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{{Infobox royalty
| name            = Augustus Caesar
| title           = [[Princeps]] 
| succession      = [[Roman Emperor]]
| image           = Statue-Augustus.jpg
| caption         = The statue known as the [[Augustus of Prima Porta]], 1st century
| successor       = [[Tiberius]]
| spouse          = {{ubl|Clodia Pulchra (43 – 40 [[BC]])|Scribonia (40 – 38 BC)|Livia Drusilla (38 BC – 14 AD)}}
| issue           = [[Julia the Elder]]
| house-type      = Imperial Dynasty
| father          = Natural: Gaius Octavius;<br /> Adoptive: [[Julius Caesar]] (in 44 BC)
| mother          = Atia Balba Caesonia
| birth_date   = {Start date and age{{!}}63 BC{{!}}09{{!}}23}
| death_place  = [[Nola]], [[Italy]], [[Roman Empire]]
| burial_place = [[Mausoleum of Augustus]], Rome
| heir            =
| royal house     = [[Julio-Claudian dynasty|Julio-Claudian]]
||regnal name=Imperator Caesar Augustus Princeps Civitatis}}
{{infobox
| image            = [[File:Rmn-social-header-1-.svg|245px]]
| data1            = These articles cover '''[[Ancient Rome]]''' and the fall of the [[Roman Republic|Republic]]
| header2          = 
| data3            = '''[[Roman Republic]]''', '''[[First Triumvirate]]''', '''[[Assassination of Julius Caesar]]''', '''[[Mark Antony]]''', '''[[Cleopatra VII|Cleopatra&nbsp;VII]]''', '''[[Pompey]]''',
'''[[Cicero]]''', '''[[Second Triumvirate]]'''
}}

'''Augustus''' ({{lang-la|Imperator Caesar Dīvī Fīlius Augustus}}; 23 September 63 [[BC]] – 19 August 14 [[AD]]) was the first [[Roman Emperor|Roman]] Emperor, ruling from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He led Rome in its transition from the [[Roman Republic]] to the [[Roman Empire]].

When Julius Caesar was assassinated, Augustus and his allies fought against the assassins and defeated them. Later, Augustus fought against his allies and defeated them.

==Life==
'''Octavian''', as he was originally called, was the adopted son of the [[dictator]] of the [[Roman Republic]], [[Julius Caesar]]. Octavian came into power in the [[Second Triumvirate]]. This was three men ruling over the Roman Republic: [[Mark Antony]], [[Lepidus]] and Octavian.

All three were loyal to Julius Caesar, who was killed in 44 BC. Following his death a civil war broke out across Rome, between those loyal to Caesar, and the conspirators, led by two of Caesar's assassins, [[Brutus]] and [[Cassius]].

At first, Octavian was the junior partner in the triumvirate. Lepidus was more experienced in government, and Mark Antony was a fine military leader. The triumvirate defeated Brutus and Cassius at the [[Battle of Philippi]], 42 BC, largely due to Antony's leadership. Then they split the leadership of the Republic into three. Antony took the east, Lepidus took [[Spain]] and part of [[North Africa]], and Octavian took [[Italy]].

Antony followed in Caesar's footsteps by going to [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] and becoming [[Cleopatra VII|Cleopatra's]] lover. They had three children together. His absence from Rome allowed the intelligent Octavian to build up support.

The triumvirate broke up in 33 BC, and disagreement turned to [[civil war]] in 31 BC. Antony was defeated by Octavian at the [[navy|naval]] [[Battle of Actium]] and then at [[Alexandria]]. He committed [[suicide]], as did his lover, [[Cleopatra VII]] of [[Egypt]], in 30 BC. Lepidus was sidelined, blamed for a revolt in [[Sicily]], and removed from the government. He died peacefully in exile in Circeii in Italy in the year 13 BC.

After winning the power struggle, Octavian was voted as Emperor by the [[Roman Senate|Senate]] in 31 BC. He took the name "Augustus" (which meant 'exalted'). He ruled until AD 14,<ref>{{cite book |title=Selections from Greek and Roman historians |last=Robinson Jr. |first=C.A. |year=1964  |publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston |chapter=Introduction |pages=xxix}}</ref> when his stepson and son-in-law [[Tiberius]] became Emperor in his place.

During his reign, some of those who were against his government were murdered (especially those senators who wanted to keep the Roman Republic). He promised to make Rome a Republic again, but instead proclaimed himself High Priest (''[[Pontifex Maximus]]''). Many temples in the provinces set up statues of him as one of their gods. The name of the month "August" in English (and many other European languages) comes from him.

His main accomplishment was the creation of the [[Roman Empire]], a political structure that lasted for nearly five centuries more. He first recruited and set up the [[Praetorian Guard]].

== Ancient sources ==
Historians often use the [[Res Gestae Divi Augusti]] as a source for Augustus. It was written by him as an inscription on his tomb which recorded all his achievements.

The historian [[Tacitus]] gives an anti-Augustan perspective, but he was opposed to emperors in general, being a senator. Meanwhile, many works written during his rule were written to flatter Augustus ([[propaganda]]). Some examples of writers like these are [[Velleius Paterculus]], [[Virgil]], and [[Ovid]]. The most famous work of Augustan propaganda is the Virgil's [[Aeneid]]

[[Cassius Dio]] presents a quite impartial account of Augustus as emperor.

== Portraits ==
<gallery>
File:Château de Versailles, galerie des glaces, buste d'empereur romain 04 (Auguste).jpg|Bust of Augustus, [[palace of Versailles]], 17th century
File:Château de Versailles, cour de marbre, buste d'Auguste âgé, Vdse 108 02.jpg|Bust of Augustus in old-age, [[palace of Versailles]]
</gallery>

== References ==
{{commonscat|Augustus}}
{{reflist}}

{{Roman Emperors}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Augustus}}
[[Category:63 BC births]]
[[Category:14 deaths]]
[[Category:1st-century Roman emperors]]