Gaius Octavius (about 100 – 59 BC) was a Roman politician. He was an ancestor to the Roman Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He was the father of the Emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

, step-grandfather of the Emperor Tiberius, great-grandfather of the Emperor Claudius, and great-great grandfather of the Emperors Caligula and

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

. Hailing from Velitrae, he was a descendant of an old and wealthy equestrian branch of the gens Octavia. At Rome his family was part of the wealthy plebeian caste, and not being of senatorial rank, he was a ''

novus homo ''Novus homo'' or ''homo novus'' (Latin for 'new man'; ''novi homines'' or ''homines novi'') was the term in ancient Rome for a man who was the first in his family to serve in the Roman Senate or, more specifically, to be elected as consul. Whe ...

'' ("new man"). His grandfather, Gaius Octavius, fought as a

military tribune A military tribune (Latin ''tribunus militum'', "tribune of the soldiers") was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion. Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribune as a stepping stone ...

in Sicily during the Second Punic War. His father, Gaius Octavius, was a municipal magistrate who lived to an advanced age.

Personal life

Octavius' first wife was named Ancharia. The two had a child named Octavia the Elder. It is not known how the marriage ended, although it is possible that Ancharia died during child birth. Octavius later married the niece of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

, Atia. How they met is not known, although Atia's family on her father's side (the ''Atii Balbi'') lived close to Velitrae, which was the ancestral home of the Octavii. They had two children:

Octavia the Younger Octavia the Younger ( la, Octavia Minor; c. 66 BC – 11 BC) was the elder sister of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus (known also as Octavian), the half-sister of Octavia the Elder, and the fourth wife of Mark Antony. She was also the great-gra ...

(b. 69 BC) and Gaius Octavius (b. 63 BC), who became Roman Emperor

Political career

Around 70 BC, Octavius was elected quaestor. In 61 BC, he was elected

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...

. In 60 BC, after his term as praetor had ended, he was appointed

propraetor In ancient Rome a promagistrate ( la, pro magistratu) was an ex-consul or ex-praetor whose ''imperium'' (the power to command an army) was extended at the end of his annual term of office or later. They were called proconsuls and propraetors. Thi ...

, and was to serve as governor (''praefectus pro praetor'') of Macedonia. However, before he left for Macedonia, the senate sent him to put down a slave rebellion in

Thurii Thurii (; grc-gre, Θούριοι, Thoúrioi), called also by some Latin writers Thurium (compare grc-gre, Θούριον in Ptolemy), for a time also Copia and Copiae, was a city of Magna Graecia, situated on the Tarentine gulf, within a sho ...

. These slaves had previously taken part in the rebellions led by

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...

and

Catiline Lucius Sergius Catilina ( 108 BC – January 62 BC), known in English as Catiline (), was a Roman politician and soldier. He is best known for instigating the Catilinarian conspiracy, a failed attempt to violently seize control of the ...

. Octavius' victory over the slaves in Thurii led him to give his son, then a few years old, the

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

of "Thurinus". He then left for Macedonia and proved to be a capable administrator, governing "courageously and justly". His deeds included leading the Roman forces to victory in an unexpected battle against the Thracian Bessian tribe.

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

had high regard for Octavius' diplomatic dealings. Because of his successful term as governor of Macedonia, Octavius won the support necessary to stand for election as

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

. In 59 BC, Octavius sailed to Rome, to stand for election as consul for 58 BC. However, he died in

Nola Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian wor ...

, before arriving in Rome. His career is summarized in an inscription erected by his son on the forum he built in Rome: :''C(aius) Octavius C(ai) C(ai) n(epos) C(ai) pr n(epos)' :''pater Augusti'' :''tr(ibunus) mil(itum) bis q(uaestor) aed(ilis) pl(ebis) cum'' :''C(aio) Toranio iudex quaestionum'' :''pr(aetor) proco(n)s(ul) imperator appellatus'' :''ex provincia Macedonia'' :“Gaius Octavius, son, grandson and great-grandson of Gaius, :father of Augustus, :twice military tribune, quaestor, aedile of the plebs together with :Gaius Toranius, judge, :praetor, proconsul, proclaimed imperator :in the province of Macedonia”

Family tree of the Octavii Rufi

Since the last Gaius Octavius (

) was adopted by his great-uncle

and became one of the

Julii Caesares The Julii Caesares were the most illustrious family of the patrician ''gens Julia''. The family first appears in history during the Second Punic War, when Sextus Julius Caesar was praetor in Sicily. His son, Sextus Julius Caesar, obtained t ...

, the family's original '' nomen gentile'' was not inherited by his only daughter (i.e.

Julia the Elder Julia the Elder (30 October 39 BC – AD 14), known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia (Classical Latin: IVLIA•CAESARIS•FILIA or IVLIA•AVGVSTI•FILIA), was the daughter and only biological child of August ...

) and adopted sons (i.e.

Gaius Caesar Gaius Caesar (; 20 BC – 21 February 4 AD) was the grandson and heir to the throne of Roman emperor Augustus, alongside his younger brother Lucius Caesar. Although he was born to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia, Augustus' only daughter, Gai ...

Lucius Caesar Lucius Caesar (17 BC – 20 August AD 2) was a grandson of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. The son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder, Augustus' only daughter, Lucius was adopted by his grandfather along with his older brother, ...

, Tiberius, Agrippa Postumus), which meant the end of the Octavii Rufi's male line.

Footnotes

Sources

* Suetonius - The Twelve Caesars - Augustus vs. 1-8 * Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor; by Anthony Everitt {{DEFAULTSORT:Octavius, Gaius 100s BC births 59 BC deaths 1st-century BC Romans Ancient Roman generals Family of Augustus Gaius People from Velletri Roman governors of Macedonia Roman Republican praetors

Personal life

Political career

Family tree of the Octavii Rufi

See also

Footnotes

Sources