Williams 1

Aaron Williams
Western Civilization
Dr. Gilley
22 October 2013
Augustus Legal Changes during 20s B.C.E
During the middle and end of the first century B.C.E and into the first century C.E.
Augustus reigned over Rome and its territories, and during his time as a politician he and the
Senate was able to shape the government to basically a one man rule, ruled by him, all while
keeping most of the Roman citizens in blissful ignorance. The Senate wanted him in power
because he was a populare, meaning he looked out for the people of Rome, but he was able to
cooperate well with the Senate. Augustus was able to do all of this all while seeming to have a
consistent mos maorium, and received embrace from the Roman people for changing the Roman
culture for the better, though not everyone believed he was a good leader, he stretched and even
sometimes broke the constitution and was able to gain almost total control over Rome. Becoming
the supreme ruler was no overnight task though; he spent many years gaining the trust of
civilians and the Senate. The decade in which his power grew enormously was the 20s B.C.E.
By becoming the princeps; retaining consul imperium, even when he was not a consul; receiving
the tribunican power of veto; and being awarded imperium maius, Augustus became an
omnipotent ruler of Rome that no one could have stopped.
Augustus was definitely not the first to try to become an all-powerful ruler of Rome, but
he was the first to take a more strategic path. The leaders before him would try a swift take over
on Rome, or swift legislation that would make them the most popular Roman politician like
Gaius and Tiberius Girrachi trying to fix the Roman economy by redistributing public land, but
the fact they did it without cooperating with the Senate, greatly offended member of the Senate

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which lead to both of their deaths.1 Another example at a failed attempt of a swift takeover or
swift legislation is Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Sullas attempt at a takeover involved him taking his
Roman army and marching on Rome. Which was seen as a heinous act against mos maorium,
then forced the Senate to grant him dictatorship for life, an office which he only held for a couple
years.2 In opposition to these examples Augustus knew he had to do everything slowly and be
sure not to offend anyone along the way. It was said that Augustus motto was festina lente which
meant to make haste slowly.3 Augustus motto shows that he was prepared to slowly change the
government until he was able to control every aspect of it.
In 27 B.C.E., Octavian tried to give up his consulship after being a consul for four years, but due
to the overwhelming support from the Senate and the people of Rome, the Senate granted him
his new name, Augustus. Citizens of Rome embraced the end of the civil war, the great
abundance of food, and occasionally receiving money from the Roman government. This support
along with the Senate naming him princeps, which is a term meaning leading man of the state
lead to his control over the government of Rome.4 Since he was princeps, he was allowed to
speak first on any matter he wished in the Senate, which is a title that usually belonged to one of
the oldest members of the Senate. The power of princeps gave him enormous influence over the
Senate, even more than he had already had. Though he did accept these titles, he made sure that
no one ever called him a rex (king) or a dictator. Due to the fact that the Roman Senate had a
1 Ronald Mellor, Augustus and the Creation of the Roman Empire: a Brief History with Documents
(Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005), 3
2 Lynn Hunt et al., The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures: a Concise History, Fourth edition. ed.
(New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013), 160-161
3 Mellor 18-19
4 Mellor 19

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reputation of murdering emperors they felt were becoming kings, including Augustus uncle
Julius Ceaser who was murdered after the Senate believed he had commissioned for a crown. 5
Up until the end of the 20s everything was going fairly well for Augustus and his reign, until he
became extremely ill after returning from a campaign in Spain in 23 B.C.E. He became so ill that
he gave his papers and signet ring to Agrippa, a man who Augustus felt was the only man that
could keep the army together. After months of waiting on his death bed, Augustus had finally
become healthy again, and during his illness he had decided to make a few changes to the
government. First, he resigned his consulship, an office which he had held for nine consecutive
years. Augustus had realized he needed smart men to help him in the government, and since the
consulship was the highest rank a man could reach in politics, he was blocking the path for many
potential consuls. Even though he relinquished his office, he kept the power in a couple different
ways. He was able to retain his power of consul imperium and also took a newly devised
tribunican power, giving him the right to veto any legislation that he wanted. This power had
been adapted from the Tribunes, an office held almost exclusively by plebians. At the same time
the Senate also awarded him imperium maius, meaning the superior power to command, giving
Augustus power over all other consuls and proconsuls. Though he did not officially hold the
office of consul anymore he had the powers a consul had, and even more.6
Not everyone was blissfully ignorant of Augustus power over the Roman Empire. In fact around
22 B.C.E. a conspiracy had been uncovered, not much is known about the conspiracy since it
was poorly documented due to fear of more conspiracies or revolt. However it is known that a
consul and a member of the Senate had been executed for conspiracy against Augustus. This
5 Mellor 19
6 Mellor 21

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conspiracy is the only known large opposition of the Augustus reign, along with the periodical
execution, exile and suicides of people of the opposite political interests. However, Augustus
seemed to be tolerant of criticism from locals, one such instance Cremutius Cordus wrote a
republican version of the Roman history which he called Brutus: The last of the Romans.
Augustus did nothing to defend himself from this criticism, though Cordus would later be in
trouble with Augustus successor Tiberius.7
With all the laws Augustus passed and different powers he was granted throughout the
government one some of his biggest reforms involved religion and society, though he would not
allow himself to be granted pontifex maximmus, which is the high priest, until Lepidus died in 12
B.C.E. many were pleading for him to become high priest during the 20s B.C.E.8 Augustus
believed in a simple form of values, trying to be closer to his ancestors. He would walk around
public in normal clothes and acted like an everyday Roman citizen, urging others to not have a
fearful respect for him, but respect for his auctoritas, or his moral authority. Augustus had also
improved public safety and health, including adding fire departments, a police force, improving
the sewer system, and creating a way of disposing of animal and human corpses from the streets
of Rome.9 Also, he built many buildings during the 20s B.C.E, including a military training area,
a large open area for the military to train, a large family tomb for Augustus family, along with
several other communal buildings.10

7 Mellor 21-22
8 Mellor 27
9 Hunt 172-173
10 Mellor, 40

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During his long life of seventy-six years Augustus was able to transform the Roman government
and the entire Roman civilization exactly how he wanted it, being able to control every aspect of
government and society, with the majority of the Roman population praising him in the process.
Whether it was for better or worse, scholars will argue until the end of civilization, but one thing
is for certain, Augustus was one of the men to have the biggest impact on human civilization
throughout mankinds entire existence.