Marc Antony
Born, 82 B.C.: Died by suicide, 30 B.C.
A distant relative of Julius Caesar, Marc Antony became Caesar’s lieutenant in the conquest of Gaul. In 44 B.C., he headed a party suggesting that Caesar accept the title of king. Caesar rejected the offer, but those who opposed the idea feared he would ultimately accept. A conspiracy was formed and Caesar was assassinated. At Caesar’s funeral, Antony moved Roman sympathy against Brutus and the conspirators. What they hoped would be seen as deliverance from a tyrant became viewed as the assassination of a national hero.
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Those who sought to fill the vacuum of power included Antony, but no one was able to gain total power. After the Civil War, he ruled with Octavian and Lepidus as Rome’s Second Triumvirate. Though rule was vested in the trio, Octavian and Antony gave Lepidus a small governorship and divided the rest of the empire between themselves. Antony acquired Egypt and the eastern provinces while Octavian ruled the mainland.
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While in Egypt, Antony lived an opulent life with Cleopatra VII as his consort. In 34 B.C., he proclaimed her “Queen of Kings.” This was viewed by Octavian as a veiled preparation to move the capital from Rome to Alexandria. Antony further compounded their quarrel by divorcing Octavian’s sister as Cleopatra gained increasing influence over him.
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In 31 B.C., Marcus Agrippa, Octavian’s naval commander, defeated Antony’s navy at Actium. Octavian continued the land battle and took Alexandria a year later. Antony and Cleopatra then committed suicide.
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