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Let’s set the scene: August 19, 43 BC — Rome is in chaos, the Senate is nervous, and somewhere in the distance, a very ambitious twenty-something named Octavian (you might know him later as Emperor Augustus) is strapping on his sandals and saying, “Yeah, I’ll take that top job, thanks.” Before the deep dive, let’s talk about our friends:

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Just a year earlier, Julius Caesar was assassinated in one of history’s most famous and dramatic political plot twists. Rome was basically the ancient version of a soap opera, and Octavian was that unexpected side character who, by the season finale, somehow owns the whole show.

Both existing consuls? Dead from battle with Mark Antony near Mutina. The government? A hot mess. Octavian’s solution? March into Rome with eight legions (because why bring a résumé when you can bring an army?) and “politely” convince the Senate to make him consul. Spoiler: they did.

Why This Is a Big Deal (Aside from the Fact It’s Hilarious)

  1. Octavian was only 19 – basically a college sophomore running one of the biggest empires in history.

  2. He used the consulship to undo amnesty for Caesar’s assassins, locking in his “don’t mess with me” era.

  3. This move set him on the path to forming the Second Triumvirate with Mark Antony and Lepidus — which was like the Avengers, except more stabbing.

  4. The whole stunt marked the beginning of the end for the Roman Republic and the dawn of the Roman Empire.

What History Fans Can Learn (Besides ‘Bring an Army to Your Job Interview’)

  • Boldness (and a little intimidation) works.

  • Power vacuums never stay empty for long — someone with enough ambition will fill it.

  • The shift from Republic to Empire wasn’t one big leap, but a series of major “wait, did that just happen?” moments like this one.

Octavian’s consulship was not just a political win — it was the season premiere of a whole new Roman Empire era. And it all started because one audacious young man decided: “If there’s no one running Rome, I guess it’s me now.”

Like stories where history is wilder than fiction?

Here at HistoryGoneBananas, we love digging into the juicy, unexpected bits of the past — and retelling them like the dramatic gossip they always were.

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