Gaius Octavius Augustus (Latin: Gaius Octavius Augustus, September 23, 63 B.C. - August 19, 14 A.D.), formerly known as Gaius Octavian Thurinus, was one of the last three allies, the first head of the Roman Empire (Princeps), the founder of the head of state system, who ruled Rome for 40 years, and is one of the most important figures in world history.
Octavian, Caesar's nephew and grandson, was appointed as the first heir and adopted as an adopted son by Caesar in 44 BC. [1] In 43 BC, Caesar stepped on the political stage after being assassinated and formed the "last three alliances" with Anthony and Leibida. In 42 BC, he defeated Brutus and Kasi, the leaders of the Republican faction, in the battle of Philippi with Anthony. In 36 BC, he deprived Lepida of his military power, and later defeated Anthony in the Battle of Aktiem, destroying the Ptolemaic dynasty in ancient Egypt, becoming the winner of the Roman civil war. In 30 BC, he was recognized as a "lifelong civilian protection officer", and was awarded the title of "Imperator" (also translated as "emperor") in 29 BC; in 28 BC, he was awarded the title of "Augustus" (meaning sacred greatness) by the Senate [2]. And reorganized the Roman government, bringing two centuries of peace and prosperity to the Roman world.
Octavian had successively obtained the titles of consul, protector of the people, and chief high priest. He was really the Roman emperor. In order to strengthen the rule, reform the army and implement the mercenary system; Establish a garrison to garrison Rome and Italy. Continue to expand outward, complete the conquest of Spain westward, and push northward to the Danube River and Rhine River. He is good at judging the situation, advancing and retreating in a methodical manner, dealing with matters tactfully and decisively, prudently and steadily. He adopted a series of domestic and foreign policies that were in line with the situation, creating a relatively stable political situation and laying the foundation for the prosperity of the early empire. He died on August 19, 2014.

Rise up and practice
Octavian has a good family background. Most of his ancestors are prominent nobles. He has held various official posts and has certain influence. Augustus was born in Rome, formerly known as Gaius Octavius Thurinus. His father, Gaius Octavius, came from a noble but unknown knightly family. Before his death in 58 BC, he was the governor of Macedonia. More importantly, his mother Atia was the niece of the greatest general and actual ruler of Rome, Gaius Julius Caesar. Caesar adopted Octavian and appointed him as the first heir by will [3].
Octavian
As Caesar's adopted son, according to Roman customs, Octavius therefore accepted a new name: Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later called "Octavius"). Since childhood, Octavian has studied public speaking and humanities diligently and accumulated rich knowledge [3]. He was also appointed captain of Caesar's cavalry for one year, and participated in the civil war between Caesar and Pompey. Later, Caesar sent Apollonia to receive education and military technical training, and was responsible for the Parthian army [4]. These exercises sharpened his will and character, made him familiar with the army, and laid a foundation for future military struggle.
In March 44 BC, when Caesar was assassinated, Octavian was in the army of Apollonia. He was eighteen years old, and those opponents often unconsciously despised the young man. Faced with the chaotic and dangerous situation, he did not escape or act recklessly and returned to Rome quickly. Caesar clearly adopted Octavian as his stepson and inherited his property in his will, but his relatives persuaded him to give up all this because they were afraid of Caesar's enemies, but he resolutely accepted Caesar's adoption. He repeatedly emphasized that he was Caesar's son to arouse people's favor with him, and changed his name to Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus [5]. This decisive decision won him the support of the Caesars and had an important impact on defeating the republicans. Because the Senate and the army have a large number of Caesar's old ministries, many people have also received the favor of Caesar, so Octavian's support has spared no effort, which is his unique advantage [6]. More importantly, Octavian's choice is a symbol of his entering the political arena and a prerequisite for winning the civil war.

