How Did Augustus Influence Julius Caesar

Augustus Caesar was the first Roman emperor during a period called the first principate which went from 27 BC when Augustus began his reign as the Roman emperor to 248 AD. Augustus’s reign lasted from 27 BC to 14 BC when he died at Nola with his official last words being “I found Rome a city of clay but left it a city of marble” (Mark, 2010). To understand how Augustus was able to acquire this power and maintain it is important to understand what happened prior to Augustus with his great-uncle Julius Caesar as well as what Augustus did for the people and the views of the citizens of Rome. Because of Julius Caesar’s prior influence Augustus was able to obtain popularity amongst the citizens of Rome and due to the changing views of the people

towards an absolute government.
The reason Augustus was able to gain the power and influence he needed in order to obtain and maintain power in the first place was because of his great-uncle Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was a general who was well liked by the people of Rome which allowed him to easily gain influence. According to Plutarch Julius Caesar gained a lot of popularity as an advocate gained good will from the people for his friendliness when with the people. He also gained a large and increasing political influence as well as furnishing three hundred and twenty pairs of gladiators. Plutarch also mentions that Julius Caesar elected himself as a candidate as the pontifex maximus which the Roman high priest and was 'the greatest' or chairman of the college of the pontifices, 'priests'. They were responsible for the Roman state cult as a whole and for several cults in particular. According to Plutarch the contest was close however Caesar was the victor which made the senate and nobles “afraid that he would lead the people on to every extreme of recklessness.” (Plutarch). Plutarch is a useful source these things though what he says might be exaggerated as Plutarch does state in the first paragraph of his Life of Alexander that his main concern is exploring the influence of character in his book The Parallel lives. Julius Caesar later on joined an alliance with two other powerful people in Rome, Pompey and Crassus, and formed what would later be known as the first triumvirate. According to Donald L. Wasson, who has taught ancient history at Lincoln College, the first triumvirate had been an uneasy alliance with the three disliking each other however the reason for this alliance had been because the Roman political order was in bad shape with street violence and rioting as well as Cicero who was a friend of Julius Caesar exposing a conspiracy led by the prominent senator Lucius Sergius Catiline. Julius Caesar’s goal was to be named consul and gain pro-consulship/military command in Gaul which he was able to achieve, and because of his position Julius would have the ability to push any agendas or reforms that other two had though it has blocked by his fellow consul Bibulus. Julius however was able to get around this by going to the popular assembly which Bibulus tried to interfere with however he was thrown out and remained out of public life allowing Caesar to rule as consul alone (Wasson, 2016). With Bibulus leaving as a consul this would have given Ceasar more free reign over what to do as consuls were the chairmen of the Senate, which served as a board of advisers and they also commanded the Roman army. Julius Caesar wasn’t well liked by those in power such as the in senate which resulted in his assassination, however the people still liked him a lot, so when Augustus who had already been taken in by Julius Caesar started coming into power, the admiration that the people had for Julius Caesar carried over to Augustus giving him influence to do what he wanted in order to gain more popularity and influence.

When Augustus started coming into power thanks to the influence that his great-uncle had he too was able to gain popularity and influence from the people.

When Augustus came into power he built and resorted many buildings and during this time Rome’s economy, arts and agriculture started to flourish as a result. Joshu J. Mark a freelance writer and scholar says that Augustus’s reign was a golden age with Augustus restoring peace causing the economy of Rome to flourish along with building programs with plans made by Julius Caesar and in Augustus’ Res Gestae which Augustus made over a period of time to be seen by the people he claims that he built or restored 82 temples in one year (Mark, 2010). Augustus in his Res Gestae goes on to say that he spared all citizens who sued for pardon and that 500,000 roman citizens bounded themselves to him by military oath 300,000 which he says he assigned lands or gained money (Augustus). Augustus is trying to make himself look like a great and merciful military leader as well as generous later on saying that he paid out three hundred sesterces per man in accordance with the will of his father Julius Caesar. But as Pamela Bradley an author and historian says her book Ancient Rome Using Sources the Res Gestae was intended to read in the senate after his death and to be engraved upon bronze tablets and claimed that his fame was because of the Roman people (Bradley). Because of this Augustus could have exaggerated the amount of different things

in order to make him look great. Even so what Augustus put in would of have to have a majority of truth to it at these were matters which the people were aware of such as giving money to the people and buildings which other ancient historians were aware of such as Suetonius who is one of more reliable sources for this time in terms of information. That being the case Augustus could easily have won over the people of Rome and obtain absolute power. However, to maintain that power would be dependent on the views of the people.

How the people of Rome viewed this coming of power from Augustus would determine how easily Augustus would be able to maintain power and use it.

The people of Rome had lived as a republic for a long time and gave security to their freedom, however with what the people had experience and gained because of Julius Caesar and Augustus this might’ve changed. According to Suetonius who was the secretary to Emperor Hadrian that after the overthrow of Antony Augustus asked Agrippa a Roman consul, statesman, general and architect and Maecenas the political advisor to Augustus about restoring the republican with Agrippa in favour and Maecenas against. Suetonius says that Augustus at first sided with restoring the republican but then decides to usurp himself the entire dominion of the state. He mentions that as a result of the civil war and public calamities that the people were becoming less averse to the idea of an absolute government and that whilst the republican had flourished that it was incompatible with the state of Rome at the time (Suetonius). Although Suetonius was born a while after Augustus because of his position he would have had access to good information though some of it might be unreliable however he is very open on the idea between a republican or absolute government looking at both sides and the circumstance of Rome. Because of the changing views of the people and the circumstances of Rome, Augustus was able to obtain power as the emperor of Rome during the first

principate and maintain it.

Augustus was able to obtain popularity amongst the citizens of Rome because of his great-uncle Julius Caesar and due to the changing views of the people towards an absolute government. As a result of Julius Caesar and his prior influence on the Roman politics due to his popularity with people and being able to obtain high positions within the senate. Augustus was able to use this influence himself after Julius Caesars’ death allowing him to build up his own popularity and influence within the senate allowing him to obtain power. By keeping peace in Rome and helping it flourish, along with the changing views of the people toward an absolute government and the circumstance that Rome was now in Augustus was able to maintain this power till he died. By becoming popular with people and being able to influence them it becomes easier to maintain and control power and to use it effectively