Did Augustus Restore the Roman Republic
Did Augustus restore the Roman Republic in 27BC?
Julius Caesar is perhaps the most well known in the history of Roman Emperors, yet there is no denying that his reign was filled with controversy, no reason more so than his devious rise to power and his mischievous ways of suppressing the senate. There is no doubt that in ruling as a Dictator; Caesar lost the support of the Roman people, who had fought for freedom against an Etruscan King, a role in which Caesar was playing. His death in 44BC coincided with what many believe to be the year in which the Republic completely its eventual ‘fall’ that it had been plummeting to since 133BC, and it is only by looking at the differences in the end of his reign to that of Augustus’ in 27BC that we can get a true idea of the extent to which he restored the Republic. Rome in 27BC and the years following, was more like a Republic in the people’s eyes, than it had been in other a 100 years, and Octavian as Augustus was at the forefront of this. Nevertheless, one has to assess to what extent Rome was once again a Republican state, as Augustus possessed many, if not even more, of the same powers that Julius Caesar had at his disposal, and that is the reason others say that he was similar, if not more of a Dictator than Caesar was, yet achieved power and support from those around him with them believing he was solely attempting to restore Rome to its Republican form.
Augustus himself believed he was owed a lot by Rome for his achievements while the city was under his unofficial command. Engraved on two bronze pillars in Rome, Augustus portrayed his ‘divine’ achievements. In section 34, he focuses specifically on 27BC, he states how he gave control of Rome back to its people and, in essence, restoring the republic to the way they wanted it. To add to this, under the name Octavian, he had already extinguished Civil Wars, and defeated Marc Anthony and Cleopatra in battle. Yet, as stated above, to recognize the true
Julius Caesar is perhaps the most well known in the history of Roman Emperors, yet there is no denying that his reign was filled with controversy, no reason more so than his devious rise to power and his mischievous ways of suppressing the senate. There is no doubt that in ruling as a Dictator; Caesar lost the support of the Roman people, who had fought for freedom against an Etruscan King, a role in which Caesar was playing. His death in 44BC coincided with what many believe to be the year in which the Republic completely its eventual ‘fall’ that it had been plummeting to since 133BC, and it is only by looking at the differences in the end of his reign to that of Augustus’ in 27BC that we can get a true idea of the extent to which he restored the Republic. Rome in 27BC and the years following, was more like a Republic in the people’s eyes, than it had been in other a 100 years, and Octavian as Augustus was at the forefront of this. Nevertheless, one has to assess to what extent Rome was once again a Republican state, as Augustus possessed many, if not even more, of the same powers that Julius Caesar had at his disposal, and that is the reason others say that he was similar, if not more of a Dictator than Caesar was, yet achieved power and support from those around him with them believing he was solely attempting to restore Rome to its Republican form.
Augustus himself believed he was owed a lot by Rome for his achievements while the city was under his unofficial command. Engraved on two bronze pillars in Rome, Augustus portrayed his ‘divine’ achievements. In section 34, he focuses specifically on 27BC, he states how he gave control of Rome back to its people and, in essence, restoring the republic to the way they wanted it. To add to this, under the name Octavian, he had already extinguished Civil Wars, and defeated Marc Anthony and Cleopatra in battle. Yet, as stated above, to recognize the true
Bibliography: Eck, W, 1998, The Age of Augustus, tr. by Schneider, D.L, 2003, Blackwell Publishing Eder, W Lacey, W. 1996. Augustus and the Principate. The evolution of the system. Raaflaub, K. and Toher, M. 1990. Between Republic and empire. Interpretations of Augustus and his Principate. Syme, R. 1939. The Roman Revolution. 2002 -------------------------------------------- [ 5 ]. Syme, R. 1939. The Roman Revolution. 2002 [ 6 ] [ 7 ]. Eck, W, 1998, The Age of Augustus, tr. by Schneider, D.L, 2003, Blackwell Publishing [ 8 ]