End of the Republic

Showdown with Assassins

• Brutus, Cassius seize Asia in 43
  • Win loyalty of troops by letting them plunder "disloyal" cities
  • "Defenders" of Republic violate its principles
    • Military force now the only form of "legitimacy"
• Antony, Young Caesar cross over to Greece in 42
• Republican forces defeated at Philippi in Sept.
  • Cassius, Brutus commit suicide
  • Last army that even pretends to be fighting for Republic
• Reassignment of territory among triumvirs
  • Antony receives East
  • Young Caesar gets Italy
    • Difficult assignment b/c of need to find land for veterans
    • Gives moral high ground through control of Rome, Roman homeland
  • Lepidus shunted off to Africa

Sex. Pompeius/Pius Magnus

• Sex. Pompeius son of Pompey
• Survived the defeat of the Pompeians by Caesar in Spain in 45
• Established himself as a naval commander
• Seized Sicily, other islands in 44, 43
• The proscribed flee to him
• Republicans fled to him after Philippi
• Caused Young Caesar much trouble in Italy
  • Threatens grain supply of Rome
• Changes name to Pius Magnus
  • Magnus ("the Great") was a cognomen adopted by Pompey
  • Pius ("the dutiful one") shows his loyalty to his father
  • New name distinguishes the warlord from regular humans

Young Caesar Gains in Stature

• Perusine War, 41
  • Troubles caused by Antony's brother Lucius
  • Champions discontent of dispossessed
  • Caesar besieges L. Antonius in Perusia
  • Caesar sacrifices the town councilors to shades of father
  • "Don't mess with me"
• Agreement with Sex. Pompeius in late 30s
  • Exiles return to Italy
• Young Caesar adopts name "Imp. Caesar Divi filius" in 38
  • "General Caesar, son of the God"
  • Special nomenclature distinguishes him from normal humans
• Long tenure brings legitimacy

End of Sex. Pompeius

• Begins to loose stature in early 30s as Caesar's position becomes permanent
• Caesar tries to attack him unsuccessfully in early 30s
• Caesar's admiral M. Agrippa defeats Pompeius' navy, overruns Sicily in 36
• Lepidus co-operates by invading Sicily from Africa
• Lepidus' forces defect to Caesar
• Lepidus' life spared
  • Lepidus spends next 20+ years in disgraced exile
  • Caesars wants to shed blood-thirsty image, is preparing to become the restorer of peace
• Now Caesar and Antony only warlords left

Antony in East

• A general of his throws back major Parthian invasion, 40-39
  • Antony remains in Greece to take advantage of situation in Italy if things go badly for Caesasr
• Antony launches unsuccessful invasion of Parthia, 36
  • Manages to extract army (unlike Crassus back in 53)
• Antony associates himself closely to Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, in mid 30s
• Antony takes on attributes of a Hellenistic king
  • "Dead end" attempt at creating new form of legitimacy
• "Donations" give Roman territory to Cleopatra and their common children and her son by Caesar the dictator
  • Looks bad in Italy

Final Showdown

• Imp. Caesar outmaneuvers Antony politically in 32
  • War declared only on the foreign queen
    • Makes reconciliation with Antony's supporters easier after victory
  • Antony's supporters allowed to leave Rome
• All Roman citizens in west swear oath of personal allegiance to Caesar
  • Caesar to be "leader" (dux)-unofficial title
  • Gives legitimacy that is personal and goes beyond the empty old titles
• Antony gathers army in Greece in 31
  • Forces trapped at Actium
• Antony and Cleopatra's navy destroyed at Actium in attempt to break out
  • Sept., 31
• Antony and Cleopatra flee to Egypt
• Imp. Caesar invades Egypt, 31
  • Antony, Cleopatra commit suicide
  • Egypt annexed
• Imp. Caesar now undisputed master of Roman world
  • Now what?