It’s first important to note what the word ‘Princeps’ means. It comes from ‘Princeps Senatus’, meaning ‘First among equals’, which gave an individual the privilege of being the first to speak in the Senate and being the first name on the roster. This title was used officially by Augustus (then Octavian) because it had no royal connotations. In actuality, Augustus had auctoritas (‘authority’) far greater than that of merely a Princeps. He was an Emperor, but he did not explicitly say so, for his predecessor Julius Caesar had done similarly and as a consequence was assassinated by Senators for fear of his tyranny.
There have been many Roman generals in the past who have made the transition between oligarchy and autocracy seem seamless due to …show more content…
His power depended not on constitutional legality, but on the support of the army and people. Firstly, he ensured the loyalty of his soldiers by making them swear an oath every year that they would be loyal solely to Rome and not military commanders. This was called the sacramentum. According to the Res Gestae, Augustus dismissed as many as 300,000 troops from active service. Augustus originally had upwards of 53 legions; he merged them to only 23-28 legions in order to make them easier to manage, less expensive, and in lieu of the fact that he had relinquished many senatorial provinces in exchange for only a few imperial provinces in the First Settlement. He allowed anybody who wished to retire the right to do so, while keeping the willing men from both his and Antony's troops as part of a new standing army. The remaining legions would be paid a salary directly by the emperor, ensuring loyalty to Augustus, but after 6 AD payments were to come from a new public treasury called the aerarium militare, since funding from the general revenue became too expensive. Augustus would still inject a massive amount of his personal wealth into the treasury, which impressed his soldiers. Men who had been retired from service were given the customary grants of land, but after 14 BC Augustus instituted a retirement pension for the legions, granting cash payments. Initially the cost of paying for these pensions was too high to keep up, but Augustus …show more content…
One notable incident was with the politician named Cornelius Gallus, who after his distinguished role in the Battle of Actium was appointed governor of Egypt. Gallus had subdued a revolt in Thebes, and feeling pretty proud of himself he erected a monument to glorify his achievements. Augustus felt great disdain at this and saw it as a threat to his own self-aggrandised image, so he took away Gallus’ governorship of Egypt, causing him to take his own life in shame. Another example is when Crassus the Younger had defended Thrace from barbarian tribes and even defeated the tribal King in battle. He was to receive the most prestigious distinction, the spolia opima, but Augustus disallowed him from claiming it, downplaying the achievements of the individual as it would take attention away from Augustus’ own military prowess. Marcus Agrippa needs a mention also, for him and other generals did an amazing job at winning many of Augustus’ battles for him. Not many men had comrades like Agrippa at their side, and the victories won by Agrippa may have been paramount in Augustus attaining his image as a
There have been many Roman generals in the past who have made the transition between oligarchy and autocracy seem seamless due to …show more content…
His power depended not on constitutional legality, but on the support of the army and people. Firstly, he ensured the loyalty of his soldiers by making them swear an oath every year that they would be loyal solely to Rome and not military commanders. This was called the sacramentum. According to the Res Gestae, Augustus dismissed as many as 300,000 troops from active service. Augustus originally had upwards of 53 legions; he merged them to only 23-28 legions in order to make them easier to manage, less expensive, and in lieu of the fact that he had relinquished many senatorial provinces in exchange for only a few imperial provinces in the First Settlement. He allowed anybody who wished to retire the right to do so, while keeping the willing men from both his and Antony's troops as part of a new standing army. The remaining legions would be paid a salary directly by the emperor, ensuring loyalty to Augustus, but after 6 AD payments were to come from a new public treasury called the aerarium militare, since funding from the general revenue became too expensive. Augustus would still inject a massive amount of his personal wealth into the treasury, which impressed his soldiers. Men who had been retired from service were given the customary grants of land, but after 14 BC Augustus instituted a retirement pension for the legions, granting cash payments. Initially the cost of paying for these pensions was too high to keep up, but Augustus …show more content…
One notable incident was with the politician named Cornelius Gallus, who after his distinguished role in the Battle of Actium was appointed governor of Egypt. Gallus had subdued a revolt in Thebes, and feeling pretty proud of himself he erected a monument to glorify his achievements. Augustus felt great disdain at this and saw it as a threat to his own self-aggrandised image, so he took away Gallus’ governorship of Egypt, causing him to take his own life in shame. Another example is when Crassus the Younger had defended Thrace from barbarian tribes and even defeated the tribal King in battle. He was to receive the most prestigious distinction, the spolia opima, but Augustus disallowed him from claiming it, downplaying the achievements of the individual as it would take attention away from Augustus’ own military prowess. Marcus Agrippa needs a mention also, for him and other generals did an amazing job at winning many of Augustus’ battles for him. Not many men had comrades like Agrippa at their side, and the victories won by Agrippa may have been paramount in Augustus attaining his image as a