Here is my essay- slightly different question, but it incorporates that stuff into it.
I hope it helps. (",)
“After this I excelled in all influence, although I possessed no more official power than those who were my colleagues in the several magistracies.” (Res Gestae 34)
Is this statement an adequate assessment of the basis of Augustus’ rule?
After the Second Settlement, Augustus certainly excelled in all influence, however, the claim that his official power was no greater than that of his colleagues is inaccurate. In actuality, by 23BC, (Second Settlement), Augustus is in complete control of all affairs in Rome. This means that his power and authority is supreme. His supremacy is primarily due to his accumulation of power before the Second Settlement. Augustus’s statement in Res Gestae 34 is therefore an inadequate assessment of the basis of his rule.
In the years leading up to the second settlement, Octavian/Augustus continually increases his titles, and thus power, within the empire. Because he does not surrender the influence he already had when a new position is obtained, as he collects titles, authority is also being accumulated.
Octavian’s introduction to political leadership arose after the assassination of his adoptive father, Julius Caesar, in 44BC. Octavian was nominated as the heir of Caesar. At this point in time, the army was loyal to their general. Octavian paid all of Caesar’s armed forces to transfer their loyalties over to him. With their assistance, he overthrew Antony, who had tried to assume the leadership of the Caesarian party. After Antony had been defeated, Octavian, Lepidus and Antony formed an alliance called the triumvirate. This was effectively the power of a dictator, shared between three people. In the early days of the triumvirate, the administration of the empire was shared between the three men. Octavian received Italy, Africa, Sicily, and Sardinia. In 42BC the triumvirate avenged the death of Caesar, by defeating Brutus and Cassius, who were the conspirators behind the assassination. In 37BC the tribunican power was renewed. One year later, in 36BC, Octavian was awarded tribunican sacrosanctity, an honour that made him indestructible inside of Rome. At this point in time, Lepidus was eliminated from the triumvirate, and was not replaced. This left the empire in the hands of Octavian and Antony, who retained their triumviral power.
In 33BC the senators, the Italian Municipalities, and the Western provinces swore their oath of allegiance to Octavian. This provided him with supreme auctoritas (This is respect for an individual that leads to extreme influence.) During this time period, Antony was spending significant amounts of time in the provinces, and had begun a relationship with Cleopatra, fathering children to her. Octavian used Antony’s relationship with Cleopatra to begin a civil war against him, and thus eliminate any competition for the leadership of Rome. Octavian successfully convinced the Roman citizens that Antony and Cleopatra were guilty of Oriental Despotism, and was credited with saving the empire when he defeated them at the battle of Actium in 31BC.
With Lepidus eliminated, and Antony dead, Octavian alone now had the triumviral power. This was not removed from him, giving Augustus the power of a dictator, or a monarch. This tribunican power, in conjunction with Octavian’s auctoritas and his military support, made him an extremely powerful man inside the empire even before the second settlement.
In 31BC Octavian was awarded the consulship. This gave him the ability to command an army, conduct elections, preside over the senate, and implement decisions. This position also grants him imperium, which is supreme administrative power. At this point in time, Octavian holds the consulship, tribunican sacrosanctity, and tribunican power. He also has control of a great number of armed forces, and has supreme auctoritas. There are two consuls elected each year. Although Octavian and his counterpart are equal in title, in actuality and practise, due to his cumulation of positions Octavian is far superior in power. He has the imperium related to consulship, the loyalty of the senate, the Italian municipalities, and the Western provinces, is indestructible within Rome, maintains the tribunican dictatorial power, is credited as being the saviour of Rome and the avenger of Caesar’s death, maintains control of a large percentage of the armed forces, and has supreme auctoritas. His counterpart possesses only those honours and powers that are affiliated with the consulship. Thus, while Augustus and his counterpart have the same title, their powers are vastly different. Already, even before the Second Settlement, it is evident that Octavian possesses power greater than that of his colleagues.
Octavian had captured great wealth from Egypt after the battle of Actium. He distributed this money to the plebes urbana, who were the lower class city citizens. He provided entertainment for the people, and embarked on a building and public works program. This gained him popularity within Rome, and increased his dignitas. (Dignitas is dignity, or a measure of respect.)
A large number of the armed forces is demobilized, reducing troop numbers from sixty down to twenty-eight. Twenty-eight was a much more manageable number. During this reduction, one hundred thousand veterans were settled. This meant that Octavian provided them with land and finances. This project also served the purpose of increasing Octavian’s dignitas.
In the year that Octavian and Agrippa were consuls (28BC) they were granted censoria potestas. This is the right to take census, and to reduce the senate. They use this position to completely reorganise the senate, allowing two hundred senators to be expelled. With the ability to reorganise the senate, Octavian now has the ability to remove any senators left that may oppose his views or policies. Octavian is also awarded with the position of princeps senatus, meaning that he is the leading member of the senate. This means that he speaks first in the senate house. Combined with his auctoritas, this is an extremely useful position for Octavian, because it means that people will always hear his opinion first, and the people always agree with him, simply because of his auctoritas. The position of princeps senatus later becomes equated with the position of emperor.
