How Augustus Became the Master of Rome
The first Emperor
Today, Augustus Caesar is remembered as the first and arguably the greatest Emperor of the Roman Empire.
Born into turbulent times, Augustus was thrust to a position of power aged only 19 when his great uncle Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Senate, and despite some heavy odds stacked against him, the inexperienced boy rose to become the master of Rome, and unlike his uncle, he even succeeded to maintain himself in that position without getting himself murdered.
But who was Augustus Caesar? And how did he rise to absolute power?
Early life
Born in 63 BC, Gaius Octavius was a member of an important noble family. His father, also named Gaius Octavius, came from the lineage that gave governors and important magistrates to the republic, while his mother Atia, was the niece of Julius Caesar.
His father died only four years later, and though his stepfather was also an important figure who rose to the consulship( the highest-ranked office in Rome), it is believed that he did not really take much interest in the boy and young Octavian was raised by his grandmother Julia, the sister of Caesar.
Julia, however, died in 51 BC, and following her death, Caesar began to take an interest in young Octavian…
