Is Rome Worth One Man's Life? 2.0-A Roman TL

[SlyDessertFox]

[FONT=&quot]Why hello there. This is a re-start of my timeline, Is Rome Worth One Man’s Life?-A Roman TL. Some of you who have been following the other timeline may be wondering why I restarted it. Well, after researching and reading further into the time and the character of Sextus and the other characters, I realized I really was not being accurate and a lot of my stuff was not realistic. In addition, I had left out some key events that I tried to fill in after the fact, and I did not feel I was doing the timeline justice. It just wasn’t very well researched on my part. Hopefully this time around I can do it a lot better. At least in the beginning, I should be able to update this timeline rapidly, as I know where I want to go with it at least initially Without further ado…

[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Chapter I: Cicero's Exile[/FONT] [/FONT]
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-Marcus Tullius Cicero​

[/FONT] Of the men proscribed by the Second Triumvirate between Octavian, Antonius, and Lepidus, Marcus Tullius Cicero was one of the most viciously and doggedly hunted down. Cicero aligned himself with the young Octavian after Caesar's assassination, even helping him convince the Senate to declare Marcus Antonius an enemy of the state. When Octavian and Antonius put aside their differences however, and formed the Second Triumvirate along with Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, they created a long list of proscriptions, similar to those created only a generation a before by the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Antonius made sure Cicero was on the top of that list. [FONT=&quot]The reason being, Cicero loathed Antonius, and Antonius in turn loathed Cicero. After the assassination of Caesar, Cicero made it a point to return to politics just to bring down Antonius. His collection of speeches known as The Philippics after the fiery Athenian orator Demosthenes speeches against Phillip II of Macedon, was solely based on attacking Antonius at every chance. Antonius had yet to get over those attacks on his character, and was eager to silence the great orator once and for all. No matter how much Octavian seemed to protest, Antonius was unyielding, even going so far as to place his own uncle on the proscription list just to see Cicero's name on it. Octavian had little choice but to grudgingly comply. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]At first Cicero showed signs of his trademark indecision, unsure whether to join the Liberators, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus in the east, or remain in Italy. Luckily, his respect and sympathy amongst the populace was such that only a small few dared to even admit they had seen the legendary statesman. Finally, with the help of friends, Cicero left in the midst of a large crowd from his villa in Formiae, on December 5th, 43 BC. [1]Joining him was his only son, Marcus Cicero Minor, along with his brother Quintus and his son, Quintus Cicero Minor. When he reached the seaside, he embarked on a ship bound for Macedonia, with the intentions of meeting up with Brutus and Longinus. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Things began to go awry soon after the ships departure, as the ship was caught in a storm. It was only due to an experienced ship belonging to the navy of Sextus Pompeius, another enemy of the triumvirate, happening to be in the right place at the right time that the ship and her crew, including Cicero and his family, were rescued. The crew was shocked to see that the great Marcus Tullius Cicero was also on the ship, to which they thanked Neptune for sparing the prestigious senator. It was not long before they reached Pompeius's stronghold base of Sicily, from which an envoy was immediately dispatched to inform the young leader of the unexpected arrival of one of the most influential men of Rome. [/FONT]