Somewhere in the time period between 33BC and 27BC Octavian loses or surrenders the triumviral power. This means that the only position giving Octavian any power or authority inside the empire is his consulship, which he maintains from 31BC until 27BC.
In a meeting of the Senate on January 13 in 27BC, (Commonly known as the first settlement,) Octavian renounced all his powers, and returned them to the state of Rome. This renunciation was greeted with despair by the Roman people, and at their insistence, Octavian took on the proconsular responsibility of a large provincial area, containing Spain and Gaul. Three days later, the senate bestowed more honours upon him, decorating his doorposts with laurels. A golden shield was established in the senate house, and Octavian was given the name Augustus, which had religious connotations. These three honours greatly contributed to the dignitas and auctoritas of Augustus. As a result of the new proconsular position that Augustus held, he administered the provinces in which the military was based, while the senate administered the more peaceful provinces. Augustus now held imperium in the provinces, but this ended the moment he stepped inside the city of Rome. Augustus chose to control his provinces with legati. (These were men Augustus had chosen himself. They were loyal to him, and not to the senate, and he paid them well.) There were twenty legions within Augustus’ provinces, with only twenty-eight existing throughout the entire empire. This gave Augustus extreme power, as he had the majority of the armed forces behind him. At the first settlement, Augustus is also given the title princeps, meaning first citizen. He continues to be consul as well. This means that Augustus has imperium both inside the city of Rome and outside it. In effect, he has power within most of the empire, so long as he maintains his positions as consul and proconsul. Again, here is an example of Augustus’ title being the same as that of his counterpart, but his position and his actual power being significantly different. While Augustus maintains his proconsul position, there are three other proconsuls within the empire. Each of these is responsible for the administration of particular provinces. On the surface, this is Augustus’ position as well. But because the provinces that Augustus administers contain the majority of the legions, in effect, this gives Augustus a far more substantial amount of military power than his colleagues. The fact that he holds both consulship and proconsulship in conjunction with each other also indicates that he is more powerful than his four colleagues, each of whom hold only one of the two positions.
Between 27BC and 23BC, when Augustus holds both consulship and proconsulship, he spends the majority of his time in the provinces. This was done for two reasons- to establish himself as a leader in the provinces, and also to distance himself from Rome. Some members of the senate resented Augustus because he had maintained his position of consulship for so many consecutive years. They felt that he was blocking their pathway for promotion in the cursus honorum. (This was the promotional system within the senate.) The other significant event in this period of time was that Augustus became seriously ill.
By 27BC it was clear that Augustus needed to make a fresh start. On the 1st of July (Commonly recognised as the second settlement) he resigned his consulship. This resignation had obvious advantages. It would release the position of consul to another aspiring senator, thus relieving the tension that had accumulated, and it would mean that Augustus was no longer occupied with menial administrative tasks. In compensation for the loss of consulship, Augustus was given maius imperium proconsularae. This meant that the proconsular imperium that he exhibited in the provinces would also be recognised in Rome, thus giving him power and imperium within the city. This was an unprecedented honour. In conjunction with this, Augustus was also awarded tribunicia potestas. This role made him the “tribune of the people” and allowed him to summon and consult the senate. Other consuls and magistrates generally took precedence over tribunes, so Augustus was offered another additional right, ius primae relationis, which gave him the right to bring forward the first motion at any meeting.
It was the maius imperium proconsularae and the tribunicia potestas that formed the basis of Augustus’ constitutional power throughout his principate. Because these two powers were given to him alone, Augustus is not justified in claiming that he possesses no more official power than his colleague who also held magistracies. In practice, with the powers he has been given, Augustus has control of twenty of the twenty-eight legions, giving him supreme military power because of his proconsulship. He has imperium both within Rome and outside it, giving him administrative power over the entire empire, due to his maius imperium proconsularae. Tribunicia potestas gives him senatorial influence, and his ius primarae rleationis allows him to speak first, thus giving him the opportunity to present his ideas first. His military control and auctoritas ensured that his ideas and policies were almost always implemented. Augustus also maintains his position of princeps senatus, which makes him the leading citizen in the senate. With tribunicia potestas and ius primarae relationis, Augustus is extremely powerful within the senate.
Overall, Augustus has an extreme amount of power within the entire empire. All of his positions are awarded to him by the senate, and are thus recognized as being constitutional powers. Perhaps if Augustus held just one position he would be able to claim that his “Official power was no greater than that of his colleagues in the magistracies.” As it was, Augustus held several positions in conjunction with each other, was given several powers that had previously not existed, and was virtually in control of the entire empire. His auctoritas and military control gave him exceptional influence, while his imperium gave him extreme constitutional power. While he is accurate and justified in claiming that he “excelled in all influence” It is certainly inaccurate to claim that his power was equal to that of his colleagues.
