Augustus
Also called: Octavian · Topic: The Roman Empire · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
Augustus, earlier called Octavian, was the first Roman emperor (27 BCE–14 CE). He was the adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar. In 27 BCE he founded the Principate. In this system he held all real power but called himself only the princeps, meaning "leading citizen", out of respect for the Senate. His age is remembered for the peace it brought after years of civil war. Under him the empire largely stopped trying to grow, because it was felt to be big enough already.
Example
To make sure power passed smoothly after his death, Augustus adopted Tiberius, who ruled from 14 to 37 CE. Under Augustus, Italy had about 3 million slaves in a population of 7.5 million.
Don't confuse with
- Julius Caesar: he was a dictator of the Republic and was murdered in 44 BCE. He was never emperor. Augustus was his heir and the first emperor.