Why do Modern historians say Augustus began the Roman Empire?
Augustus was the first Roman Emperor. He rose to power after the death of his uncle Julius Caesar. Thrown into the power struggle that came after the death of Caesar by Caesar’s designation as his heir and adopted son, Augustus (known as Octavianus at birth) proved himself a skilled politician and ultimately warrior, a perfect heir to his uncle’s legacy. Over many years, Octavian fought both to defend his own position and that of Rome in a lot of ways, ultimately seizing total power as the only way to solve the problems facing Rome. He was later declared divine (and called Augustus) and assumed the title of Emperor. Augustus set up many of the structures and policies that served the Roman Empire well for hundreds of years. In many ways the greatest emperor. As a side note, some have suggested (admittedly without any real evidence) that Augustus was in fact the biological son of Julius. Given his obvious genius at a very young age (he was 18 when Julius died), I can see some logic to th
