He allied himself with Mark Antony, by which it was agreed that they would control the affairs of Rome. It was not long till Augustus and Antony did not see eye to eye. Augustus soon won over his troops and the Romans by convincing them that Antony was plotting with Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, and in 31 B.C his forces defeated those of Antony at the battle of Actium . As a result Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide. .
Now Augustus has a great task in his hands. The task of transforming a state won military force into a stable political system1. At the outset he carefully preserved all traditions offices while gradually taken over some of them himself2. Political development of Augustus was about to take place. The fact that the Republic needed a guiding hand was beyond doubt. The old system had failed completely and, if reinstated, would do so again. In the wake of Augustus, however, there was work to be done. After taking Egypt and settling affairs there, Octavian stayed away from Rome. For the most part, Antony's arrangements were left in place, as long as old loyalties were suitably redirected. Octavian returned to Rome. .
After a show of reluctance, Octavian graciously accepted a share in the running of the state. Julius Caesar Octavianus now became Caesar Augustus . Augustus chose to express his powering through the art of titles such as princes not dictator, other honours carried more symbolic meaning but they were no less significant for that: they helped establish Augustus's pre-eminent place in the state and craft the beginnings of an Augustan ideology. By means of this settlement, Augustus was simultaneously commander, leader and saviour. .
The structure of the Augustan princeps was a deception. But, like any successful deception, it was one that people could believe in. Above all, there was political genius in Augustus's slow and careful gaining of authority in every area of public life.
