Augustus

==== Rebellion and marriage alliances ====

There was widespread dissatisfaction with Octavian over these settlements of his soldiers, and this encouraged many to rally at the side of [[Lucius Antonius (brother of Mark Antony)|Lucius Antonius]], who was brother of Mark Antony and supported by a majority in the Senate. Meanwhile, Octavian asked for a divorce from [[Claudia (wife of Octavian)|Claudia]], the daughter of [[Fulvia]] (Antony's wife) and her first husband [[Publius Clodius Pulcher]]. He returned Claudia to her mother, claiming that their marriage had never been consummated. Fulvia decided to take action. Together with Lucius Antonius, she raised an army in Italy to fight for Antony's rights against Octavian. Lucius and Fulvia took a political and martial gamble in opposing Octavian however, since the Roman army still depended on the triumvirs for their salaries. Lucius and his allies ended up in a defensive siege at [[Perusia]], where Octavian [[Perusine War|forced them into surrender]] in early 40&nbsp;BC.{{Sfn|Eck|Takács|2003|page=19}}
[[File:Domus-augusti-2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|left|Fresco paintings inside the [[House of Augustus]], his residence during his reign as emperor]]

Lucius and his army were spared because of his kinship with Antony, the strongman of the East, while Fulvia was exiled to [[Sicyon]].{{Sfn|Rowell|1962|page=32}} Octavian showed no mercy, however, for the mass of allies loyal to Lucius. On 15 March, the anniversary of Julius Caesar's assassination, he had 300 Roman senators and equestrians executed for allying with Lucius.{{Sfn|Eck|Takács|2003|page=20}} [[Perusia]] also was pillaged and burned as a warning for others.{{Sfn|Rowell|1962|page=32}} This bloody event sullied Octavian's reputation and was criticized by many, such as Augustan poet [[Sextus Propertius]].{{Sfn|Eck|Takács|2003|page=20}}

[[Sextus Pompey|Sextus Pompeius]], the son of Pompey and still a renegade general, following Julius Caesar's victory over his father, had established himself in [[Sicily]] and [[Sardinia]] as part of an agreement reached with the Second Triumvirate in 39&nbsp;BC.{{Sfn|Scullard|1982|page=162}} Both Antony and Octavian were vying for an alliance with Pompeius. Octavian succeeded in a temporary alliance in 40&nbsp;BC when he married [[Scribonia (wife of Octavian)|Scribonia]], a sister (or daughter) of Pompeius's father-in-law [[Lucius Scribonius Libo (consul 34 BC)|Lucius Scribonius Libo]]. Scribonia gave birth to Octavian's only natural child, [[Julia the Elder|Julia]], the same day that he divorced her to marry [[Livia|Livia Drusilla]], little more than a year after their marriage.{{Sfn|Eck|Takács|2003|page=20}}

While in Egypt, Antony had been engaged in an affair with Cleopatra and had fathered three children with her.{{Efn|These were [[Alexander Helios]], [[Cleopatra Selene II]], and [[Ptolemy Philadelphus (son of Cleopatra)|Ptolemy Philadelphus]].}} Aware of his deteriorating relationship with Octavian, Antony left Cleopatra; he sailed to Italy in 40&nbsp;BC with a large force to oppose Octavian, laying siege to [[Brindisi|Brundisium]]. This new conflict proved untenable for both Octavian and Antony, however. Their centurions, who had become important figures politically, refused to fight because of their Caesarian cause, while the legions under their command followed suit. Meanwhile, in Sicyon, Antony's wife Fulvia died of a sudden illness while Antony was ''en route'' to meet her. Fulvia's death and the mutiny of their centurions allowed the two remaining triumvirs to effect a reconciliation.{{Sfn|Eck|Takács|2003|page=21}}{{Sfn|Eder|2005|page=19}}

In the autumn of 40, Octavian and Antony approved the Treaty of Brundisium, by which Lepidus would remain in Africa, Antony in the East, Octavian in the West. The [[Italian Peninsula]] was left open to all for the recruitment of soldiers, but in reality this provision was useless for Antony in the East. To further cement relations of alliance with Antony, Octavian gave his sister, [[Octavia the Younger|Octavia Minor]], in marriage to Antony in late 40&nbsp;BC.{{Sfn|Eck|Takács|2003|page=21}}