Clash of the giants

FABIAN

Dear Anupa,

Marc Antony tried to step into Caesar's shoes and even sought to consolidate his position by falsifying the will. Meanwhile, it came to light that Caesar had named the 18-year-old Gaius Octavian, his sister's grandson, his heir. Antony was arrogant and proud. The senate did not approve of him, and his unpopularity was further increased by Cicero's series of orations known as the Philippics, named after the orations of Demosthenes against King Philip of Macedon.

A clash between Octavian, renamed Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian, and Marc Antony was inevitable. Cicero and the Senate lent their support to the younger man and in April 43, a senatorial coalition defeated Antony at Mutina (Modena, where Ferrari cars are made) and forced him withdraw beyond the Alps into what is now France.

Upon his return from Modena, Octavian asked the Senate to nominate him consul and he was snubbed. Octavian summoned Lepidus, one of Antony's lieutenants and despatched him to Antony to make peace with him. Thus was born the Triumvirate of Octavian, Antony and Lepidus.

Unlike Antony, Octavian was keen to avenge Caesar. Antony had to agree and 300 senators and 2,000 officials were put to death and their properties confiscated. A few of them killed themselves.

Antony made use of the occasion to wreak vengeance upon Cicero for his Philippics and much else. The great orator asked his servants to kill him.

Brutus and Cassius as governors of Macedonia and Syria respectively were busy plundering their provinces. The combined forces of Antony and Octavian administered a crushing defeat on the murderers of Julius Caesar at Philippi (Greece) in September 42.

Cassius made one of his attendants kill him using the same dagger which he had used on Caesar. Brutus ran away, but realising that there was no hope he threw himself on a friend's sword. Antony wept upon seeing the body of Brutus .

After Philippi, the Triumvirate divided the spoils. Octavian took Europe, Antony Egypt, Greece and the Middle East, leaving the Lepidus, the least of the three, Africa. Antony sent word to Cleopatra to come to him at Tarsus and answer the accusation that she had financed Cassius. Antony waited for the accused to appear. She arrived on a ship with red sails, a golden prow, a silver-plated keel and a crew composed of her maids, who thronged around Cleopatra dressed up as Venus, listening to the melodies from pipes and flutes. Antony sent for her and she replied that he was expected on board for dinner. Antony went in, the dinner began. By the time it ended he had promised her Phoenicia, Cyprus, parts of Arabia, Palestine and so on.

Antony's wife Fulvia, started a rebellion at Perugia against Octavian with support from Antony's brother - Lucius. Marcus Agrippa, suppressed the rebellion. Antony came to Rome and married Octavian's sister, and the second Triumvirate was established in B.C. 37. Antony took Octavia to Athens.

He who was interested only in Cleopatra sent Octavia back to Rome and went with his legions to Persia to put out a rebellion. Cleopatra joined him at Antioch. Antony pursued the enemy for hundreds of miles, declared a victory and held a triumph at Alexandria scandalising the Romans who believed that Rome was the only place to hold a triumph. Soon Antony divorced Octavia, married Cleopatra, endowed the two sons he had with her with the Middle East and named Caesarion (Cleopatra's son by Caesar) heir to the crown of Egypt and Cyprus.

It was inevitable that the clash between Antony and Octavian should come into the open. The decisive battle between Antony and Octavian which could no longer be postponed took place at Actium (Greece) in 31 B.C. and thanks to Marcus Agrippa, octavian won.

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