Since the world recently celebrated the 2004 anniversary of the death of Octavian Augustus, we picked up ten of the most interesting facts about the first emperor of the Roman Empire.
Augustus, also known as Gaius Octavius, diedAugust 19, 14. Gaius Iulius Caesar’s nephew and adoptive son is famous for the fact that he was able to make the powerful Roman Empire out of the weak Roman Republic, which he headed for 40 years. But besides his boisterous political activity, Octavian also boasted an extremely interesting personal life: on his account two unsuccessful marriages, a troubled daughter and a third wife's suspicion of murder.
- We advise you to read about the rise of Octavian and the rebellion of Spartacus
We have selected ten, in our opinion, the most interesting and noteworthy facts about the life of the creator of the Roman Empire, which to this day is considered one of the most important political figures in history.
- Actually his name was not August. Many people do not like the names that their parents called them at birth, but not everyone decides to change this name. But Guy Octavian turned out to be a rather brave man who believed that his name does not sound courageously enough. That is why he changed it to "Augustus" (trans. - "exalted by the gods").
- Rival Mark Anthony. Despite the fact that Anthony (Marcus Antonius) was married to Octavian's sister and was son-in-law to Augustus, there was always rivalry between the two politicians. And the matter is not only in the novel of Mark and Cleopatra. Often Anthony posed a serious threat to Augustus in the political arena. The victory of Augustus at the Battle of Mutin also added fuel to the fire, after which Anthony committed suicide.
- Burning handsome. According to the records of the Roman historian Suetonius, Augustus was "unusually handsome and graceful in his youth and old age." He had "bright and bright eyes," and his hair was "slightly curled." The bad news is that the emperor’s hair and skin often showed signs of deprivation, he suffered from an abscess of the liver, and also had a slight limp. Some information about politics also says that moles were scattered all over his body, which in number, shape and location resembled the constellation Ursa Major.
- Modern family? Emperor Augustus distinguished himself by marrying his only daughter to his best friend, who was 25 years older than his bride. General Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who often fought on the side of Octavian, was married to Julia. Subsequently, the girl was again married at the insistence of her father for Tiberius, the future emperor.
- Slutty daughter. The daughter of Augustus Julia (Ivlia Caesaris Filia) was distinguished by a very absurd and rebellious character, as well as excessive love of loving. So, the girl had numerous novels with the brightest representatives of the Roman Empire, including with the poet Ovid, as well as with the son of Marc Anthony, Antillus. Tired finally of Julia's dissolute lifestyle, Augustus, who was an ardent supporter of a quiet family hearth, exiled his daughter to the island of Pandateria (modern Ventotene), where he forbade wine and the presence of men.
- Influential Uncle. Augustus managed to get to such heights of political power solely thanks to Guy Julius Caesar, who adopted him. It was after the brutal assassination of Caesar by a group of separatists that the relationship between Mark Anthony and Augustus deteriorated.
- Eternal groom. Octavian Augustus was so fond of getting married that he did it regularly. In total, he had three marriages, the first of which was his alliance with Clodia (Clodia Pulchra), the adopted daughter of Mark Anthony. After that, he gave his attention to Scribonia (Scribonia Libonis), who later gave birth to his daughter. On the day of childbirth, the emperor asked his wife for a divorce to marry the love of his life - Livia (Livia Drusilla).
- Continuation of the dynasty. With no direct heirs, August decided to adopt Tiberius (Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus), the eldest son of his third wife, Libya, from a previous marriage. After the death of Octavian, the reins passed to his successor, who was emperor from 14 to 37 years of our era.
- Killed by his own wife? Octavian died on August 19, 14 in Nola (Campania region, where his father is. The records of that time indicate that the Romans seriously believed that the emperor was killed by his wife, Libya, who poisoned him with food. His last the words, as you know, were: “Since we played great, reward us with a standing ovation and have fun.” But before he died, he also said: “I got Rome wooden, but left marble”.
- His legacy? Take a look at the calendar. Have you ever wondered why the month of August is called that way, and not otherwise? The Roman Senate decided to rename the month from “sextile” to “August” after Octavian defeated Mark Anthony and became emperor. The number of days this month was increased by one, since the ruler of the Roman Empire wanted the month called by his name to have as many days as July, which received such a name in honor of the great Julius Caesar.
