Second Triumvirate
The Second Triumvirate is the name historians have given to the official political alliance of Augustus Caesar, Marcus Antonius, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, formed on 27 November 43 BC with the enactment of the Lex Titia, the adoption of which some view as marking the end of the Roman Republic, whilst others argue the Battle of Actium or Octavian becoming Caesar Augustus in 27 BC. The Triu…
What is the Second Triumvirate?
Please donate today and help us make a truly global impact. Thank you very much! The Second Triumvirate was a political association of convenience between three of Rome 's most powerful figures: Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian in the 1st century BCE.
What effect did the formation of the triumvirate have on Rome?
The formation of the triumvirate effectively put an end to the Roman equivalent of the republican party and paved the way for the creation of the principate
What was a historical oddity of the triumvirate?
A historical oddity of the Triumvirate is that it was, in effect, a three-man directorate with dictatorial powers; it included Antony, who as consul in 44 BC had obtained a lex Antonia that abolished the dictatorship and expunged it from the Republic's constitutions.
Why did the Second Triumvirate banish proscription?
Seeing that Caesar's clemency had resulted in his murder, the Second Triumvirate brought back proscription, abandoned since Sulla. It engaged in the legally sanctioned murder of a large number of its opponents in order to fund its forty-five legions in the second civil war against Brutus and Cassius.
Why is a triumvirate important?
Formed in 60 B.C.E., the First Triumvirate worked to consolidate power in Rome between its three members. Crassus and Pompey couldn't stand each other, but had to work together because it was the only way they could ultimately get what they wanted.
What was the triumvirate explain its importance to Rome?
Definition. The First Triumvirate of ancient Rome was an uneasy alliance between the three titans Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus which, from 60 BCE until 53 BCE, dominated the politics of the Roman Republic. Alliances have always been a part of history.
What was the 2nd triumvirate and who was in it?
The Second Triumvirate consisted of Octavian (Augustus), Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony. The Second Triumvirate was an official body created in 43 B.C., known as Triumviri Rei Publicae Constituendae Consulari Potestate. Consular power was assigned to the three men.
Who won the Second Triumvirate?
Antony and Octavian joined together in 42 to hunt down Caesar's two most powerful assassins, Brutus and Cassius. After two battles at Philippi, Antony and Octavian emerged victorious and Brutus and Cassius ended their own lives.
What happened in the Second Triumvirate?
The Second Triumvirate (43–32 BC) was a political alliance formed after the Roman dictator Julius Caesar's assassination, comprising Caesar's adopted son Octavian (the future emperor Augustus) and the dictator's two most important supporters, Mark Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.
What was a triumvirate and how was used to attain power?
For ten years, from 43 B.C.E. to 33 B.C.E., they were ruled by a Triumvirate, an alliance of three men who split up the duties of governing. Marc Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus were each rulers over separate portions of the Roman Empire, and shared rule over Italy and Rome itself.
How were the events and personalities of the Second Triumvirate similar to and different from those of the First Triumvirate?
How were the events of and personalities of the second triumvirate similar to and different from those of the first triumvirate? All 3 new leaders all wanted power, and when one was killed in war, Octavian seized Rome. The difference is that he didn't wait to strike.
Who was the Second Triumvirate of Rome?
After the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 bc his heir Octavian (Augustus) along with Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus were designated by the Senate as the Second Triumvirate.
What mistake caused Cassius's death?
What mistake caused Cassius's death? He thought his army was losing because Titinius was captured but he wasn't and their army was winning. What does Titinius do when Messala goes to inform Brutus of Cassius's death? He kills himself.
What type of government is a triumvirate?
A triumvirate (Latin: triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three powerful individuals known as triumvirs (Latin: triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three are notionally equal, this is rarely the case in reality.
What was the second triumvirate?
The Second Triumvirate was ultimately unstable and could not withstand internal jealousies and ambitions. Antony detested Octavian and spent most of his time in the East, while Lepidus favoured Antony but felt himself obscured by both his colleagues.
What was the Roman Republic's triumvirate?
The triumvirate for organizing the republic ( Latin: tresviri rei publicae constituendae ), as it was formally known, ruled the Roman Republic essentially as a military dictatorship, with each of the triumvirs assuming charge of an individual set of provinces.
What did Octavian do after the victory?
