Augustus

Reign: 26 BCE – 14
Life: 62 BCE–14

He was known as Octavian. The reign of Augustus initiated an imperial cult and an era of imperial peace (the Pax Romana or Pax Augusta) when the Roman world was largely free of armed conflict. The principate, a style of government in which the emperor showed nominal deference to the Senate, was established during his reign and lasted until the Crisis of the Third Century. Octavian was born into an equestrian branch of the gens Octavia. Octavian's great-uncle, the dictator Julius Caesar, named him as his primary heir in his will, and after Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, Octavian inherited his estate and assumed his name. He fought for the loyalty of Caesar's legions.

During Augustus' reign, Emperor Suinin ruled Japan and Emperor Chengdy of Han ruled China.

Want to learn more? Further reading

Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy

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The World During Their Reign

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

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From the library

Go deeper on Augustus

Hand-picked histories and biographies for readers who want more than the timeline: the same era, told in full.

Augustus: First Emperor of Rome

Adrian Goldsworthy

Goldsworthy's definitive life, Actium, the settlement, and the invention of imperial rule.

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The Roman Revolution
Ronald Syme
Syme's masterpiece on the fall of the Republic and Augustus's creation of the principate.
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