After Caesar was assassinated, he marched to Italy and recruited Caesar's old army to expand. After arriving in Rome, he found that the capital was in the hands of Marcus Unius Brutus and Cassius, the republicans who murdered Caesar. At the beginning of the Civil War, Octavian failed to win Anthony's support, and turned to the Senate by taking advantage of the contradiction between the Senate and Anthony. He won the support of the Senate by pleasing Cicero, won the battle of Mutina (the battle of Mutina) with the consul, and then forced the Senate to elect himself consul. At this time, Brutus and Kasiyo, who fled to the east, quickly recruited more than 90000 soldiers, a large number of ships and money through their expansion in Syria and Macedonia, and were ready to march into Rome at any time. The decisive battle between the Caesars and the Republics was tense. Anthony quickly joined forces with Leipida, Plunka and other Caesar generals. Octavian also realized that he had to unite with Caesar, and tried to reconcile with Anthony through various ways. In November 43 BC, Octavian, Antony and Leibida formally established the Rear Triumvirate Alliance. At the end of November, the last three soldiers entered Rome, issued the "public enemy declaration", cleaned up the murderer and personal political enemies who killed Caesar, and took the opportunity to accumulate wealth. In 43 BC, Octavian and Antony completely defeated the republicans in the battle of Philippi, and Octavian achieved the goal of revenge for Caesar [7]. Octavian's army won, while Brutus and Cassius committed suicide (42 BC). So Octavian returned to Rome, and Anthony went to Egypt at the same time.
In 42 BC, Pompey cut off the overseas supply of goods to Rome, which caused the food price in Rome to soar, resulting in famine and chaos, and Octavian was blamed by the people. With the support of Anthony and Leibida, he finally defeated Pompey Jr. (Battle of Narohos Cape) through hard work. The restoration of the peace on land and at sea, which has been destroyed for a long time, has won widespread praise from the people. Later, he sent people to eliminate the thieves in Italy and Rome and stabilize the social security. He fulfilled the duties of consul conscientiously and settled the demobilized soldiers properly, which stabilized the society and promoted the recovery and development of the rural economy. In addition, he repaired or built temples to provide jobs for the unemployed. In terms of border affairs, he sent people to restore order in Afrika, Aosta Valley and other places, and conquered Illyria. These achievements and victories greatly enhanced Octavian's prestige, and people even elected him as a lifelong civil servant. Getting the support of the people, winning the support of the whole Italy, and then making use of the unified institutions of the Roman state is not only a way for Octavian to improve his own strength, but also a powerful means for him to attack his opponents, which is mainly reflected in his fight with Anthony.
Battle of Aktium
Anthony is Octavian's strongest opponent and his most important ally. Antony was a famous general with outstanding military achievements under Caesar, and had an extraordinary influence in the army and civilians. The union with Anthony was an important condition for Octavian to defeat the republicans and eliminate Pompey. However, on the issue of seizing the highest power in Rome, there are irreconcilable contradictions between them. The battle of Philippians made the conflict between them gradually fierce. After the signing of the peace treaty of Tallington, Octavian was in charge of the west of Rome, while Antony was in charge of the east. Their comprehensive forces were equal. Anthony's losing popularity is the key reason for his failure, and it is also an important condition for Octavian to win gradually. In 35 BC, Anthony destroyed the remnants of Pompeii who had fled to the East and executed him, which made him the sworn enemy of those who supported Pompeii. In 37 BC, Anthony formally married Cleopatra VII (Cleopatra VII), the queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, and publicly announced that he would give Libya, Phoenicia, Syria, Silesia, Amelia and the unconquered Parthia to the queen of Egypt and Antoni's children. His actions seriously violated the customs of Rome, damaged the interests of the Roman people, and aroused strong dissatisfaction of the Roman people. Octavian took the opportunity to dramatize this. In 32 BC, Octavian published Anthony's will to the public. Antony affirmed the legitimacy of Caesarion in his will, and clearly wanted to pass on the provinces in the east of Rome to Cleopatra VII. This caused the public indignation of the Roman people, who deprived Anthony of all his powers and declared him a public enemy. At the same time, the Roman people swore allegiance to Octavian [7].
Anthony was busy with the war in the East and his romance with Cleopatra; Octavian won popular support, consolidated power and slandered Anthony in Rome: Anthony is more and more like an Egyptian than a Roman. The situation is getting more and more tense. Finally, in 32 BC, Octavian declared war on Anthony. It was soon clear that Octavian defeated Antony in the Archium Bay on the west bank of Greece. Antony fled to Egypt, fought Octavian again, lost again, and finally committed suicide. Cleopatra committed suicide. Little Caesar was ruthlessly killed by Octavian, so as not to affect his only inheritance status as Caesar.

