The Effectiveness of Octavian in Enlisting Senatorial...

The Effectiveness of Octavian in Enlisting Senatorial Support for his New Administration in the Period 30 to 19 BC. Octavian was the son of Gaius Octavius, a senator, but was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. Essentially Octavian, or Augustus as he became known as in 27BC, was a conservative republican. This is shown by Res Gestae Divi Augusti (literally the achievements of the Divine August) paragraph 8: I brought back into use many exemplary practises of our ancestors which were disappearing in our time. And also by Suetonius The Twelve Caesars, Augustus, chapter 93: Augustus showed great respect to all ancient and long established foreign rites. The Republican system was based on a†¦show more content†¦However Octavian did not realise this at first and he illegally created himself consul: At the age of 19 he created himself consul, marched on Romeas if it were an enemy city ... to demand that the appointment [of consul] should be confirmed. When the Senate hesitated to obey ... a centurion ... displayed the hilt of his sword and boldly said If you do not make him consul, this will! (Suetonius 26). But how were these aims to fit into the fact that Octavian wanted to remain in power, and not be too obvious about this fact? Following the death of Julius Caesar, on the 27th of November in 43BC Titius, a tribune passed the lex titia in the tribunal assembly. This was a law appointing Anthony, Lepidus and Octavian triumvirs for 5 years, but this time could be lengthened. This was the technique of a populares, rather than being passed by the Senate and being Optimates. The Triumvirs were clever in the fact that they did not advertise the unconstitutional position of dictator. The leader of the three men to rule was Antony- a leading Caesarean and so therefore a populares. The constitutional position stood against the ideals of the Roman Republic and therefore brought an end to the Roman Republic. This was unacceptable from the point of view of a conservative republican senator. They immediately set to work getting