Marc anthony rome biography
In the days of Julius Caesar, it was Marcus Antonius who was the second most powerful figure in Roman politics. He was a subordinate to Caesar in the command of his armies and he was an influential figure in Roman politics. By all rational expectations Antonius was the logical figure to succeed Caesar in power. As it turned out that was not to be. Caesar did not choose Antonius to be his heir, apparently knowing Antonius' flaws. Instead Caesar chose his great nephew, Octavian, a teenage student. Against all odds, 18 year old Octavian not only survived the power struggle with the politically and militarily experienced Antonius, who was in his forties, but defeated Antonius and went on to reorganize and rule the Roman empire for forty years. It reveals the astuteness of Julius Caesar's intellect that he chose Octavian to be his successor rather than Antonius.
Timeline
- BCE: Marcus Antonius was born the son of a military commander and the grandson of a noted Roman orator. His mother was related to the family of the Gaius Julius Caesare.
- BCE: Antonius was a cavalry commander for Roman military operations in Egypt and Judea.
- BCE: Antonius joined the military staff of Julius Caesar for the Roman conquest of central and northern Gaul.
- 51 BCE: Antonius became a quaestor in Roman government. This office was concerned with financial matters. This gave Antonius membership in the Roman Senate.
- 49 BCE: Antonius becomes a tribune of the people, an office with considerable political power, include veto power over legislation passed by the Senate.
Civil war breaks out between Caesar and his co-triumvir Pompey. Antonius flees Rome as a result of serious threats.
- BCE: Caesar make Antonius Master of Horse, military commander of the Roman military in Italy.
Marcus Antonius - 46 BCE: Caesar takes away Antonius' command in Italy because of dissatisfaction with his rule.
- 44 BCE: Antonius is elected one of the two cons
Marcus Antonius, known as Mark Antony, was born on January 14, 83 BCE, in Rome, to Marcus Antonius Creticus and Julia Antonia.
Despite his maternal connection to Julius Caesar, marking him as a member of the Julia gens, Antony&#;s status was plebeian.
His early years were marked by hardship, as his father&#;s death and his mother&#;s second husband&#;s financial misfortune left Antony and his brothers on the streets of Rome.
In 57 BCE, Antony embarked on a lifelong military career, remaining in the army until the end of his days.
His marriages, governed by both Roman and Egyptian law, included unions with four Roman women and Cleopatra, sealing an alliance with Octavian through his marriage to Octavia in 40 BCE.
As a plebeian, Antony assumed the office of &#;Tribune of the Plebs&#; in 49 BCE, but swift expulsion from Rome followed a week later.
Mark Antony was appointed governor of Italy when Caesar became Dictator for Life in 48 BC.
Antony&#;s oratory skills shone during Caesar&#;s funeral, inciting a riot that forced Brutus and Cassius to flee.
Family played a significant role in Antony&#;s life, with five children from Roman marriages and three from Cleopatra.
The fate of his sons with Cleopatra remains unclear, but his daughter, Cleopatra Selene, married King Juba II of Numidia.
Mark Antony, owing to his plebeian background, fostered strong connections with his troops.
His political choices, such as ordering Cicero&#;s death in 43 BCE, showcased the complexity of his character.
In a tragic end, Antony and Cleopatra chose suicide in Alexandria, with Antony opting for the traditional Roman method of impaling himself with a gladius sword, while Cleopatra either ingested poison or succumbed to a snakebite.
Mark Antony: Early Life and Alliance with Julius Caesar
Marcus Antonius was born in Rome in 83 B.C., the son of an ineffective praetor (military commander) and grandson of a noted consul and orator, both of whom shared his given name. After a largely misspent youth, he was sent east as a cavalry officer, where he won important victories in Palestine and Egypt. In 54 B.C. he went to Gaul to join his mother’s cousin Julius Caesar as a staff officer. In 49 B.C. he was elected a tribune and served as a staunch defender of Caesar against his rivals in the Senate.
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Did you know? Although Mark Antony died fighting Octavian's efforts to become Rome's sole dynastic monarch, three of the first five Roman emperors—Caligula, Claudius and Nero—were Antony’s direct descendants.
During Caesar’s first yearlong dictatorship, Antony was his second-in-command. By 48 B.C. he was in Greece, supporting Caesar’s left wing at the Battle of Pharsalus. A year later, Antony’s violent expulsion from the Senate by anti-Caesar factions gave Caesar’s legion a rallying point as they crossed the Rubicon River, igniting the Republican Civil War. When Caesar assumed his fifth and final consulship in 44 B.C., Antony was his co-consul.
As the Ides of March approached, Antony heard rumors of a plot against Caesar but was unable to warn him in time. Antony fled Rome dressed as a slave but soon returned to protect his friend’s legacy from the senators who had conspired against him. He took charge of Caesar’s will and papers and gave a stirring eulogy for the fallen leader.
Mark Antony and Octavian
In his will Caesar had bequeathed his wealth and title to his posthumously adopted son Octavian. Antony was reluctant to hand his old friend’s legacy to an year-old, and quickly became a rival to the future emperor. In 43 B.C. their armies first clashed. Antony was driven back at Mutina and Forum Gallorum, but had proved a formidable enough leader that Octavian pr
Mark Antony
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Who Was Mark Antony?
Mark Antony, Roman politician and general, was an ally of Julius Caesar and the main rival of his successor Octavian (later Augustus). The passing of power between the three men led to Rome's transition from a republic to an empire. Antony's romantic and political alliance with Egyptian queen Cleopatra became his downfall.
Early Life
Mark Antony was born Marcus Antonius in Rome in 83 B.C. to a well-respected Roman family.
Promised an excellent education, his reckless behavior squandered much of that opportunity. Deep in gambling debt and pursued by creditors, Antony fled to Greece in 58 B.C. and took part in military campaigns in Judea, where he performed well.
With Julius Caesar
Between 52 and 50 B.C., Mark Antony was assigned as a staff officer to Julius Caesar in Gaul and was instrumental in helping bring the province under Rome's control. Upon returning from Gaul, Antony was appointed tribune, representing the interests of the people. His success and popularity helped him gain support for his benefactor, Caesar, who was being challenged by members of the Roman Senate.
As pressure increased against Caesar, Mark Antony joined his mentor in Gaul and engaged in a series of battles between Caesar and Pompey. Antony again helped Caesar defeat his enemies and he returned to Rome as Caesar's second in command. Having amassed a great deal of power, in 45 B.C., Caesar was designated dictator for one year.
Caesar's actions led many to believe he was positioning himself to become king. A plot to assassinate him emerged, and on March 15, 44 B.C., he was killed in the Roman Senate. Antony was next in line to Caesar but was challenged by Octavian, Caesar's nephew and adopted son, who claimed he was heir to Caesar's rule.
The Second Triumvirate
Caesar's death brought a chaotic grab for power among several factions. As Mark Antony pursued Caesar's killers in Gaul, Octavian's armies scored a series of victories against Antony
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