After the Battle of Aktiem, Octavian had cleared all obstacles to his progress. After many years of civil war, Rome almost became a country without laws, but Rome was unwilling to accept an autocratic monarch. Octavian is very clever. First, he disbanded the army and held elections. As a result, Octavian was elected consul, the highest administrator of the Roman Republic. In 27 BC, he declared on official occasions that he would return the Senate and let his forces withdraw from Egypt. The Senate not only refused his request, but also granted him the right to rule Spain, Gaul and Syria, the three richest provinces in Rome. Then the Senate awarded him the title of "Augustus". This title is related to ancient religions. It is said that its etymology is "authoritas" and it is related to the spiritual practices of the observer (augur). In the religious belief of the people at that time, this title meant that the holder had authority beyond human beings and no statute could define the nature of his status. In addition, this special method used to consolidate Octavian's power also made the coming monarchy separate from the terrorist rule when he was an individual. In addition, he was also recognized as an officer of lifelong protection of the people and a chief sacrificial priest in religious affairs, and was awarded the "father of the country", "great marshal" and other lofty honors. He also modestly called himself the first citizen of Rome, the Fuehrer [8].
These things were extraordinary in the Roman political tradition. However, the senate at that time was no longer the senate of the nobles who assassinated Caesar in the past. Anthony and Octavian cleaned up the dissident forces in the Senate and spread their followers all over the Senate. Octavian understood that the consul did not guarantee his absolute power. In 23 BC, he resigned from the consulship and accepted the other two posts.
One is the tribunicia potestas, so they can intervene in the senate at will and make decisions before the senate. Because the civil affairs are usually dealt with by the civil protection officials, this further consolidated his power.
The other is the "supreme authority", which gives him the supreme authority in any matter of territorial management. It is generally believed that Augustus put on the yellow robe in 23 BC. However, he still uses the title of Princeps. In 13 BC, Leipida died and Augustus added the Pontifex Maximus [9].
Ruling Rome
Augustus seized power by his bold hand and ruled Rome with his prudent wisdom. Rome gave him almost absolute power. He gave Rome 40 years of domestic peace and sustained growth of prosperity, known as "Pax Romana" in history. He founded the first standing army (including the navy) in Rome and stationed the corps on the border to prevent them from interfering in internal affairs. In addition, the Praetorian Guard was established to garrison the capital and defend the emperor himself. He also reformed the financial and tax system in Rome [10].
Augustus did not launch a large-scale war. The Northern Spanish Mountain Campaign from 26 BC to 19 BC ended with a successful conquest of the region. After the repeated riots in Gaul, Arping region was also conquered. The territory of Rome extended to the natural territory of the Danube, and Galatia was occupied by Rome. In 9 AD, Teutonburg Forest ambush defeated Rome. Since then, Rome's expansion to the west of Germany has stopped. After that, he accepted the Rhine as the final boundary of the empire. In the east, Rome annexed Armenia and the Caucasus, while expansion stopped at the border of the Parthian Empire.

In terms of internal affairs, Augustus used the huge wealth gathered from the empire to provide the army with favorable treatment; He decorated the capital and entertained the citizens of Rome. He boasted that "a brick city has become a marble city in my hands". He built the new Curia, the Temple of Apollo and the Temple of Julius. He also built shrines near the Circus Maximus. It is reported that the Capitoline Temple and Pompeii Theatre (not named at the time of construction) were both built by Augustus. It established the Ministry of Transport and completed a huge transportation network, which promoted the communication, trade and postal services of the empire. Augustus also established the world's first fire brigade. It also established a regular police force in Rome. Roman rulers were generally ignorant of economics, and Augustus was no exception. Roman emperors, including Augustus, spent heavy taxes on agriculture on troops, temples and entertainment. Once the empire stopped expanding and there was no loot, the economy began to stagnate and eventually declined. From this perspective, the rule of Augustus is the highest point of imperial power and prosperity. Augustus tried to rehabilitate agriculture by resettling veteran farmers, but with little success. The capital still depends on food imported from Egypt.
