Augustus

Augustus was born Gaius Octavius, the great-nephew of Julius Caesar, who adopted him in his will. When Caesar was murdered in 44 BC, the eighteen-year-old Octavian, as he was then called, raised an army and joined Mark Antony and Lepidus to defeat Caesar's killers. Later he and Antony became rivals. In 31 BC Octavian's fleet, commanded by his friend Agrippa, defeated Antony and Cleopatra at the naval battle of Actium. In 27 BC the Senate gave him the name Augustus, meaning revered. He kept the old offices of the Republic but held the real power, ruling as first citizen for over forty years. He reorganized the army and the provinces, built roads, temples and aqueducts, and claimed to have found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of marble. His reign began the Pax Romana, about two centuries of relative peace. The Gospel of Luke records that Jesus was born during his reign. He died in AD 14 and was succeeded by his stepson Tiberius.

Faith: Practiced traditional Roman religion and was a member of the board of priests (pontifices). Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica