Botticelli’s Venus (Simonetta Vespucci)
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius (known in English as Mark Antony), lived from 83 BC until 30 BC. He was an influential Roman military leader and politician during the pivotal time in Roman history when the empire was transitioning from a Republic to an autocratic Empire.
Antony was a friend and supporter of Julius Caesar—they had served together during the Gallic wars and the Empire’s civil war (of which Julius Caesar emerged the victor). After Julius Caesar’s assassination, Antony, Octavian, and Marcus Lepidus joined forces to defeat Caesar’s assassins, eventually becoming a three-man dictatorship. A notorious partier, Mark Antony began his infamous love affair with Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Eventually, tensions between Antony and Octavian became too strong and broke into a civil war. Antony was married to Octavian’s sister while openly carrying out his love affair with the Egyptian queen, further straining the relationship between the two men. Octavian declared war on Cleopatra and marked Antony as a traitor. Antony was defeated by Octavian’s forces at the Battle of Actium. He then fled to Egypt, where both he and Cleopatra notoriously committed suicide. Octavian then became the first true Emperor of Rome, taking on the name Augustus—a former Royalty Now subject.
