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Caesar Augustus Facts & Worksheets

Caesar Augustus was the first Roman emperor who reigned from 27 BCE until 14 AD.

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Augustus was the first Roman emperor who reigned from 27 BCE until 14 AD. He led the change of Rome during the intense years following the assassination of Julius Caesar, his great-uncle and adoptive father.

See the fact file below for more information on Caesar Augustus or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Caesar Augustus worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Early Life

  • Augustus is also known as Augustus Caesar or Octavian. 
  • His original name is Gaius Octavius and his adopted name is Octavian. 
  • He was born on September 23rd 63 BCE in the city of Rome. 
  • Augustus came from a prosperous family at Velletri, southeast of Rome. 
  • His father was the first to become a Roman senator among their family. 
  • He was elected to the high annual office of the praetorship.
  • In 59 BCE, his father died when Augustus was just about four years old. 
  • His mother, Atia, married Lucius Marcius Philippus, the former governor of Syria. 
  • Augustus was raised by Julia, his grandmother and the sister of Julius Caesar. 

Introduction of Augustus to the Roman Empire

  • It was Julius Caesar who introduced Augustus to Roman public life. 
  • His grandmother died at around 52 or 51 BCE. 
  • At around 12 years old, he made his first public debut by delivering his funeral oration to his grandmother. 
  • After 4 years, Augustus wore the toga virilis which was considered as the Roman sign of manhood.
  • In 47 BCE, he was also elected to the College of Pontiffs. Augustus was supposed to accompany Julius Caesar to Hispania to fight Pompey, Julius’ late enemy, but he was ill.
  • When he finally recovered, he sailed but his ship got wrecked on his way.
  • When they reached the shore, he and some of his companions were forced to pass the territory of the enemies in order to reach and reunite with his great-uncle. 
  • Due to his courage and bravery, he was recognized by Julius Caesar to be his heir and successor. 

Conflict During the Death of Julius Caesar

  • In 44 BCE, Augustus was studying and military training in Apollonia, Illyria when he found out that Julius Caesar was murdered. 
  • Julius Caesar had no children so when Augustus returned to Italy, he was told that his great-uncle adopted him and made him his primary heir. 
  • He was advised not to accept the inheritance because he was too young and still unprepared to deal with Roman politics. 
  • Augustus only learned about the content of his great-uncle’s will when he arrived at Lupiae near Brundisium. 
  • By then, he finally decided to become Julius Caesar’s heir. 
  • Mark Antony, also known as Marcus Antonius, was Julius Caesar’s chief lieutenant.
  • According to him, Augustus only earned his adoption through sexual favors from Julius Caesar but this was not proven and said to be political slander as this was well-known during the Roman Republic to disgrace and dishonor political opponents. 
  • Mark Antony expected that he would be the principal heir of Julius Caesar. 
  • He had Julius Caesar’s documents and assets which were supposed to be given to Augustus but he refused to hand them over, including funds. 
  • This forced Augustus to fulfill Julius Caesar’s will to the Roman people by paying with whatever resources he could raise. 
  • His efforts to fulfill the will of Julius Caesar were seen by the people.
  • Augustus gained support among the troops of Julius Caesar. 
  • Mark Antony continued to refuse the will of the Senate. 
  • With the Senate and Cicero’s support, Augustus became a senator at a young age. 
  • The troops of Augustus and the senate’s troops that were in their command combined forces and were able to drive Mark Antony out of Italy. 
  • Despite this, Augustus refused for an all-out pursuit of Mark Antony.
  • He wanted an uneasy alliance with him. 

The Second Triumvirate

  • In 43 BCE, Augustus, Mark Antony, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus reached an agreement wherein on November 27, 43 BCE, they established the Second Triumvirate, which is the power sharing agreement that is divided among them. 
  • Mark Antony was given the east, Augustus the west, and Lepidus kept Africa. 
  • The pact lasted for five years and ended in 38 BCE. 
  • In 33 BCE, the second term of the triumvirate ended. 
  • Mark Antony had a romantic and political relationship with the queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, which continued even after he was forced to marry Augustus’ sister, Octavia Minor. 
  • Augustus had a temporary alliance with the son of Pompey the Great, Sextus Pompeius, by marrying his relative, Scribonia.
  • They had a daughter named Julia, but shortly after he divorced Scribonia and married Livia Drusilla in 38 BCE.
  • Lepidus was ousted after the renewal of triumvirate when he attempted to challenge Augustus. 
  • Mark Antony divorced Octavia in 32 BCE while he was still in an affair with Cleopatra.
  • Augustus accused Mark Antony of granting the Roman territory in the east to Cleopatra and revealed that he had plans on changing the capital of the city from Rome to Alexandria.
  • Augustus declared a battle for the control of Rome. 
  • Augustus and Anthony met at the Battle of Actium and had Cleopatra join. 
  • Augustus, with the help of the command of Agrippa, won the battle while Cleopatra and Mark Antony committed suicide.
  • Despite his victory, it still took a long time for Augustus to establish himself as the emperor and head of the Roman religion. 
  • His regime was known as principate and Augustus called himself “Princeps Civitas,” which means the First Citizen of the State, but he had his status maintained as a military dictator of Rome.

Legacy

  • Augustus finally became the emperor of Rome on January 16, 17 BCE under the name Imperator Caesar Augustus. 
  • He made more impact than his uncle Julius Caesar on the history of the Roman Empire. 
  • He was able to establish himself as the emperor, finally ending the Roman Republic. 
  • He expanded the Roman Empire and initiated an era of peace called the Pax Romana.
  • On August 19, 14 CE Augustus died in Nola near Naples, Italy.
  • It was believed that his wife, Livia, poisoned Augustus leading to his death. 
  • But at that time, the health of Augustus was not in a good condition already and had been declining for months. 
  • He had already made a smooth transition of power, making his son Tiberius his heir. 
  • Augustus’s famous last words were:

“I found Rome of clay; I leave it to you of marble.”

And for his friends who had stayed with him he added:

“Have I played the part well? Then applaud me as I exit.” 

  • The empire that Augustus established lasted for almost 1,500 years. 

Caesar Augustus Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Caesar Augustus across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Caesar Augustus who led the change of Rome during the intense years following the assassination of Julius Caesar, his great-uncle and adoptive father.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Augustus Facts
  • Identification
  • True or False
  • Mark Your Answers!
  • Qualities
  • Story Time
  • Augustus
  • Leader
  • What Do You Think?
  • What Can You Do?
  • Empire

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.