Sextus Pompeius on coin with his father
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[FONT=&quot]Sextus Pompeius was the new Republican maritime leader that emerged in Sicily, complimenting Brutus, Cassius, and Ahenobarbus in the east. The Republican cause was at its most prosperous point, as they controlled the rich (both in money and manpower) eastern provinces as well as having complete domination of the seas, thanks to Ahenobarbus and Pompeius. The young man-he was merely 18- was never supposed to be in such a position of strength. His career was as much unorthodox as his father’s, the great Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Whereas his father started out his career with an unbroken string of successes and a rapid rise to supreme command thanks to Sulla, the Sextus’ early career was defined by hardship and violent turns of fortune. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]In 48 BC (during the climax of Caesar’s Civil War) at age 19, Pompeius was sent on Mytilene on the island of Lesbos in the north of the Aegean Sea. Here, his father would be content knowing his youngest son was safe from the fighting between himself and Caesar. When Pompeius Magnus was crushed at Pharsalus however, he fled to Egypt with the hopes of raising a new army, taking Sextus along with him for the trip. It was in Egypt, that Sextus witnessed the murder of his father, an event that changed his life forever. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]When Pompeius Magnus’ boat approached the shore, he was greeted by a soldier by the name of Lucius Septimius[2]. Pompeius turned to both his wife Cornelia and Sextus, kissed them, and uttered a phrase from Sophocles, [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Whoever makes his journey to a tyrant’s court[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Becomes his slave, although he went there a free man.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Sextus and Cornelia soon came to see how prophetic those words were. His father boarded a smaller boat, and just as he was about to step ashore, Septimius drew his sword and struck the un-prepared Pompeius in full view of the welcoming party on the shore, and his family further back on the sea. There was a loud cry on the ship that could be heard from the shore, but there was nothing that could be done, and the crew of the trireme quickly set sail away from any potential danger. [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]The impact this had on the young Sextus’s life was huge. The greatest man in Rome, his father, had been dishonorably struck dead by an ambush of ruthless and cold hearted opportunists. Sextus from that point forward modeled himself after his beloved father, adopting the Agnomen “Pius” to convey his loyalty to the memory of Pompeius Magnus. Although Cornelia soon returned to Rome, the flame in the young teen had been ignited, and Pompeius joined his elder brother in Africa. Soon after, the republican forces were defeated at Thapsus, and the two Pompeian brothers fled to Africa with the talented Titus Labienus to Hispania, where the Pompeian name carried a lot of weight with the people. [/FONT]

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Battle of Munda
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[FONT=&quot]It was not long before Caesar arrived on the scene in March of 45 BC. On the 17th of that month, the republican army was destroyed at Munda, where Labienus died honorably in battle, fighting for the defense of the republic until he could fight no more. The two brothers soon found themselves on the run, and it wasn’t long before Gnaeus was hunted down and executed. Sextus however managed to keep on the run in the Iberian hinterlands, and although pardoned by Caesar who deemed him too young and inexperienced to be a threat, remained at large, and soon gathered an army, leading an extremely effective guerrilla campaign. With the help of the Iberian tribesmen, the young Sextus soon learned to master the arts of guerilla fighting. In the grand scheme of things however, he was nothing more than a minor nuisance to Caesar despite his taking of many small towns and cities. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Then came the Ides of March and the assassination of Caesar by the liberatores. The next year, in 43 BC, the 24 year old Sextus was named prefect of the fleet and seas, and soon sailed to Marseille. It wasn’t long before Caesar’s political and private heirs formed a triumvirate legalized by the Senate, and posted their proscription list. His position was revoked, but Sextus was not about to lay down his command. He soon convinced the governor of Sicily to hand it over to him, and went to work turning the island into a fortress, and building a fleet second to none. From Sicily he essentially controlled the grain supply from Egypt, North Africa, and of course Sicily. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]When word arrived that the great Marcus Tullius Cicero and his family had arrived on the island, Pompeius could not have been more elated. He had always admired the talented orator, and immediately set out to meet him. Giving them as warm a welcome as he could on a short notice, Pompeius made sure to take time out the ensuing days to stop by and converse with the orator and his family. Everything about the young leader impressed Cicero, who claimed at such a young age he was already a better man than Antonius, Caesar, and Octavian combined. It did not take long either before Sextus struck up a chord with his son, Marcus Cicero Minor. The two rapidly became close friends, a relationship that would endure the length of their lifetimes. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][1] IOTL, he left on December 7th, and was caught while leaving Formiae. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][2] As far as I know, he has no relation to the emperor Lucius Septimius Severus[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Most of the stuff on Sextus Pompey described here is from Antthony Everitt's "Augustus". Though he seems to have gotten his age wrong (he would not be 13 in 48 BC if he was born in 67...)

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[Deleted member 67076]

Ah, the reboot. I expect higher quality and lots of pictures!

 

[SlyDessertFox]

Ah, the reboot. I expect higher quality and lots of pictures!

As you should. I will do my best to deliver on both accounts.

