 Abt 14 Jan 0083 B.C. - 1 Aug 0030 B.C.
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| Name |
Mark Antony |
| Birth |
Abt 14 Jan 0083 B.C. |
Rome, Roman Republic  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Acceded |
0054 B.C. |
| Name |
Marcus Antonius |
| Death |
1 Aug 0030 B.C. |
Alexandria, Ptolemaic Egypt |
| Notes |
- http://www.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy/wc20/wc20_462.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Antony
M·ANTONIVS·M·F·M·N«u»[1]«/u») («i»c.«/i» January 14, 83 BC\endash August 1, 30 BC), known in English as «b»Mark Antony«/b», was a «u»Roman «/u» «u»politician «/u» and «u»General «/u». He was an important supporter and the loyal friend of «u»Gaius Julius Caesar «/u» as a military commander and administrator, being Caesar's second cousin, once removed, by his mother «u»Julia Antonia «/u». After Caesar's «u»assassination«/u», Antony formed an official political alliance with Octavian («u»Augustus «/u») and «u»Marcus Aemilius Lepidus «/u», known to historians today as the «u»Second Triumvirate «/u».
The «u»triumvirate «/u» broke up in 33 BC. Disagreement between Octavian and Antony erupted into civil war, the «u»Final War of the Roman Republic «/u», in 31 BC. Antony was defeated by Octavian at the naval «u»Battle of Actium «/u», and in a brief land battle at «u»Alexandria «/u». He and his lover «u»Cleopatra «/u» committed suicide, shortly thereafter.
«b»Early life
«/b»A member of the «u»Antonia «/u» «u»«i»gens «/u»«/i», Antony was born in winter 87-6 BC,[«u»«i»citation needed «/u»«/i»] probably in Sulla's army besieging Athens during the Mithridatic War. His father was his namesake, «u»Marcus Antonius Creticus «/u», the son of the great «u»rhetorician «/u» «u»Marcus Antonius Orator «/u» who had been murdered and decapitated by order of «u»Gaius Marius «/u» at the end of 87 B.C. His mother Julia was a daughter of Lucius Caesar (consul 90, censor 89), another Marian victim slain with Antonius the orator. His father (praetor 74) died in 71 B.C. during his command against Mediterranean piracy, and Julia soon remarried to «u»Publius Cornelius Lentulus (Sura) «/u» (consul 71), an eminent patrician politician and co-leader of the infamous Conspiracy of «u»Catiline «/u» named after the latter.
According to authorities like «u»Plutarch «/u», he spent his teenage years wandering the streets of Rome with his brothers and friends, most notably Gaius Curio (the later tribune 50 B.C.), with whom he is said to have had a long term homosexual liaison. Plutarch writes that before Antony reached 20 years of age, he was already indebted to the sum of 250 «u»talents «/u». (About $5 million in today's money.)
After this period of recklessness, Antony fled to Greece to escape his creditors and to study «u»rhetoric «/u». After a short time spent in attendance on the philosophers at «u»Athens «/u», he was summoned by «u»Aulus Gabinius «/u», «u»proconsul «/u» of «u»Syria «/u», to take part in the campaigns against «u»Aristobulus II «/u» in «u»Judea «/u», and in support of King «u»Ptolemy XII Auletes «/u» in Egypt. In the ensuing campaign, he demonstrated his talents as a cavalry commander and distinguished himself with bravery and courage.
Indeed, Antony's life was a mixture, often simultaneous, of astounding military honor along with equally astounding debauchery. In a similar vein, Plutarch noted that while his generosity helped raise him to the heights of power, he was equally hindered by his countless faults.
«b»Supporter of Caesar
«/b»In 54 BC, Antony became a member of the staff of Caesar's armies in «u»Gaul «/u» and early Germany. He again proved to be a competent military leader in the «u»Gallic Wars «/u», but his personality caused instability wherever he went. Antony and Caesar were said to be best of friends as well as being relatively close relatives. Antony made himself ever available to assist Caesar in carrying out his military campaigns.
Raised by Caesar's influence to the offices of «u»quaestor «/u», «u»augur «/u», and «u»tribune of the plebeians «/u» (50 BC), he supported the cause of his patron with great energy. Caesar's two proconsular commands, during a period of ten years, were expiring in 50 BC, and he wanted to return to Rome for the consular elections. But resistance from the conservative faction of the «u»Roman Senate «/u», led by «u»Pompey «/u», demanded that Caesar resign his proconsulship and the command of his armies before being allowed to seek re-election to the consulship.
