Augustus Caesar made an image of himself that made his people believe that only gods could create, and truthfully he was a man that fulfilled the image so much it is almost impossible to think that the gods did not create him. Although Augustus was not the first choice to be the ruler of the rising Roman Empire, Julius Caesar did see the potential of Augustus and fathered it. Augustus broke new ground in the empire by becoming the first emperor in the empire, rather than becoming dictator unlike his predecessor. Augustus was a man that no other emperor in the Roman Empire Era could not hold a candle to in most ways. Augustus was the man that started the greatness of the Roman Empire. This lead to some of his greatest achievements, the achievements…show more content… In 43 BC his great-uncle, Julius Caesar, was assassinated and in his will, Octavius, known as Octavian, was named as his heir.(footnote http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/augustus.shtml). This transition of power was one that was surrounded with mystery. The reasonings to why Caesar chose Augustus out of the three boys he adopted is surround in a haze. Caesar and young Octavius's relationship was truly unknown and only when Octavius turned to an age of maturity at the time of Roman Empire, only then did Caesar take him under his wing and began his training for his succession. (http://www.roman-emperors.org/auggie.htm). After the assassination of Caesar, Octavius happily took the position of emperor. Octavius then changed his name to his more known name of Augustus Caesar; by changing his first name to one that had the meaning of loft or serene, than his last to give honor to his adoptive father. This lead the people of Rome to begin to trust Augustus and the beginning of his greatness along with the greatness of the Roman…show more content… Caesar approach of taking control of Egypt was by marriage to one of the most known pharaohs, Cleopatra the seventh. The marriage did produce a son, however at the time of Caesar’s death the son was too young to take the position of emperor. Subsequently Caesar’s death lead Cleopatra’s alliance with the Roman Empire diminished. This lead for Augustus to form new needed alliances with the senate, ones that would not betray him, his most powerfully alliance was made with Mark Antony, a dear friend and a similar partnership of the deceased Caesar’s. The pair murdered 130 member of the Senate that had attempted to regain control after their assassination of Caesar (http://spartacus-educational.com/ROMaugustus.htm). After eliminating the unfaithful in his court Augustus sent Antony to reform the last connection between Rome and Egypt; however this tremendously backfires. Antony and Cleopatra fall in love with one another and declare war upon Rome. Their claim for war was that Cleopatra and Caesar's son was the rightful heir of Rome; this struck chords with Augustus. This also lead to even more tension in both nations, one questioning Augustus political leadership, while both prepared for war (http://www.roman-emperors.org/auggie.htm). In 31 BC Octavian defeated Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium on the west coast of Greece. Mark Antony and Cleopatra