After the victory, Antony and Octavian agreed to divide the provinces of the Republic into spheres of influence. Octavian—who had begun calling himself " Divi filius " ("son of the divinity") after Caesar's deification as Divus Julius ("the Divine Julius") and now styled himself simply " Imperator Caesar"—took control of the West, Antony of the East. As a result, the province of Cisalpine Gaul was absorbed into Italy. Narbonese Gaul was absorbed into Gallia Comata, creating a unified Gaul, and was thus taken over by Antony. Octavian took over Spain from Lepidus. Lepidus himself was left with nothing, but was offered the prospect of control over Africa. The excuse given for this was a report that Lepidus had been traitorously negotiating with Sextus Pompey. If he were proved innocent he would have Africa. Octavian returned to Rome to administer the distribution of land to his veterans. Antony remained in the east to bring Brutus and Cassius' former territories under triumvirate control.
What is the second tributum?
The legend III vir r (ei) p (ublicae) c (onstituendae) translates to "one of three men for the regulation of the republic". The Second Triumvirate (43–32 BC) was a political alliance formed after the Roman dictator Julius Caesar 's assassination, between Caesar's three most important supporters: Octavian ...
What was the third civil war?
A third civil war subsequently broke out between Octavian on one hand and Antony and Cleopatra on the other. This final civil war culminated in the latter's defeat at Actium in 31 BC; Octavian's forces would then chase Antony and Cleoptra to Alexandria, where they would both commit suicide in 30 BC.
Why did Antony give his step daughter Claudia to Octavian?
To cement the alliance, Antony gave his stepdaughter Claudia to Octavian in marriage and Rome's terrorities were divided between the triumvirs. Seeing that Caesar's clemency had resulted in his murder, the Second Triumvirate brought back proscription, abandoned since Sulla.
Why did Octavian pursue the war in Illyricum?
In order to provide treasures and rewards for his troops and cement his reputation as a military commander, Octavian pursued a war in Illyricum to bring it under Roman control. Meanwhile, Antony was preparing his war against Parthia, taking advantage of divisions caused by the new Parthian king Phraates IV. However Antony over-extended himself and was forced to retreat with considerable loss of troops.
What was the threat to the triumvirate?
Besides the assassins, the triumvirate had the remaining fighting son of Pompey, Sextus Pompeius, to deal with. He posed a threat especially to Octavian because using his fleet, he cut off the grain supply to Italy. An end to the problem was effected by a victory at the naval battle near Naulochus, Sicily. After this, Lepidus tried to add Sicily to his lot, but he was prevented from doing so and lost his power entirely, although allowed to keep his life -- he died in 13 B.C. The two remaining men of the former triumvirate re-divided the Roman world, with Antony taking the East, his co-ruler, the West.
Who did the Triumvirs defeat?
The triumvirs fought another battle there shortly after and defeated Brutus, who then also committed suicide. The triumvirs partitioned the Roman world -- as the earlier triumvirate had also done -- so that Octavian took Italy and Spain, Antony, the east, and Lepidus, Africa.
What happened after the Battle of Actium?
After Actium (ended September 2, 31 B.C.), which Agrippa, Octavian's right-hand man, won, and after which Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide, Octavian no longer had to share power with any individual. Cite this Article.
What happened in 44-31 B.C.?
44-31 B.C. - The Second Triumvirate to the Principate. Caesar's assassins may have thought killing the dictator was a recipe for the return of the old Republic, but if so, they were short-sighted. It was a recipe for disorder and violence. If Caesar were posthumously declared a traitor, the laws he had enacted would be annulled.
Why was Octavian's sister slighted?
Octavian's sister was slighted by Mark Antony's preference for the Egyptian queen. Octavian politicized Antony's behavior to make it seem his loyalties lay with Egypt rather than Rome; that Antony had committed treason. Matters between the two men escalated. It culminated in the naval Battle of Actium .
What would happen if Caesar was declared a traitor?
It was a recipe for disorder and violence. If Caesar were posthumously declared a traitor, the laws he had enacted would be annulled. Veterans still waiting for their land grants would be denied. The Senate ratified all Caesar's acts, even ones for the future and declared that Caesar should be buried at public expense.
Who beat Octavian?
All three men were official consuls and so known as Triumviri Rei Publicae Constituendae Consulari Potestate . The troops of Cassius and Brutus met those of Antony and Octavian at Philippi on November 42. Brutus beat Octavian; Antony beat Cassius, who then committed suicide.
Who formed the 2nd Triumvirate?
The first thing is the 2nd triumvirate was originally formed by Octavian, Lepidus and Marc Antony to avenge the assassination of Julius Caesar and to sort the affairs of the Roman empire out.
Why was Julius Caesar deified?
Pamela Bradley even thinks that the triumvirate was the reason that Julius Caesar was deified, attributing his immediate deification to fear.
What is a triumvirate?
Updated January 26, 2019. A triumvirate is a system of government wherein three people share the highest political power. The term originated in Rome during the final collapse of the republic; it literally means the rule of three men ( tres viri ).
