TheSecond Triumvirate was a political alliance that formed in the Roman Republic in 43 BC. This alliance brought together Mark Antony, Octavius and Lepidus as Roman rulers and aimed to ensure stability for the republic. This triumvirate was formed as a result of the assassination of Julius Caesar, which had taken place a year earlier.
The first moments of the Second Triumvirate were marked by persecution against those who had conspired to assassinate Julius Caesar, especially Cassius and Brutus. Afterwards, it became a great stage for the dispute between Mark Antony and Octavius for Roman power. It ended in 32 BC, with the beginning of the war between Octavius and Mark Antony, from which Octavius emerged as the victor.
Learn more: Roman Empire — the period of Roman history beginning with the end of the Second Triumvirate
Summary on the Second Triumvirate
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The Second Triumvirate was a political alliance that was formed to ensure the stability of the Roman Republic.
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Formed by Mark Antony, Lepidus and Octavius in 43 BC
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They had the power to govern the republic for a period of five years.
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Lepidus withdrew from the triumvirate in 37 BC
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In 32 BC, Mark Antony and Octavius went to war. This war was won by Octavius, who became Roman Emperor.
Context of the Second Triumvirate
The Second Triumvirate was the result of the crisis policy I achieved u the Republic R omana in the 1st century BC This crisis began with the assassination of Julius Caesar, Roman dictator, in 44 BC. His murder was the result of a conspiracy that involved the Roman Senate, in particular the likes of Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Julius Brutus.
Julius Caesar had established himself in power after emerging as the big winner in the war fought by members of the First Triumvirate Crassus and Pompey. The accumulation of Julius Caesar's powers bothered the Senate, which wanted the Roman government to return to the conventional molds of the republic. Themurder by Julius Caesar has contributed to the Republic R omana if destabilized .
This was because Julius Caesar was an extremely popular figure among the Roman soldiers and people, so s his death was met with dissatisfaction , and the conspirators, like Cassius and Brutus, were forced to flee to the eastern provinces of the Roman Republic. The Roman Senate wanted to grant amnesty to the conspirators, but it was soon realized that would not be possible.
How did the Second Triumvirate come about?
The assassination of Julius Caesar created a vacuum in Roman power, and soon the Republic entered a period of instability motivated by popular dissatisfaction. Thus, the solution found to solve the political problems was to form a new triumvirate , which brought together three very popular figures of that period. Two of them were people very close to Julius Caesar:Marco Antônio and Otávio. The third name of the Second Triumvirate was Lepidus.
This alliance was doomed to failure, as Mark Antony and Octavius each had an interest in becoming the sole Roman ruler. In addition, another important fact was the public enmity that existed between Marco Antônio and Otávio.
The Second Triumvirate was formalized in 43 BC, which took place through the Lex Auntie. With this law, Marco Antônio, Otávio and Lepidus were made official in power for a period of five years . They had broad powers and could even pass laws without the need for Senate approval.
The emergence of the Second Triumvirate allowed a greatpersecution against the conspirators who organized the assassination of Julius Caesar if started. First, hundreds of senators were convicted of participating in the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. In addition, more than 2000 Roman knights were condemned.
The convictions were for execution, and this caused many of the convicts to flee desperately for their lives. Many abandoned their possessions, causing them to fall into the hands of the Roman government, which used the money raised to finance the persecution of Julius Caesar's opponents.
The persecution of the conspirators started a civil war that saw the triumvirate fight Cassius and Brutus, who had united in Asia Minor. This war was resolved at the Battle of Philippi, in which 110,000 soldiers led by Octavius and Mark Antony fought against 90,000 soldiers led by Cassius and Brutus.
The battle at Philippi lasted about 20 days. During this period, Casius and later Brutus committed suicide after suffering military defeats . With that outcome, revenge against Julius Caesar's assassins was complete.
See also: What were the institutions of the Roman Republic?
End of the Second Triumvirate
In 38 BC, the triumvirate was renewed for a further five-year term. The following year,Lepidus abandoned his post , as he had no ambitions for power, and his proximity to Mark Antony did not weigh in his favor.
The removal of Lepidus, which was due to pressure from Octavius, generated an increase in the rivalry between Mark Antony and Octavius, and Roman power was distributed as follows:Octavius ruled the portion western part of the republic and Mark Antony, the eastern portion.
The factor that led to the absolute break between Octavius and Mark Antony was the latter's marriage. In 40 BC, Mark Antony married Octavia, Octavius' sister, and had two daughters by her. The marriage took place for convenience and because both were already widowed at the time. However, when he got married with Otávio's sister Mark Antony already had an affair with Cleopatra .
Years later, in 32 BC, Mark Antony decided to put away his wife , ordering her to leave her home in Rome. He then made his relationship official with Cleopatra, known for being queen of Egypt. The war between Mark Antony and Rome began at this point.
In view of these events, Octavius mobilized the Roman Senate to turn against Mark Antony with the allegation that his involvement with the Egyptian queen cast doubt on his loyalty to the Roman Republic.
In effect, Octavius urged the Roman senators to turn against Mark Antony. In 32 BC, the Roman Senate declared war on Cleopatra . The following year, a great battle took place in Actium.
This naval battle was marked by the destruction of the Egyptian fleet, which facilitated an invasion of Egypt. When this happened, Marco Antônio was left with no way out and decided to commit suicide. Cleopatra did the same a while later.
With his victory, Octavius established himself as a Roman ruler , receiving the title of Augustus and being recognized as Roman Emperor. This determined the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the imperial phase. Otávio's government was marked by being extremely prosperous and stable.