Augustus

You may wish to consult Augustus (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages.

Caesar Augustus, formerly known as Octavian (PROSE: Rome ^[+]Loading...["Rome (short story)"]) or Octavian Caesar, (AUDIO: The Last Queen of the Nile ^[+]Loading...["The Last Queen of the Nile (audio story)"]) was an Emperor of Rome. He initially ruled alongside Mark Antony.

Biography

This section's awfully stubby.

Missing the events of AUDIO: The Last Queen of the Nile ^[+]Loading...["The Last Queen of the Nile (audio story)"].

Octavian had a daughter named Julia and two grandsons named Gaius and Lucius. (PROSE: Rome ^[+]Loading...["Rome (short story)"])

In the 30s BC, Rome had two rulers: Octavian and Mark Antony. They hated one another, (PROSE: The Last Pharaoh ^[+]Loading...["The Last Pharaoh (novel)"], AUDIO: The Last Queen of the Nile ^[+]Loading...["The Last Queen of the Nile (audio story)"]) though Antony was married to Octavian's sister. (AUDIO: The Last Queen of the Nile ^[+]Loading...["The Last Queen of the Nile (audio story)"]) While Anthony had Greece and the East, while Octavian had Rome and the West. (PROSE: The Last Pharaoh ^[+]Loading...["The Last Pharaoh (novel)"]) Octavian was 20 years younger than Antony, and led the Senate in Rome. (AUDIO: The Last Queen of the Nile ^[+]Loading...["The Last Queen of the Nile (audio story)"])

In 30 BC, Octavian declared war on Cleopatra and Egypt, in the battle at Actium, and, after a number of battles, most of which Octavian won, (PROSE: The Last Pharaoh ^[+]Loading...["The Last Pharaoh (novel)"]) he conquered Egypt, making it a Roman province. (PROSE: The Ruby's Curse ^[+]Loading...["The Ruby's Curse (novel)"])

Later, in the eighth century after the foundation of Rome, (PROSE: Warlords of Utopia ^[+]Loading...["Warlords of Utopia (novel)"]) Octavian became known as Augustus and began his reign as the first emperor of the Roman Empire, (PROSE: The Ruby's Curse ^[+]Loading...["The Ruby's Curse (novel)"]) which succeeded the Roman Republic circa 30 BC. (PROSE: History of Mankind according to Doctor Who ^[+]Loading...["History of Mankind according to Doctor Who (short story)"])

In the year 6 AD, Caesar Augustus decreed that the governors of Syria and Judaea should conduct a tax census, the Census of Quirinius, requiring all citizens to travel to their ancestral homes. Following this was the birth of Jesus Christ which, when recounted in the Gospel of Saint Luke, formed the basis of the Christian celebration of Christmas. (PROSE: The Time Traveller's Almanac ^[+]Loading...["The Time Traveller's Almanac (reference book)"])

Augustus was married to Livia. (PROSE: Warlords of Utopia ^[+]Loading...["Warlords of Utopia (novel)"]) Her son Tiberius (PROSE: Running with Caesars ^[+]Loading...["Running with Caesars (short story)"]) replaced him as Emperor in AD 14. (PROSE: Byzantium! ^[+]Loading...["Byzantium! (novel)"])

Legacy

Caesar featured in William Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra. He defeated Cleopatra's forces in battle which, with the death of Mark Antony, ultimately led her to commit suicide. (PROSE: Antony and Cleopatra ^[+]Loading...["Antony and Cleopatra (short story)"])

According to Trix, he was played by Brian Blessed in I, Claudius. (PROSE: The Gallifrey Chronicles)

References

The First Doctor and Susan visited Rome during the time of Augustus. While there, the Doctor obtained gold coins called aurei, which were still in his possession when he and Susan visited Berlin in January 1933. (AUDIO: The Alchemists ^[+]Loading...["The Alchemists (audio story)"])

Behind the scenes

• He was played by John Castle in the 1972 film version of Antony and Cleopatra, Brian Blessed in the 1976 TV version of I, Claudius, Garrick Hagon in the 1979 BBC version of Julius Caesar, Rupert Graves in the 1999 film Cleopatra and Derek Jacobi in the 2010 BBC radio adaptation of I, Claudius.