Knowra Battle of Actium Battle of Actium The 31 BCE naval battle in which Octavian’s forces defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s fleet off western Greece, clearing Octavian’s path to sole rule of Rome.
Octavian : The Roman political and military leader who became Augustus, Rome’s first emperor. His forces fought at Actium, and victory secured his supremacy over Rome.
Second Triumvirate : A legally constituted alliance of Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus that governed Rome from 43 BCE. Its collapse turned former partners into rivals for control of Rome.
Roman Republic : The period of Roman government before the establishment of the Roman Empire, traditionally dated from 509 to 27 BCE. Actium’s victory hastened the Republic’s replacement by Octavian’s one-man rule.
Res Gestae Divi Augusti : An autobiographical inscription in which Augustus summarized his achievements and public honors. It presents Augustus’s victory as the liberation of the Roman world from foreign rule.
Mark Antony : A Roman politician and general who ruled the eastern provinces with Octavian and Lepidus before opposing Octavian. He commanded the opposing forces and withdrew from the battle with Cleopatra.
Treaty of Brundisium : A 40 BCE agreement that divided Roman territories between Octavian and Mark Antony and arranged Antony’s marriage to Octavia. The settlement briefly reconciled the commanders whose later rivalry led to Actium.
Roman Empire : The state ruled by Roman emperors after the Republic, beginning with Augustus in 27 BCE. The battle opened the way for the imperial system Octavian established.
Virgil : A Roman poet whose works include the Aeneid, the Eclogues, and the Georgics. The Aeneid recasts Actium as a world-historical victory in Rome’s legendary past.
Cleopatra : Cleopatra VII was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Her fleet and alliance with Antony formed the battle’s losing side.
Treaty of Tarentum : A 37 BCE renewal of the alliance between Octavian and Mark Antony, extending the Second Triumvirate. Its temporary extension postponed, but did not prevent, their final conflict.
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