I think Ceasar intended to live long enough for all the right doors to be open to Octavian when he was the right age too.
He would not for the simply reason who soldiers and political legacy were NOT included in the inheritance and Octavian was years away from a political career.
If Caesar had lived enough Octavian would find all the doors open to him as soon he reached the right age for each step as Caesar had done before him
It was but Alexander did have succession plan it's just that his generals chose to ignore it for their own benefitWell, I still say "to the strongest" while self serving for his successors was in-character for Alexander
He prob never actually said that, it was made up by the successors afterwards as part of their propaganda to justify partitioning the empireI mean, there's only so many ways you can interpret "To the strongest", isn't there?
Yeah, I think I’d agree with this assessment. I’m my TL, to spoil things slightly, I’m going to have Caesar give Octavius a quaestorship at a much earlier age. It was uncommon, sure, but with approval of the senate, it could happen. Also, you can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that Cicero argued that the age limits should be ignored for Octavian after Caesar’s death. I know the circumstances were different, but if someone like Cicero was willing to bend the rules, the point still stands. You also have to remember that Caesar was dictator for life with a ton of magisterial power. If he wanted to, he could probably just lower some of the age requirements, like Augustus did in OTL with the praetorship to get his friend, Maecenas, into officeThe age requirements of the cursus honorum had been ignored in favor of who had power from day 1. I agree Caesar would have had Octavian climb the ranks semi-legally, but IMO he’d have had doors opened for him early regardless.
He would not for the simply reason who soldiers and political legacy were NOT included in the inheritance and Octavian was years away from a political career.
If Caesar had lived enough Octavian would find all the doors open to him as soon he reached the right age for each step as Caesar had done before him
Yeah, I think I’d agree with this assessment. I’m my TL, to spoil things slightly, I’m going to have Caesar give Octavius a quaestorship at a much earlier age. It was uncommon, sure, but with approval of the senate, it could happen. Also, you can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I remember reading somewhere that Cicero argued that the age limits should be ignored for Octavian after Caesar’s death. I know the circumstances were different, but if someone like Cicero was willing to bend the rules, the point still stands. You also have to remember that Caesar was dictator for life with a ton of magisterial power. If he wanted to, he could probably just lower some of the age requirements, like Augustus did in OTL with the praetorship to get his friend, Maecenas, into office
He did appoint a regent (Perdikkas) before he died. The thing is the first war of the Diadochi was basically every other successor against Perdikkas, and he was eventually killed by men under his own command (Seleukus among them) while in a war against Ptolmey, Antigonus and Antipater.First of all it's in character for him. Also, if he had in fact let his old plan of "let Antipater sort it out" (Alexander basically told Antipater if he was so worried about him dying while on campaign, he could be the one to draft up an organized succession to someone in the royal family) why does everyone seem to remember his deathbed wish instead of "oh, but he did have a plan for Antipater to figure it out?" My guess the reason people remember him saying "to the strongest" on his deathbed is because... he said it.
By the time he died he didn't trust Antipater, one of his last orders was for Kraterus to march home to Macedon and evict him from his powerbase in the Macedonian homeland
he did it before he was on his deathbed, it's just that in ancient times it took months to march an army from Babylon to PellaWell he should have done that before he was dying. If he was behind a desk and said "to Kraterus," that would mean he had started a real succession plan and was starting to execute it. If he does it on the deathbed in contradiction to an existing plan, he's just going to cause confusion even if he really did have a change in heart. Also unless Kraterus marries into Alexander's family, even if that was carried out successfully, it meant Alexander failed to prepare for his family. A deathbed wish is useful if you had no plan before or if it reinforces it, not if it contradicts it. After conquering Persia, he had plenty of time to tell everyone was Kraterus was now in charge, but he had to wait until he was sick.
I don't agree. This isn't the early republic. By this time a man's soldiers are ALL de facto in his clientele. Without the politician-legislator-general's work, the soldiers are not guaranteed any kind of lands or pension. Even after retirement they may be quite loyal to him, witness thousands of Pompey's veterans in Spain who rose up against Caesar's government, or (decades earlier) Marius's veterans in Africa who rose against the Sullan governor Quintus Caecilius Metellus.He would not for the simply reason who soldiers and political legacy were NOT included in the inheritance and Octavian was years away from a political career.
I don't agree. This isn't the early republic. By this time a man's soldiers are ALL de facto in his clientele. Without the politician-legislator-general's work, the soldiers are not guaranteed any kind of lands or pension. Even after retirement they may be quite loyal to him, witness thousands of Pompey's veterans in Spain who rose up against Caesar's government, or (decades earlier) Marius's veterans in Africa who rose against the Sullan governor Quintus Caecilius Metellus.