Marcus Antonius, and Octavian.

Now Marcus Antonius made a brilliant move. He called the Senate into a meeting, where he proposed, that the

conspirators should be pardoned, and that Caesar should be granted a public funeral.

Antonius had no right to prosecute anyone for the murder, therefore he suggested they should be pardoned, and at the same

time the conspirators’ relief would prevent them from trying to hold Antonius away from power.

At Caesar’s funeral Antonius held a moving speech about Caesar.

The people of Rome thought that the conpirators deserved to be prosecuted for the murder. Therefore Brutus and Cassius

decide to flee Rome and go to Greece.

Surprisingly Caesar had not made Antonius his chief heir. Instead Caesar had made his 18 year old adopted son Octavian

chief heir.

Octavian and Antonius did not get along well. At the summer 44 Rome once again was on the brink of civil war. Octavian

now without any legal standing called his fathers veterans to arms. It was a gamble, but he won.

In February 43 the Senate declared Antonius an outlaw, and he fleed to Gaul.

In Gaul he gathered an enormous army, and in the summer 43 he returned to Italy.

Also the Senate was working against Octavian, and Octavian decided to move his army into Rome.

So he did, and while he forced the senate to revoke the amnesty for the conspirators, he send a message to Antonius, in

which he asked him to combine their power.

Antonius accepted, but that was not the end of it.

The second triumvirate.

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