Augustus Caesar

-63 – 14

Caesar Augustus, born Gaius Octavius and known as Octavian before his transformation, was the founder of the Roman Empire and its first emperor from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He came to power through the proscriptions of the Second Triumvirate, which executed thousands of his political enemies and confiscated their estates, and he ended the Roman Republic by accumulating the formal powers of consul, tribune, and imperator into the office of princeps. His reign initiated the deification of the emperor and the imperial cult that would shape Roman politics and Western political theology for centuries.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM