Augustus

Born Gaius Octavius into an equestrian family in 63 BC, he was nineteen when his great-uncle Julius Caesar was assassinated and left him everything in his will. He took the name, fought for the legions' loyalty, marched on Rome at twenty, and became the youngest consul in its history. He formed a triumvirate with Mark Antony and Marcus Lepidus to crush Caesar's killers at Philippi in 42 BC, then spent a decade dismantling his partners—exiling Lepidus in 36 BC, defeating Antony and Cleopatra at Actium in 31 BC. With Egypt his personal property and no rivals left, he struck a deal with the Senat…