History

In the looking at the history of Ancient Rome, one could note that the story of Romes development from a patchwork of kingdoms to a republic and ultimately an empire was akin to the story line of the first three episodes of the Star Wars saga of George Lucas.  However, itthis is where the similarity ends.  Looking closer at the history of Rome, particularly at the time when the Roman Empire was created with Octavian (Augustus Caesar) as its first emperor, it would be unfair to say that the reign of the early emperors, especially the first five emperors, were anything but benevolent.  One has to understand that Pax Romana would not be possible if it were not for the efforts of these good.

Students of history are able to view the achievements of these early emperors through the works of the historian Suetonius who was the personal secretary to the Roman emperor Hadrian (Suetonius).  Using primary sources of the day, Suetonius was able to write a total of 12 biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire in a compilation titled De Vita Caesarum (Life of the Caesars).  English writer Robert Graves wrote a book titled I, Claudius where he was inspired by the works of Suetonius and partly by a dream he supposedly had when Claudius visited him and told him to rewrite the story of his life.

Augustus was one of those whose biography was written by Suetonius titled The Divine Augustus.  In depicting the life of the first emperor of Rome, Suetonius pictured Augustus as a good emperor who lived up to the ideals of the Roman Republic despite becoming an emperor (Suetonius).

If there was one thing about the early years of ancient Rome that made it a strong nation was the sense of altruism exhibited by its people.  Octavian, based on Suetonius, exhibited these ideals.  One way he manifested or lived up to these ideals were the military campaigns he conducted.  The first one was pitted against the forces of Brutus at Philippi and later against his former partner Mark Antony at Actium.  According to Suetonius, The motive which gave rise to all these wars was the opinion he entertained that both his honor and interest were concerned in revenging the murder of his uncle, and maintaining the state of affairs he had established (Suetonius).  Octavian was the great-nephew of Julius Caesar and he felt he was a victim of intrigue which led to his assassination under dastardly circumstances hatched by Brutus and his cohorts in the Senate who feared Caesars growing popularity and influence.  He and Antony pursued Caesars murders and defeated them in field of battle at Philippi.  With the defeat of Brutus, Octavian felt Caesar was finally avenged.  Prior to this, he figured in civil wars against rival generals who wanted to succeed Caesar but Octavian managed to defeat them all.  It was not only because of the quality or superiority of his forces, but it was the brand of leadership he exhibited where despite being of privileged birth, he conducted himself like a soldier who even served as a standard-bearer for a time (Suetonius).

In his fight with Antony, this stemmed from Octavians disappointment with Antonys neglect of his duties as one of Romes leaders being a member of their triumvirate along with Marcus Lepidus, preferring to spend time in the arms of Cleopatra.  Octavian was then compelled to make war against them which resulted in the battle at Actium which saw the defeat of Antony and Cleopatras forces which caused both of them to take their own lives.  Despite his animosity with Antony, he showed compassion by having both of them buried and having their children taken care of (Suetonius).
With all rivals and contenders eliminated, Octavian became the undisputed master of Rome and became its first emperor.  Along with the title, he was christened Augustus which meant venerable.  Yet despite the exalted position he now acquired, Augustus tried to remain true to the ideals of the Roman Republic (Graves  Wells).  It was even said that it was his destiny to be the (first) supreme ruler of Rome which was considered a legend or lore during the days of the Republic and although he did not want to pay heed to such rumors, his achievements had somehow validated that belief that he was the man of destiny (Graves).

As emperor of Rome, Augustus ruled justly which was underscored by the relative peace throughout the empire.  This allowed for economic prosperity which helped Rome to become very prosperous.  Despite his divine and exalted status as emperor, Augustus never abused his power.  In one instance, he chose to rule Rome with the aid of the rule of law.  He regarded himself more as Tribune, the leader of the plebeian class, rather than an emperor of a mighty empire (Wells).  In another instance, he did not live in a palace but rather in an ordinary Roman house, ate ordinary Roman meals, and slept in an ordinary Roman bed (Suetonius).  As a father he set an example by banishing his wayward daughter Julia to Pandateria to punish her for her promiscuity, something Romans inherited from the Etruscans who were known for their frivolous and carefree lifestyle and would go on until the introduction of Christianity.

The order and stability of the Roman Empire was also due to the absence of corruption in the halls of power.  Although Augustus surrounded himself with his closest friends, it was noted that He was cautious in forming friendships, but clung to them with great constancy not only rewarding the virtues and merits of his friends according to their deserts, but bearing likewise with their faults and vices, provided that they were of a venial kind.  One good example Suetonius mentioned was when two of his friends, Salvidienus Rufus and Cornelius Gallus, were guilty of misconduct and punished accordingly.  Augustus did not lift a finger to even cover up for their mistakes and allowed the law to take its own course (Suetonius).

In conclusion, it can be inferred that Augustus was a good ruler.  In looking at the accounts of his life, his character underscored how the empire was ruled under his leadership which was characterized by Pax Romana. He was a the rare kind of ruler who did not allow himself to be corrupted by the trappings of power.  His personality reminds one of the altruism, simplicity and humility of another legendary Roman citizen, Cinncinatus who after serving Rome as a general in many of its campaigns, returned to his humble life as a farmer.

Looking at it in 21st century standards, it would be unfair to criticize absolute leaders like Augustus and others like him looking at it from the prism of liberal and egalitarian ideas formed during the Enlightenment.  Augustus was one of the few who exemplified the enlightened despot that Plato regarded as the ideal leader of any government.  One really has to look at what it was like in the early years of Ancient Rome to feel the values practiced by its upright citizens.  By doing this, one should now be able to understand why Rome was a strong nation.  It was not only because of its leaders like Augustus, but also by the positive values of its people.  Augustus believed in it and lived up to it.