Augustus was the first Roman Emperor. He was a Roman politician and military leader. He controlled imperious Rome from 27 BC to AD 14. His status as the promoter of the Roman Principate has consolidated an enduring legacy as one of the most effective and controversial leaders in human history. Augustus was born Gaius Octavius Thurinus into an old and wealthy equestrian branch of the plebeian gens Octavia. His maternal great-uncle Julius Caesar was killed in 44 BC, and Octavius was named in Caesar's wish as his adopted son and heir.....Read more