 

[SlyDessertFox]

Chapter II: The Liberatores Civil War Part I​

Marcus Antonius

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The new triumvirate that was formed was to last for five years, and the triumvirs nominated the consuls for those years in their deal. Octavian, Antonius, and Lepidus divided the empire between them. Lepidus was given his old province of Transalpine Gaul along with Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. Antonius was given the rest of Gaul, with Octavian, clearly the junior partner, receiving Sicily, North Africa, and Sardinia-Sicily of course being controlled by Sextus Pompeius. After returning to Rome and posting the proscriptions, the severity of the situation soon became apparent to the triumvirs. With Sextus Pompeius controlling the western Mediterranean, and Cassius, Brutus and Ahenobarbus in control of the east, Italy and Gaul would be left isolated, and the liberatores could effectively strangle the triumvirs into submission. Gathering what small excuse for a naval squadron he could find, Octavian sent it out to put Sextus’ rebellion to a swift end, but it was soundly defeated. The young admiral was not going to go away as easily as he had hoped.

Rome, anxious over the proscriptions and beginning to feel the effects of the naval blockade the liberatores had put into effect, was in a panicked mood. The triumvirs deified the dead Julius Caesar on the 1st of January, 42 BC, and laid the foundations for a temple to be built where the mob had cremated his body. This was a monumental move, as while governors had been deified on occasion by their eastern subjects, Romans themselves never deified senators, especially not senators that plunged the empire into civil war. Nobody in the senate was rash enough to speak out against it, for if they were lucky enough not to be on the proscription list already, they knew full well they would find their name on the list when they woke up the next morning.

Marcus Junius Brutus
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Meanwhile, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus were feeling good about their chances. Cassius, the senior of the two and the more militarily apt, made double time to Syria and Egypt, where he gathered a total of seven legions loyal to the liberatore cause. Brutus remained in Athens, attending lectures and given by the day’s leading philosophers. Behind the scenes of course, Brutus and his agents were working full time making friends and allies and recruiting for his army. Among them was a certain Quintus Horatius Flaccus, better known as the poet Horace, who was quickly elevated to the rank of military tribune, despite never having donned armor once in his life.

Despite all their military and supply advantages, Brutus and Cassius had played the card of being reluctant to fight their fellow Romans, even going so far as to declare they would happily place themselves in permanent exile to prevent a civil war. The new triumvirate put a stop to all that, and the two leading men of the liberatores prepared for war. Brutus went further east to link up with Cassius, knowing he would not be able to withstand Antonius and Octavian without support from his colleague. They milked the rich eastern provinces of both their manpower and their wealth, and secured Rhodes-and its formidable fleet along with it-, before feeling they had the sufficient men and resources to crush the triumvirs and restore the republic once and for all.

When they reached Thrace, they encountered the large town of Philippi, founded as a military strongpoint by Phillip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander The Great, on the eastern end of the Via Egnatia. Only a couple miles from this town were two hills flanking either side of the Via Egnatia along with a large marshland. Antonius sent an advance force ahead of his army across the Adriatic, and they quickly recognized the potential of the town. Smart maneuvering by Brutus and Cassius however forced the legionaries to retire to await the rest of the army’s arrival. In total, the triumvirs brought 22 of their 43 legions to the battle numbering around 100,000 soldiers, as well as 13,000 cavalry. Opposing them were 19 legions consisting of around 70-75,000 men. A number of the Republican legions had served under Caesar at one point, a fact that was always in the minds of all the commanders on either side.

Immediately after repelling the advance force, Brutus and Cassius set up camp on their respective hills, and began fortifying and connecting them by a long wooden palisade. Their rationale was sound: They were to avoid battle and starve out the Caesarian army. Shortly after the triumvirate forces landed, Ahenobarbus cut off their connection to the sea, and with it, seriously put in hampered all communication with Lepidus back in Italy. Octavian characteristically fell ill shortly after they arrived at Dyrrachium, and Antonius moved on to Philippi without him. He began digging ditches and constructing palisades of his own, along with sinking wells to obtain drinking water. His position was dangerously prone to flooding, and he was not foolhardy enough to delude himself into believing he could directly assault the enemy fortifications and hope to come out victorious.

