In 49 BCE Caesar, who had held many of the highest political offices in Rome, marched into Italy to challenge the leaders of the Republic. After defeating his enemies, he ruled as dictator until his murder on the Ides of March (literally, the 15th day of March, May, July, or October or the 13th day of the other months in the ancient Roman calendar) in 44 BCE. Caesar’s assassins, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, hoped to restore the Republic, but it was no longer possible. Neither the urban masses nor the military would allow the old aristocracy to regain control. Rome needed a strong hand to administer the state and control the army, since the old system of government was unsuitable to rule an empire of 50 million subjects. If Rome wanted to maintain its dominance, the government needed to create new administrative and military institutions. Caesar planned to transform the Roman state, but his few years in power were insufficient. His followers included his longtime military deputy, Mark Antony, and his great-nephew (and adopted son), Octavian. They first defeated Brutus and Cassius at Philippi, a city of ancient Macedonia, in 42 BCE before turning on each other. By 30 BCE Octavian was the unchallenged successor to Caesar and the master of Rome. Three years later the Senate proclaimed him Augustus, the supreme ruler.
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posted by Hills @ 12:29 AM
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