Knowra Augustus (Roman emperor) Augustus (Roman emperor) Augustus was Rome’s first emperor, formerly known as Octavian, who ruled from 27 BCE until his death in 14 CE. He preserved republican institutions while concentrating political and military power in his hands.
Principate : The system of Roman government established by Augustus, in which emperors held supreme power while presenting themselves as leading citizens. Augustus framed his authority as leadership within the republic rather than kingship.
Julius Caesar : A Roman general and dictator whose assassination in 44 BCE triggered a struggle over his political legacy. Caesar adopted Octavian as his heir, giving him a name, fortune, and political claim.
Marcus Agrippa : A Roman general and statesman who was Augustus’s close associate and a leading military commander. Agrippa’s victories and public works supplied capabilities Augustus relied on.
Pax Romana : A long period of relative internal stability across much of the Roman Empire, conventionally dated from Augustus’s reign. Augustus’s consolidation began the era later remembered for imperial peace.
Roman Republic : The period and system of Roman government before emperors, marked by elected magistrates, senatorial authority, and popular assemblies. Augustus claimed to restore the republic while making its institutions subordinate to his power.
Augustan settlement : The constitutional arrangements of 27 and 23 BCE that established Augustus’s lasting position in Roman government. These agreements defined the powers through which he governed.
Ides of March : The assassination of Julius Caesar on 15 March 44 BCE by a group of Roman senators. Caesar’s murder opened the power struggle in which Octavian emerged.
Maecenas : A Roman statesman and patron of poets, closely associated with Augustus and his political circle. Maecenas supported writers whose work helped articulate Augustan values.
Roman imperial cult : Religious practices that honored Roman emperors and, in some provinces, members of their families as divine or divinely favored. Augustus managed honors to his person carefully, shaping later imperial worship.
Roman dictatorship : An extraordinary Roman Republican magistracy that granted one person broad authority for a limited term, traditionally six months. Augustus avoided the title of dictator, which recalled Caesar’s contested rule.
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