Augustus strongly encouraged the worship of Roman gods, especially Apollo. He described the victory of Rome over Egypt as the victory of the Roman God over the Egyptian God. His patronage of Virgil, Aenead, was designed to enhance the prestige of the Roman ancestors. Augustus also rectified the world style and praised marriage, family and procreation; Attack luxury, luxurious marriage, promiscuity and adultery.
Augustus was also a protector of literature and art. He won the support of the masses by entertaining and celebrating his own and his family's festivals. When Augustus died, it was impossible for Rome to return to the Republic. The only question was who would succeed him.

The power control of Augustus was so absolute that he was allowed to designate successors on his own. The democratic habits of Rome since the establishment of the Republic had been abandoned and ridiculed. At first, he wanted to marry his sister's son, Marcellus, who had married Julia Caesaris, the daughter of Augustus. However, Malkelus died of food poisoning in 23 BC. Later, historians criticized the poisoning incident and its subsequent death because Augustus' wife Livia poisoned him, but it could not be proved to be true.
After the death of Marcellus, Augustus married his daughter to his right-hand man, Marcus Agrippa. They had five children, three sons and two daughters: Gaius Caesar, Lucius Caesar, Vipassania Julia, Grand Agrippina, and Postumus Agrippa. These children were so named because they were born after the death of Marcus Agrippa. When Augustus adopted the first two children as his own sons, he clearly planned to make them his successors. Augustus loved his adopted son very much. The children born from their first marriage to Livia, Nero Claudius Dulusus Germanicus and Tiberius Claudius, Augustus also put them in high position and asked them to conquer a large part of Germany.
After Agrippa's death in 12 BC, Livia's son Tiberi divorced his wife and married Agrippa's widow. Tiberi shared the right to protect the people of Augustus, but soon retired. After the death of Guy and Lucie in 4 and 2 BC respectively, and the death of his brother Dulusus (9 BC), Tiberi was recalled to Rome and adopted by Augustus.
On August 19, AD 14, Augustus died. Bostus Agrippa and Tiberi were once designated as joint successors. However, Bostomus was exiled and soon executed. It is not known who ordered his execution, but for Tiberi, it cleared the way for him to inherit power.

military
Octavian fought many victorious battles in the Civil War, which is not unrelated to his ruling characteristics. First of all, as a highly developed slavery country at that time, Rome had a very high economic level, material wealth, and a thriving population. The physical quality of the army was naturally beyond his reach. On this basis, Octavian pays attention to the training of the army. After years of campaigning, the army has rich fighting experience, excellent fighting strategies and high physical fitness, which makes other armies retreat. In addition, Octavian attaches importance to the purchase and improvement of military equipment, which provide a material basis for the combat effectiveness of the military. In addition, Octavian himself has a wise mind and is familiar with military strategies. Be able to provide effective solutions for different struggles. In terms of terrain observation, Octavian is good at investigating favorable terrain, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the garrison position, and making the army occupy all "advantages". Finally, Octavian has rich military strategies and can provide a variety of operational methods. It is not limited to traditional operational methods, has strong execution ability and firm goals. Therefore, this is an offensive annihilation strategy characterized by active progress, resolute action and annihilation of the enemy's effective strength. In terms of military strategy, Octavian is good at adopting the strategy of differentiation and isolation. He uses extraordinary tactics to make the number large. At the same time, in order to isolate and divide the enemy, Octavian uses strategies and tactics to disintegrate other tribes that have an advantage in number but have no idea [11].
In 27 BC, the Senate granted him the "provincial military supervision authority" in Syria, near Spain and Shanbei Gaul, where most of his troops were stationed, for a period of 10 years, and later this period was extended. Octavian gradually established strict discipline in the army by virtue of its excellent organizational talent and introduction of a relatively determined remuneration system. "He made the command organization of the army completely subordinate to the head of state. All soldiers must realize that only Augustus can command the army, and only he can decide the promotion and retirement of everyone. [12] All officers in service are his subordinates.
Under Octavian, Rome was equipped with a standing army. In addition, Octavian also created the security of the imperial guard system. Finally, Octavian reformed the military system, and from then on the Roman army became famous in the world [11].