Battle of Philippi first day
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Octavian arrived shortly thereafter, not about to let Antonius steal all the glory. Antonius began building a causeway through the marsh, taking precautions to prevent Cassius from becoming tipped off to his movements. His thinking was, if he could outflank Cassius’s position, his forces could cut off the enemy’s supply lines to Neapolis. The job took ten days, the tall foliage concealing Antonius’s movements, but eventually Cassius caught on. He countered by building a fortified palisade that bisected that of Antonius’s thus cutting off the detachment in the outposts. Antonius responded in turn by leading a force to destroy a section of Cassius’s palisade in between himself and the marsh, and then destroy Cassius’s camp.

The move was a disaster, as Brutus’s men were well prepared, and attacked the unsuspecting Caesarian soldiers, utterly routing them. Following up his victory, Brutus pushed on and completely catching Octavian’s forces by surprise. Octavian’s camp was completely overrun, and the young heir to Julius Caesar was cornered in his tent by a swarm of Brutus’s soldiers. After managing to fight off his first few assailants, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus was overwhelmed and slain by forces of the same men who had murdered his great uncle.

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus
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[stevep]

slydessertfox

Interesting. Never saw this the 1st time around but definitely looking to see what develops and subscribing.

One typo noticed in the last post. You have "Horace, who was quickly elevated to the rank of military tribune, despite never having dawned armor once in his life"

Other than the escape of Cicero I don't see any POD so far so interesting that Philippi has such a big difference. [Note that the republicans haven't necessary won yet as I think Brutus defeated Octavian OTL. However Antony defeated Cassius and Brutus thought things were lost and killed himself IIFC. It might be that either side can still win but Octavian's death will make huge differences. Looking to see how that develops.

Steve

 

[SlyDessertFox]

Glad to see you are interested Steve. Thank you for pointing out the typo I will fix it as soon as I get on a computer(I'm on my phone.).

Yes, the two PODs so far are Cicero escaping and Octavian dying. OTL he wasn't in his tent when Brutus's forces stormed his camp and likely hiding in the swampy marshes. I can't say Antony is sad to see his colleague die by the sword.

 

[SlyDessertFox]

[FONT=&quot]Chapter III: The Liberatores Civil War Part II​

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[FONT=&quot]Antonius finally had the battle he had been seeking, and was determined to make the most of it. Realizing that leading his men back down the hill towards the plain where the Caesarian forces were in serious trouble would be too difficult, he instead pressed on against Cassius. Antonius personally lead a portion of his men and smashed through the wooden palisade, storming the undefended camp of Cassius. The rest of his forces were locked in a melee with those of Cassius’s main force, along the palisade line by the marsh. More experienced and battle hardened, the triumvirate forces managed to push the republican legionaries back , who scattered and retreating disorderly upon seeing their camp seized. With that, the battle seemed to have been over.
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[FONT=&quot]The day’s battle was confusing and disorganized for all parties involved. In a way, they had both won and at the same time, they had both lost. While Brutus’s men eagerly plundered Octavian’s camp, Antonius’s men had done the same to Cassius’s camp. To complicate things further, a large cloud of dust kicked up from the dry ground throughout the battle, prevented all three of the commanders alive, to see what became of their colleague. Antonius soon received word from a horseman riding from Octavian’s camp that Brutus had captured it, and the young triumvir was slain in his tent. He greeted the news with mixed emotions. On the one hand, he was glad to see his pesky colleague finally out of his way for good. On the flip side however, the death of Octavian would be a huge morale blow to his troops, and prove a huge boost to the morale of the Liberatores forces. The news, in essence, was a double edged sword. [/FONT]

