- Mark Antony and Caesar's adopted son Gaius Octavius (later known as Augustus) formed an alliance to secure power.
- Mark Antony and Octavian (Second Triumvirate) defeated the assassins of Julius Caesar at the battle of Philippi in 42 BCE.
- They divided up the Roman world: Octavian took the West, Antony the East.
Cleopatra and Mark Antony
- While in Alexandria, Mark Antony became close to Cleopatra, and they had several children.
- Octavian saw this relationship as a threat. He declared war on Cleopatra in 31 BCE, and defeated her and Antony at the Battle of Actium.
- Cleopatra and Antony committed suicide.
Octavian becomes first emperor of Rome
- With Cleopatra's defeat, Octavian was now the sole ruler of Rome.
- He became the first Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar, in 27 BCE.
- Augustus established the Roman Empire and brought an end to the civil wars.