Gaius Octavius Thurnius was born on September 23, 63 B.C. to Atia, who was the niece of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was the dictator of Rome at this time. Octavians' first public appearance came when he was twelve years old, in 51 B.C. His grandmother Julia died and he delivered the eulogy at her funeral. Octavius was adopted by Julius Caesar and "after the assassination of Julius on March 15, 44 B.C. (The Ides Of March) Rome plunged into chaos" (Matthews, 108). Due to the fact that Julius Caesar had put Octavian in his will, Octavian had the right to the name Caesar and assumed the name C. Julius Caesar Octavianus. The nineteen-year-old Octavian was given minimal power by the senate i

After much celebration, Octavian was given the title Imperator Caesar Augustus, Augustus meaning "Holy" or "Blessed One" by the Senate. "Remembering that Julius Caesar has been murdered because of his recourse to naked power, he understood that the nobles would tolerate his autocracy only if he concealed it behind acceptable republican traditions"(Grant, 247). After putting on a lavish demonstration and stating that he wished to relinquish his power back to the people, Octavian gave up his role as supreme ruler. The Senate persuaded Augustus to take over and rule completely. Augustus received the tribuncian power for life and assumed the role of protector of the Roman people. He also received the right to intervene in the lands controlled by the Senate. In 2 B.C. Augustus was given the title "Father of his Country", which is the title that he was the most pleased with. After all the celebrations were over Augustus stayed away from Rome. He used the money that he had plundered from Egypt after the battle of Actium to relocate the men that had fought for him into Italy and Rome.

The Second Triumvirate was now dominant, but did not last very long as the members began to feud amongst themselves. Marcus Lepidus tried to overthrow Octavian, but failed and was stripped of his title. Octavian confined Lepidus to house arrest and Lepidus later died. This event left Marcus Lepidus' third of Rome for Marcus Antonius and Octavian to divide. Octavian assumed control of the Roman forces in the West and Marcus Antonius controlled the Roman forces in the East.

Inevitably, a battle for control between Octavian and Marcus Antonius ensued. This battle would be the largest civil war Rome had ever seen. Marcus Antonius, supported by the pharaoh of Egypt, Cleopatra, prepared his land forces and his navy in an attempt to overthrow Octavian. The two naval forces, Octavian's navy commanded by Marcus Agrippa, and Marcus Antonius' and Cleopatra's navy, met at the battle of Actium on September 2, 31 BC. The naval forces of Octavian, commanded by the General Agrippa, came to be victorious. Upon hearing of Agrippa's victory, the land forces of Antonius defected to the side of Octavian instead of putting up a fight. Marcus Antonius survived and escaped back to Egypt with C

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