Augustus

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Augustus, 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14, is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD. Adopted by his great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BC via his last will and testament, the Senate later awarded him the honorific Augustus ("the revered one"). He was a brilliant strategist, able to leverage the law, the nobility and the people to accumulate and hold power. However, Augustus could not do it alone: despite being awarded many honors and deriving substantial power from the senate, having the respect of the people, ressources from numerous conquests, relationships through patronage throughout the empire, Augustus relied on his trusted friend and general Marcus Agrippa for support and success in his military campaigns. It is through their control of Rome's legions that he was able to hold the empire together and initiate the era of peace known as Pax Romana.