63 BCE: Birth of Augustus
- Gaius Octavius Thurinus is born in Rome to a relatively modest but well-connected family. His mother, Atia, was the niece of Julius Caesar, and his father, Gaius Octavius, was a prominent senator. Augustus was a member of the Julii family, one of the oldest and most noble patrician families in Rome.
59 BCE: Early Exposure to Politics
- At the age of four, Octavius loses his father. Raised by his mother, Atia, and her family, he is educated in Rome, where he begins to familiarize himself with the Roman political system.
44 BCE: Julius Caesar’s Assassination
- Julius Caesar, Augustus' great-uncle and adoptive father, is assassinated on the Ides of March by a group of senators led by Brutus and Cassius. Following Caesar’s death, a power struggle ensues in Rome.
43 BCE: Adoption by Julius Caesar
- Octavius learns that he has been named Julius Caesar’s adopted son and heir in Caesar’s will. In response to Caesar’s assassination, Octavius returns to Rome and begins to position himself for power.
- Octavius, along with Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, forms the Second Triumvirate to avenge Caesar's death and eliminate the assassins.
42 BCE: Battle of Philippi
- The forces of the Second Triumvirate, led by Octavius and Antony, defeat the armies of Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi. This victory solidifies Octavius’ position as one of Rome’s most powerful figures.
- After Philippi, Octavius and Antony divide the Roman world between them, with Octavius controlling the West. shutdown123