For those of us who have been speculating about how Octavius managed to take power in Rome despite his young age and inexperience, I would recommend a very good new book, “ Rubicon”, by Tom Holland. The answer seems to be, with a great deal of high powered help, and brute force.

Caesar’s death left Mark Anthony in unofficial, and illegal, control of Rome and with a great many powerful enemies. It was they who decided the only hope of breaking Mark Anthony’s control was Caesar’s son. Even Cicero pled for the senate to give special honors to Octavian.

Meanwhile Octavian was making his moves; he paid all of Caesars minor legacies out of his own pocket, as Mark Anthony still held Caesar’s treasure. This made him immensely popular with the people and, in particular, the veterans of Caesar’s armies. He than proceeded to hire a “bodyguard” of 3000 men.

While the senate fulminated, Octavian performed the same trick that Caesar had pulled with Pompey, by making an alliance with Mark Anthony which instantly gave him 5 legions.

In Late July, a centurion from Octavian’s new army appeared in the senate house and demanded that Octavian be given the consulship. When the senate refused, the centurion pulled a sword from under his cloak and said, “ Then this will”. With close to 30 thousand of Octavian’s soldiers at the walls of Rome, he was given whatever he wanted.

Octavian was far from a dumb little pretty boy, but he could not have done it on his own. The senate had missed the danger to the republic which Octavian represented and never anticipated his brilliant volto face which destroyed it.

The book is a superb consise of the end of The Roman Republic.