This Caesar would not do, as such an act would at least temporarily render him a private citizen and thereby leave him open to prosecution for his acts while proconsul. It would also place him at the mercy of Pompey's armies. To prevent this occurrence Caesar bribed the plebian tribune «u»Curio «/u» to use his veto to prevent a senatorial decree which would deprive Caesar of his armies and provincial command, and then made sure Antony was elected tribune for the next term of office. Antony exercised his tribunician veto, with the aim of preventing a senatorial decree declaring martial law against the veto, and was violently expelled from the senate with another Caesar adherent, Cassius, who was also a tribune of the plebs. Caesar crossed the river «u»Rubicon «/u» upon hearing of these affairs which began the «u»Republican civil war «/u». Antony left Rome and joined Caesar and his armies at «u»Ariminium «/u», where he was presented to Caesar's soldiers still bloody and bruised as an example of the illegalities that his political opponents were perpetrating, and as a «u»casus belli «/u». Tribunes of the Plebs were meant to be untouchable and their veto inalienable according to the Roman «u»mos maiorum «/u» (although there was a grey line as to what extent this existed in the declaration of and during martial law). Antony commanded Italy whilst Caesar destroyed Pompey's legions in Spain, and led the reinforcements to Greece, before commanding the right wing of Caesar's armies at «u»Pharsalus «/u».
When Caesar became «u»dictator «/u» for a second time, Antony was made «u»Master of the Horse «/u», the dictator's right hand man, and in this capacity he remained in Italy as the peninsula's administrator in 47 BC, while Caesar was fighting the last Pompeians, who had taken refuge in the «u»province of Africa «/u». But Antony's skills as an administrator were a poor match for his generalship, and he seized the opportunity of indulging in the most extravagant excesses, depicted by «u»Cicero «/u» in the «u»«i»Philippics «/u»«/i». In 46 BC he seems to have taken offense because Caesar insisted on payment for the property of Pompey which Antony professedly had purchased, but had in fact simply appropriated. Conflict soon arose, and, as on other occasions, Antony resorted to violence. Hundreds of «u»citizens «/u» were killed and Rome itself descended into a state of anarchy. Caesar was most displeased with the whole affair and removed Antony from all political responsibilities. The two men did not see each other for two years. The estrangement was not of long continuance, with Antony meeting the dictator at Narbo (45 BC) and rejecting the suggestion of «u»Trebonius «/u» that he should join in the conspiracy that was already afoot. Reconciliation arrived in 44 BC, when Antony was chosen as partner for Caesar's fifth consulship.
Whatever conflicts existed between the two men, Antony remained faithful to Caesar at all times. On February 15, 44 BC, during the «u»Lupercalia «/u» festival, Antony publicly offered Caesar a «u»diadem «/u». This was an event fraught with meaning: a diadem was a symbol of a king, and in refusing it, Caesar demonstrated that he did not intend to assume the throne.
On March 14, 44 BC, Antony was alarmed when a Senator named «u»Cicero «/u» told him the gods would strike down Caesar. The following day, the «u»Ides of March «/u», he went down to warn the dictator but the «u»«i»Liberatores «/u»«/i» reached Caesar first and he was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC. In the turmoil that surrounded the event, Antony escaped Rome dressed as a slave; fearing that the dictator's assassination would be the start of a bloodbath among his supporters. When this did not occur, he soon returned to Rome, discussing a truce with the assassins' faction. For a while, Antony, as consul, seemed to pursue peace and an end to the political tension. Following a speech by Cicero in the Senate, an amnesty was agreed for the assassins.
Then came the day of Caesar's funeral. As Caesar's ever-present second in command, co-consul and cousin, Antony was the natural choice to give the «u»eulogy «/u». In his «u»speech «/u», he made accusations of murder and ensured a permanent breach with the «u»conspirators «/u». Showing a talent for «u»rhetoric «/u» and dramatic interpretation, Antony snatched the «u»toga «/u» from Caesar's body to show the crowd the stab wounds, pointing at each and naming the authors, publicly shaming them. During the eulogy he also read Caesar's will, which left most of his property to the people of Rome, demonstrating that, contrary to the conspirator's assertions, Caesar had no intention of forming a royal dynasty. Public opinion turned, and that night, the Roman populace attacked the assassins' houses, forcing them to flee for their lives.
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| Person ID |
I61189 |
Glenn Cook Family |
| Last Modified |
17 Apr 2015 |
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