How many consuls were there in the Second Triumvirate?
Usually, there were only two elected consuls. The triumvirate, despite a five-year term limit, was renewed for a second term. The Second Triumvirate differed from the first insofar as it was a legal entity explicitly endorsed by the Senate, not a private agreement among strongmen.
Who were the consuls of the second tributum?
The Second Triumvirate consisted of Octavian (Augustus), Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony. The Second Triumvirate was an official body created in 43 B.C., known as Triumviri Rei Publicae Constituendae Consulari Potestate. Consular power was assigned to the three men. Usually, there were only two elected consuls.
Who were the three men who ruled Rome?
The First Triumvirate. An alliance of Julius Caesar , Pompey (Pompeius Magnus), and Marcus Licinius Crassus ruled Rome from 60 BCE to 54 BCE. These three men consolidated power in the waning days of Republican Rome. Although Rome had expanded far beyond central Italy, its political institutions—established when Rome was just one more small ...
Who was the first emperor of Rome?
Antony—having lived since 40 with Cleopatra of Egypt and growing increasingly isolated from the power politics of Rome—was decisively defeated in 31 at the Battle of Actium and thereafter committed suicide with Cleopatra in 30. By 27, Octavian had retitled himself Augustus, effectively becoming the first emperor of Rome.
What is the second triumvirate?
Second Triumvirate. Triumvir or tresvir: member of a college of three members. The expression is mostly used to describe the First Triumvirate (60 BCE; Pompey the Great, Crassus, and Julius Caesar) and Second Triumvirate (43 BCE; Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian ).
Who is the most underestimated historian from Antiquity?
The most impressive account of these years is the History of the Civil Wars by Appian of Alexandria, arguably the most underestimated historian from Antiquity.
Overview
The Second Triumvirate (43–32 BC) was a political alliance formed after the Roman dictator Julius Caesar's assassination, comprising Caesar's adopted son Octavian (the future emperor Augustus) and the dictator's two most important supporters, Mark Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. The triumvirate for organizing the republic (Latin: tresviri rei publicae constituendae), as it was for…
Origin and nature
Octavian, despite his youth (20 years old), extorted from the Senate the post of suffect consul (consul suffectus) for the year 43 BC. He had been warring with Antony and Lepidus in upper Italia, but in October 43 BC the three agreed to unite and seize power and so met near Bononia (now Bologna).
This triumvirate of new leaders was established in 43 BC as the Triumviri Rei Pu…
Proscriptions
In order to refill the treasury, the Triumvirs decided to resort to proscription. As all three had been partisans of Caesar, their main targets were opponents of the Caesarian faction. The most notable victims were Marcus Tullius Cicero, who had opposed Caesar and excoriated Antony in his Philippicae, and Marcus Favonius, a follower of Cato and an opponent of both triumvirates. The proscription of Caesar's legate Quintus Tullius Cicero (Marcus Tullius Cicero's younger brother) s…
Philippi
The Caesarian background of the Triumvirs made it no surprise that immediately after the conclusion of the first civil war of the post-Caesar period, they immediately set about prosecuting a second: Caesar's murderers Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus had usurped control of most of the Eastern provinces, including Macedonia, Asia Minor, and Syria. In 42 BC, Octavian and Antony set out to war, defeating Brutus and Cassius in two battles fought at Philippi.
Perusine war and Sextus Pompey
Octavian's land redistribution caused widespread tensions, as farmers were dispossessed in favor of soldiers. Antony's brother Lucius Antonius, who was serving as Consul, stood up for the dispossessed farmers. The conflict led to the Perusine War, in which Lucius gathered an army of supporters to challenge Octavian. He was encouraged by Mark Antony's wife Fulvia. Lepidus held Rome with two legions while Octavian left to gather his army, but Lucius defeated Lepidus, who …
Fall of Lepidus
Though Octavian nominally oversaw the campaign against Sextus, the campaign was actually commanded by Octavian's lieutenant, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, which culminated in victory in 36 BC. Agrippa had been consul in 37 BC and had secured the Triumvirate's renewal for a second five-year term.
Like the First Triumvirate, the Second Triumvirate was ultimately unstable and could not withsta…
War between Octavian and Antony
In order to provide treasures and rewards for his troops and cement his reputation as a military commander, Octavian pursued a war in Illyricum to bring it under Roman control. Meanwhile, Antony was preparing his war against Parthia, taking advantage of divisions caused by the new Parthian king Phraates IV. However Antony over-extended himself and was forced to retreat with cons…
See also
• Constitution of the Roman Republic