Battle of Mutina

Antony was defeated by Octavian, Hirtius, and Pansa at the Battle of Mutina, but the two consuls died in combat, leaving Caesar’s heir in sole command of the amassed army. The senate, attempting to maintain control after the two consuls representing its interests were killed, asked Octavian to turn over command to Decimus Brutus in Cisalpine Gaul. Octavian refused, saying that his soldiers did not want to be led by one of Caesar’s assassins.

Also, Octavian did not attempt to chase down and finish off Antony, for he realized that a total defeat of Antony, a powerful Caesarian, might doom his goals of defeating Brutus and Cassius, who had gathered a large army in the eastern provinces. As Antony fled across the Alps in Gaul, he managed to gain control over the armies of the local governors, again forming a large and powerful army. Decimus Brutus tried to chase after him, but his men deserted him and he was slain by a Gallic chieftain.

Octavian Seizes the Consulship

With Antony growing in strength, the consuls dead, and the senate’s ally Decimus Brutus removed, Octavian found an opportunity to perform another cunning political maneuver: first, he began to reach out to the recovering Antony, hoping for a new political alliance. He knew that the senate was willing to abandon him after the Battle of Mutina, so he moved to form another political alliance and protect his position before that could occur.

Finally, his soldiers were becoming angry at the senate; they felt that their commander had been slighted, for the senate, in the granting of the victory honors for the Battle of Mutina, had favored Decimus Brutus over Octavian. Also, the payments promised to Octavian and his army were reduced significantly. Taking advantage of the anger among his support base and the senate’s weakness, Octavian sent his centurions to demand the empty consulship and the restoration of the payments to the amount originally promised.

When the senate refused, Caesar’s heir marched his army into Rome, seizing the consulship using the threat of military force. The senate could do nothing, for they had no more military force under their influence[1]. Having first creating an alliance to ensure his continued survival, Octavian then found that the changing balance of political power acted as the perfect opportunity to betray his allies and further consolidate his power.