Cassius Longinus
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[FONT=&quot]Cassius meanwhile had retreated with a small group of followers onto a hill overlooking Philippi. Staring out into the vast clouds of dust, Cassius and his entourage could barely make out the sight of their camp being looted. None of them were able to determine what had been the fate of Brutus either. Judging from his own failures against Antonius, Cassius feared the worst for his less militarily competent partner’s fortunes. A troop of cavalry, mistaken as Caesarian soldiers, only seemed to confirm his fear that Brutus had been defeated himself. Not wanting to be captured, Cassius handed his sword over to a slave, and ordered him to kill him. The slave hesitated, but Cassius persisted, and so he slew him shortly before the cavalry arrived. To everyone’s dismay, it was soon realized the cavalry belonged to Brutus, and they arrived with news of a great victory and the death of Julius Caesar’s heir. Unfortunately for the Liberatore cause, they arrived a fraction too late.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Brutus was distraught over the news, but it hardly spelled doom for his situation. The triumvirate camp had been looted and more importantly, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus was dead. Adding to this, a large encounter at sea had taken place on the same day in the Adriatic, when a republican fleet intercepted a convoy transporting two legions to join the Caesarian army, and destroyed. The few that escaped were caught and rammed and set on fire without any difficulty. It was a further boost to his men’s morale, and only weakened that of the Caesarian forces. Not surprisingly, Antonius did everything he could to prevent the news of the disaster spread around in his camp. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Soon however, torrential downpours flooded both camps with both mud and water, and the temperature plummeted to below freezing. Never being a military man, Brutus unwisely allowed Antonius to gradually outflank him past his southern wing. This required him to extend his fortification lines along the Via Egnatia, to prevent being completely encircled. All the while, he attempted to avoid battle with his far more able opponent. If he could just wait Antonius out, the war would be as good as won. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]He soon began to find it harder and harder to convince his men that the best course of action was avoiding battle. They had become consumed with overconfidence due to their spectacular successes, and were sure now that they could finish off the Caesarian’s in one final, epic encounter [1]. The soldiers began to clamor for battle, eager to bring the war to a quick conclusion and bear these wretched living conditions no longer. To his dismay, Brutus’s leading officers echoed the calls for military confrontation, and he was pressured into giving battle against his better judgment, just as Pompeius Magnus had done, a fact he did not hesitate to point out. [/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]Battle was joined on October 27th[2]. The two armies clashed in a massive and brutal melee, with little maneuver involved. Wanting to avenge the loss of Octavian, the Caesarion forces fought like men possessed, driving the Republican forces backwards slowly but surely. Eventually the Republican legionaries could withstand the Caesarian onslaught no longer, and what began as a slow retreat turned into a full on and disorganized rout. Distraught and confirming his belief that he should have avoided battle at all costs, Brutus retreated with four very much understrength legions onto the wooded hills looking down on Philippi. He soon attempted to escape by sea, but his men soon deserted him upon realizing Antonius had placed guards all around his hideout. Going all or nothing, Brutus made a daring escape to thes sea, where he hoped to make his way onto Ahenobarbus’s navy. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]No signs of Ahenobarbus’s navy were near however, and Brutus was soon apprehended and accidentally killed by Antonius’s guards who had been on his trail. Antonius reportedly wept when he was given the news that Brutus had died, as he was likely looking forward to pardoning him. He had the body covered in a general’s cloak, and sent off to Rome for a proper burial. What was left of the tattered republican army quickly negotiated their surrender with Antonius. Many of the high profile senators left (a large amount had died on the battlefield), were issued pardons by Antonius [3]. More than a few however, preferred suicide over having the humiliation of being pardoned by their hated enemy. The Romans did not know it yet, but Philippi would mark the end of the republic. The civil wars had devastated the ancient aristocratic ruling class, with the survivors running with their tails between their legs. At this point, even Sextus Pompeius was fighting for power more for himself and his family, than for the defense of the obsolete republic. Of course, he was not about to admit as much, but even Cicero had to be thinking that the republic was not likely to come out of this period of turmoil similar to as was when it went into it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][1] As opposed to OTL where their mood darkened and Brutus’s allies started to defect.
[FONT=&quot][2] 4 days after OTL[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][3] As opposed to Octavian issuing many of themto be put to death OTL. [/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

 

[stevep]

slydessertfox

Ah well, I was more right than I knew with Antony coming back to win a decisive victory. If only Cassuis had waited a little longer.

This leaves Antony in charge of the main military strength of the empire but possibly with most of the eastern territories outside his direct control. He may still meet Cleopatra as he will probably want to establish dominance over Egypt and its grain supply. Also there are the other states and revenge against the Parthians to seek.

On the other hand Sextus is still holding out and if the main republican fleet defects to him it could be awkward for Anthony even getting back to Rome, let alone pursuing his last foe. Especially if Cicero's escape helps boost the 'republicans' cause.

I suspect Antony will win in the end as he simply has too many resources and the military skill but could be some interesting events before a final victor emerges. Looking forward to seeing future developments.

Steve

 

[SlyDessertFox]

slydessertfox

Ah well, I was more right than I knew with Antony coming back to win a decisive victory. If only Cassuis had waited a little longer.