Politics
Focus on the people
Although Octavian attached great importance to military rule, he also carried out a policy of being close to the people and a policy of benevolence among the people, which won the hearts of the people of the Roman Empire. The people have been the foundation of the country since ancient times. Even though Octavian's accession to the throne reflects his own ability, it is the people's hope for a peaceful era.
During the Roman Civil War, Octavian carried out the policy of benevolence and justice. The policy is mainly manifested in the following aspects: First, Octavian amnesty abolished some special instructions, and the people were given a comfortable living environment and no longer worried about the war, which captured the hearts of many people. Secondly, Octavian's character during his rule was that he dared to delegate power. He "handed over the provinces and the army to the salary class at the obedient point for management, so as to successfully standardize them". Third, Octavian is good at making diplomatic relations with other countries. For Italy and other countries that participated in the Egyptian War, he "helped them with gifts, beautified them with new buildings, and designed a method of mailing stamps for them. [13]"

The economic development of Rome also needed to rely on the matching political system. In the Roman Empire at that time, the original political system had become a fetter of economic development, limiting economic progress. Octavian, taking into account the interests involved, reformed the political system. Octavian created the head of state system in the Roman Empire, and carried out dictatorship in military, economic, religious and other aspects, which is also known in history as "the monarch in the cloak of democracy". With the implementation of the head of state system, the economy of the Roman Empire made rapid progress and complied with the development of the times. The Roman Empire became one of the few powerful empires in the world in a certain period. This is not only the foresight of a monarch, but also the wise move of a generation of heroes [11].
Octavian's head of state system is a building of about a new type of state management institution built on the ruins of the republican system. While transforming the old institutions and making use of the old ones, he gave them many new powers. In the central government of Rome, a force system with the head of state as the center was formally formed, which is the fundamental difference between the head of state system and the republican system An important institution subordinate to the Head of State is the Head of State Advisory Meeting, which is composed of senior officials and fifteen senators. It is dedicated to discussing and preparing draft resolutions submitted to the Senate. It usually provides advice for the Head of State, but it has many randomness. It is a temporary institution, and the participants change at any time due to different needs of the Head of State. There is also a complex administrative organ under the Head of State, which includes the Central General Office subordinate to the Head of State and many of its official positions. The General Office of the Central Committee is an organization dealing with Octavian's family affairs, including consumer managers, secretaries, doctors, chefs, etc. Other scattered institutions include the Food Supply Committee, the Highway Committee, the Supply and Demand Committee, and the River Management Committee [14].
local administration
Among the local organizations in Rome, the functions of provinces are crucial. Provinces refer to areas conquered by the Romans and enjoy many autonomy. During the period of the head of state system, the provincial management institutions were strengthened and improved. Octavian handed over the provinces that conquered earlier, were more stable and romanized to the Senate, and those provinces that conquered later and were more turbulent to the Senate. The provincial governor is the chief executive of the province, whose main duties are to collect taxes and implement justice. Under the Governor, there is a team that cooperates with the Governor to complete management tasks. They are part-time administrators, just like amateur administrators. The appointment of this small leading group is mostly completed by the Governor himself. In addition to the Governor and a team, there is also a very important official position in the province - Financial Inspector, which is a permanent official position and is responsible for supervising the financial and tax work of the Governor. Another important administrative organ in the province is the provincial council, whose functions include two aspects: one is to hold religious ceremonies and perform the task of head worship; The second is to monitor provincial governors, which is probably the intention of the head of state to set up parliament [15].
society
Octavian has also played a positive role in city-state construction and facility construction. In the city of Rome, Octavian renovated the capital, set up many entertainment activities, and enriched the spare time life of CAAC. Octavian proudly said: "A brick city has become a marble city in my hands.". [16] In addition, Octavian built a new senate chamber, Apollo Temple and Julius Temple.
In terms of urban transport, Octavian created the Ministry of Transport and developed a large and convenient transport network in combination with urban planning. This great measure will make great progress in communication in Rome. Since then, Rome is no longer a closed city, but a prosperous metropolis extending in all directions. Finally, Octavian created a regular police force in the city-state to maintain the social order under the prosperity of the city-state [17].
Culture
Octavian's protection of Roman culture reached an unprecedented height. During his reign, Octavian protected poets, artists, sculptors and architects. With the support of Octavian, this reign became the golden age of Roman culture [11].