Octavian

treaty-of-brindisi At the time of Caesar’s assassination Marcus Antonius was Caesar’s chief Military aide and consul for the year of 44.

Of almost the same status as Antonius was Marcus Aemilius Ledidus who had succeeded Antonius as Caesar’s Master of Horse.

It was Antonius, however, who was able to take control of Caesar’s estates and disenfranchise Octavian, who had been nominated as Caesar’s heir.

Who was Octavian?

The obvious answer was that he was Julius Caesar’s great nephew,

However his mother Attia Balba Caesona claimed that he was the result of a virgin birth just as Olympias, mother of Alexander, had claimed.

Suetonius (remember these may not necessarily be his words) gives an account of Augustus’ conception which mentions the divine omens she experienced before and after his birth:

“When Atia had come in the middle of the night to the solemn service of Apollo, she had her litter set down in the temple and fell asleep, while the rest of the matrons also slept. On a sudden a serpent glided up to her and shortly went away. When she awoke, she purified herself, as if after the embraces of her husband, and at once there appeared on her body a mark in colours like a serpent, and she could never get rid of it; so that presently she ceased ever to go to the public baths. In the tenth month after that Augustus was born and was therefore regarded as the son of Apollo. Atia too, before she gave him birth, dreamed that her vitals were borne up to the stars and spread over the whole extent of land and sea, while Octavius dreamed that the sun rose from Atia’s womb.

The day he was born the conspiracy of Catiline was before the House, and Octavius came late because of his wife’s confinement; then Publius Nigidius, as everyone knows, learning the reason for his tardiness and being informed also of the hour of the birth, declared that the ruler of the world had been born”

For this we must read that Octavian’s real father was not Octavius, the father identified in conventional history”

Octavian was yet another Egyptian in Rome and despite being related to Caesar was a member of the Pompeyian faction. (His mother’s father was Pompey’s cousin)

After Caesars death, Octavian arrived in Rome from Greece relatively late on the scene and reached an uneasy truce with the senate and Mark Anthony.

Conventional history says that Octavian managed to obtain majority support from the senate.

It continues that Antonius found himself outmanoeuvred and accepted the Governorship of Gaul as a bribe to get him away from Rome. In Gaul the existing Governor refused to give way to him and again managed to obtain the senate’s support. The senate did not have an army and Octavian managed to persuade them that his army, soldiers loyal to Caesar, could bring Antonius under control.

What happened is that after a brief conflict, a peace conference at Bologna divided the Empire into three parts.

In fact the agreement split the empire into four parts as there was an agreement that Sicily, Corsica and Sardinia would remain under the control of Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius, son of Pompey.

The stated reasoning for allowing Pompeius control of the Mediterranean islands was that there was a need to mobilise the maximum strength of legions for the planned expansion into Parthia.

In fact the legions were never sent east.

Conventional history says that both Lepidus and Antonius sent ships and troops to help Octavian defeat Sextus but Octavian then dismissed Lepidus and refused to help Antonius.

Octavian proceeded to antagonise a large part of the Italian peninsula by confiscating land and allocating it to Legionaires. It was as if he was tempting Antonius to attack him. Almost certainly he was.

It was only by presenting the senate with a greater threat than himself that he would be able to promote himself as Emperor.

The question is was their really conflict and competition between Octavian and Anthony or was this just an extension of the Egyption conspiracy?

Was it all staged managed?

Was it still part of the struggle amongst the Pompeyian and Sullyian factions?

Did Anthony play a part to facilitate the transformation of Rome from a Republic to a Dictatorship?

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Extract from The Prisoner of Foix--Chapter 43 -The EntranceNo need to buy a Kindle. Read it on your computer or tablet

John Stanley-26th April 1355

 

'Looks like we are going to see a bit of excitement, John. The Captain tried to get an agreement from the Prince that if there is surf running across the channel to Arcachon we will turn back to Bordeaux, but the Prince would hear none of it. Instead, he has offered to provide insurance for all three ships. If they are damaged or sunk, the owners will be compensated and every sailor who makes the passage will be given a bounty payment. What none of this seems to take into account is that if we sink in rough, fast-flowing waters we might all drown.'

John raised his eyebrows. 'But that is what we are going to do?'

'Yes, despite the fact that surf running accross the entrance is not uncommon and the deep water channel moves continually. In the end, the Prince attacked their captains on their weakest point, their professional pride! He threw down the gauntlet. He offered to take the Sally first through the channel, and to take control during the passage.' He raised his brow. 'We are going into the Bay of Arcachon, come what may! '

Extract from The Eagle of Carcassone -- Chapter 24-- A Real GoddessNo need to buy a Kindle. Read it on your computer or tablet

John Stanley - 22 July 1355

An hour later John walked with Ximene close to the river along the valley below St Feriole. It was the very essence of a summer’s day. The sun was fierce but in the shadow of the trees, it was cool and fragrant. The trees and shrubs along the riverbank hid their progress, from the Château, from St Feriole.

Eventually they reached a point where John thought it was safe to emerge from cover. To his satisfaction the stream extended into a pool with a sandy beach, shaded by trees. Where the stream entered the pool there was a flat grassy area, almost circular. Behind this, the bulk of two mountain ridges provided a splendid backdrop. He looked around once more ‘Not just a good training ground but a great training ground. If the Greek heroes knew about this they might be tempted to join me, to train with me’

Ximene laughed out loud. He turned to look at her. She had removed her outer clothes and was wearing a white chemise, cut short so that it barely reached her knees. Around her waist, she wore a plaited leather belt, obviously fashioned from the multitude of leather straps to be found in the tackle room.

She ran her hands down over her breasts. ‘When you were unconscious I heard you muttering about gods and goddesses, so  I have decided that from now on, for you, I will be the goddess.’

The Prisoner of FoixVol 1 of the series—The Treasure of Trencavel

Aquitaine, an English possession, is in crisis. It is under threat from neighbouring nations and internal dissension.

The Black Prince, King Edward III’s eldest son has been given the task of taking command in Aquitaine.

Suddenly there is an opportunity. Ximene Trencavel is the heiress to the lands of Occitan, to the east of Aquitaine: lands controlled by the Franks. Ximene wants independence, both for herself and for Occitan.

A union between Aquitaine and Occitan would be mutually beneficial. The Black Prince undertakes a secret journey to meet Ximene to negotiate a marriage contract. It is, however, a marriage neither of them really wants.

Meanwhile, the  Franks plot to murder Ximene to prevent ,not just the marriage, but any kind of union between England and Occitan.

The Eagle Of CarcassonneVol II of the series—The Treasure of Trencavel

The loose alliance between Ximene Trencavel and the Black Prince is under threat.

The Prince invades Occitan, to show his support for Ximene but it becomes an invasion which creates more problems than it solves.

The Prince has fallen hopelessly in love with Joan of Kent and Joan is now determined to marry him and become the next Queen of England.

Joan is therefore  determined to convince Ximene that she should not marry the Prince.

Part of her strategy is to encourage Ximene’s relationship with John Stanley—one of the Princes bodyguards—not an easy task as both John and Ximene have doubts about their compatibility.

However, John is grievously injured in a battle and Ximene commits herself to nurse him back to health.