This leaves Antony in charge of the main military strength of the empire but possibly with most of the eastern territories outside his direct control. He may still meet Cleopatra as he will probably want to establish dominance over Egypt and its grain supply. Also there are the other states and revenge against the Parthians to seek.

On the other hand Sextus is still holding out and if the main republican fleet defects to him it could be awkward for Anthony even getting back to Rome, let alone pursuing his last foe. Especially if Cicero's escape helps boost the 'republicans' cause.

I suspect Antony will win in the end as he simply has too many resources and the military skill but could be some interesting events before a final victor emerges. Looking forward to seeing future developments.

Steve

Glad you are enjoying it. Antonius is indeed in a peculiar situation. On the one hand, he is the undisputed master on land. On the other hand, Ahenobarbus and Pompeius have completely control of the Adriatic and Western Mediterranean. He has the upper hand for the moment overall.

 

[SlyDessertFox]

Bumpity bump bump.

 

[SlyDessertFox]

Never got around to reading the original. Quite happy for the reboot, frankly, I prefer reading along with updates; with completed TLs, or those along the way, I spend hours reading through so my productivity drops.

I really like this TL, can't wait to see what happens next!

Thanks, glad you are enjoying it. The next update should be up either today or tomorrow.

 

[Pururauka]

Didn't really think you needed to start from scratch all over; but best of luck in any case!

 

[SlyDessertFox]

Didn't really think you needed to start from scratch all over; but best of luck in any case!

There was just too much I had left out and too much I didn't feel was plausible or accurate. I didn't feel happy with where everything was basically so just decided to start a fresh.

 

[Iñaki]

Originally posted by slydessertfox
The Romans did not know it yet, but Philippi would mark the end of the republic. The civil wars had devastated the ancient aristocratic ruling class, with the survivors running with their tails between their legs. At this point, even Sextus Pompeius was fighting for power more for himself and his family, than for the defense of the obsolete republic.

Republic you has been murdered by the bloody fighting of the powerful.
Republic you has been destroyed by the intrigues of the ambitious.
A pity!

 

[SlyDessertFox]

Republic you has been murdered by the bloody fighting of the powerful.
Republic you has been destroyed by the intrigues of the ambitious.
A pity!

Nice poem. It's fitting.

 

[Pururauka]

There was just too much I had left out and too much I didn't feel was plausible or accurate. I didn't feel happy with where everything was basically so just decided to start a fresh.

Hey, if the author ain't happy...

But as I said earlier, the TL is excellent, and I'll continue to follow it, even if should you choose to do a v.25.

 

[SlyDessertFox]

Hey, if the author ain't happy...

But as I said earlier, the TL is excellent, and I'll continue to follow it, even if should you choose to do a v.25.

Thanks, I'm glad to know you like it.

Edit: Update should be up today if everything goes well.

 

[RyuDrago]

I never read the V.1 but what I read till now left me positively astonished. Immediately subscribed!

 

[SlyDessertFox]

I never read the V.1 but what I read till now left me positively astonished. Immediately subscribed!

Thanks, glad to have caught your interest. A new update will be up in a few seconds.

 

[SlyDessertFox]

[FONT=&quot]Chapter IV: Unrest In Rome
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[FONT=&quot]Word soon trickled back to Rome that Antonius had destroyed the army of Brutus and Cassius. Though many were surprised the republican cause had been defeated so thoroughly, this was hardly the most shocking news circling around the city. The more interesting development that everyone was talking about, was the sudden and unexpected death of Octavian in the field. Antonius had took great precautions to try to prevent the news of his co-triumvir’s death from spreading, fearing that the death of Julius Caesar’s heir would reinvigorate the silenced republican sentiment back home, and be enough to cause a backlash against the Caesarian cause in Italy. With Brutus and Cassius in as strong a position as ever at the time, this was a very real concern. Not even Lepidus had been informed of Octavian’s death until Antonius had achieved ultimate victory at Philippi. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Now that Brutus and Cassius had been soundly defeated however, Antonius was more than happy to let Rome know that Octavian was dead, and it was thanks to him and him alone, that the triumvirate forces triumphed at Philippi. He was hailed as the “Hero of Philippi”, and the Senate hurriedly awarded him full triumphal honors. Cicero is said to have remarked bitterly that, “The Senate is reduced to nothing more than Antonius’ sheep”. Interestingly enough, Antonius had no intention of returning to Rome anytime soon. He declined to take his triumph, instead opting to stay in Greece for a time before travelling east. [/FONT]

Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
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[FONT=&quot]From there he summoned Lepidus who quickly made way to Greece, arriving in late November. Antonius was not amused by the suspicions of Lepidus having been communicating with Sextus Pompeius [1]. This showed in the agreement they signed which re-drew the territories under each man’s control. Lepidus was stripped of Narbonese Gaul, which went to Antonius. In return, he voluntarily gave up Cisalpine Gaul, the two deciding to incorporate the province into Italy, therefore removing the threat of a provincial governor commanding an army on the Italian side of the Alps. The three provinces formerly under Octavian’s control officially, Africa, Sardinia, and Sicily, were all given to Lepidus, presumably to deal with Sextus Pompeius on Sicily, a job Antonius was all too happy to leave for his junior colleague. The eastern provinces, their allocation having not been decided at the creation of the triumvirate, were ceded to Antonius, who no doubt had big ambitions on what he hoped to accomplish there. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]While Antonius was given the glory bound task of re-organizing the east and in due course, avenging the defeat of Crassus at Carrhae, Lepidus got the hapless job of demobilizing and settling thousands of soldiers around Italy. Long serving Caesarian veterans numbering around 40,000 men were to accompany Lepidus back to Italy. Eleven legions, counting the 14,000 men that were incorporated from the Liberatore army were left, with Antonius taking eight along with him and the remaining three going to Lepidus. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Lepidus’ task was made all the more difficult, due to the fact that there was not nearly enough state owned land left over from the conscriptions. Compulsory purchase of property was made impossible thanks to the funds having been stripped bare to finance the war against the Brutus and Cassius. He was forced to mark 18 cities for land confiscation, which enraged public opinion against him, and caused those threatening to be dispossessed pour into Rome to protest. Never being popular amongst the plebeians to begin with, Lepidus tried to explain he had no choice if he did not want to bring on the legions’ wrath. The land confiscations were not enough either, and the legionaries left were becoming angry at Lepidus themselves. [/FONT]

Riots in Rome
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[FONT=&quot]Things were rapidly slipping out of Lepidus’ control. In an attempt to placate the Senate, Lepidus stopped confiscating Senatorial estates, but this only further enraged the legions, who came with in a hairs breath of killing Lepidus. Riots broke out, and the soldiers were battling the dispossessed citizens in the streets. Rome was spiraling into anarchy, and Lepidus was close to losing control of Italy itself. According to Appian, “The civilian population shut the workshops and made elected officeholders leave, saying that they had no need of either office-holders or rafts in a starving and plundered city.” [/FONT]
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All of this was made worse by the almost total blockade the republican admirals had on the peninsula. Rome consumed between 140,000 and 190,000 tons of wheat a year, and ever since being implemented by Clodius Pulcher, the poor in Rome, some 300,000 people, relied heavily on the free grain dole. Italy was not self-sufficient, and so the grain had to be supplied from abroad in places such as North Africa, Sicily, and Sardinia. Pompeius Magnus had needed to clear the seas of piracy for this reason alone, and now his son, no doubt taking a page out of his father’s stories, was using Italy’s dependence on imported grain to his full advantage. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]With the help of the two republican fleet commanders in the Adriatic and Aegean (Ahenobarbus and Murcus), Sextus was set on completely starving Rome. While he dominated the western Mediterranean, Ahenobarbus and Murcus patrolled the Ionian Gulf, blockading Brundisium. He was playing a high stakes game, intent on literally starving the du-duumvirate into submission. This was turning out better than Sextus could have hoped, as Lepidus was completely paralyzed, completely lacking any semblance of a fleet to put an end to his stranglehold on Italy. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][1] As OTL, which seems likely he did, given how if there was one thing Lepidus was consistent on, it was consistently keeping his options open on all sides. Plus, he later would communicate with Sextus after landing on Sicily later in Octavian’s campaigns against Sextus. [/FONT] [/FONT]