Mark Vipsanius Agrippa. The great commander who made Octavian "August"
Lorenzo Castro. Battle of Actium (1672)
В previous article was told about the origin and youth of Mark Vipsanius Agrippa, the beginning of his military and political career and a huge role in the victory over Sextus Pompey. Today we will continue this story.
Octavian vs Mark Antony. The beginning of a tragic confrontation
After the victory on Sextus Pompey, Octavian also removed from power his ally Mark Lepidus, the triumvir who ruled the province of Africa. Lepidus had 11 legions at his disposal, but they did not want to fight against the troops of Octavian and went over to his side. Now, on the path of Octavian, who wanted to become the sovereign master of all the Roman provinces, stood only the governor of the East, Mark Antony, whose ally was Ptolemaic Egypt, led by the famous Cleopatra.
Mark Antony, Montemartini Museum bust, Rome
Portraits of Cleopatra VII on various coins minted to her board
Octavian and Mark Antony began preparations for war 5 years before the outbreak of hostilities, new ships were built, troops were trained.
Relations between the triumvirs became especially complicated after Antony's divorce from Octavian's sister and his marriage to Cleopatra. However, even more unpleasant and dangerous for Octavian were accusations of usurping the name of Caesar: Antony quite reasonably pointed out that his rival was only adopted by his great-uncle, while Caesarion, Caesar’s own son (from Cleopatra), was growing up in Egypt.
Caesarion, Cincinnati Museum Center
Octavian responded by illegally publishing Mark Antony's will, which was kept in the Temple of Vesta. It turned out that Antony asked to be buried in Alexandria, and declared Caesarion the sole heir of Julius Caesar. This caused general indignation, since the citizens of the republic feared that Italy would be in the power of Egypt, and Rome would lose its capital status.
Terracotta tile depicting the fight between Apollo and Hercules. A symbolic depiction of the conflict between Octavian, whose divine patron was Apollo, and Antony, descended from Hercules. Palatine Museum, Rome
Meanwhile, in December 33 BC. e. the term of office of Antony and Octavian expired. In a letter sent to the Senate, Antony promised to relinquish power on the condition that Octavian did the same. His opponent did not make such loud promises, and therefore Antony's actions looked much more legitimate. When Octavian officially declared Antony an enemy of the republic and the Roman people, Alexandria in 32 BC. e. both consuls and 300 senators moved.
However, Antony's Italian and Roman allies demanded that he divorce Cleopatra. This would inevitably lead to a break with Egypt, which was unacceptable on the eve of a major war. Octavian, on the other hand, was afraid to declare war on Antony, since it would be unequivocally perceived as civil, which no one in Rome, remembering the previous troubles, wanted. Octavian found a way out, declaring that war is declared only to Cleopatra, and Antony may well not participate in it. That is, Octavian gracefully handed over the “right of the first move” in the civil war to the opponent, offering him either to lose his main ally, or to support the Egyptian queen in her war against Rome.
Statue of Octavian, Vatican, Chiaromonti Museum. It is believed that Octavian addresses the popular assembly with a demand to declare war on Egypt
The reason for declaring war on Egypt was Cleopatra's appropriation of the "property of the Roman people" - that is, the territories that were donated to her by Mark Antony. And the reason for such excessive compliance of Octavian's rival was recognized as his actual incapacity. Plutarch writes about this:
“It was decided to start a war against Cleopatra and deprive Antony of the powers that he conceded and transferred to a woman. To this, Caesar added that Antony was poisoned with poisonous potions and no longer had either feelings or reason, and that the eunuch Mardion, Potin, Cleopatra’s slave Irada, who cleaned her mistress’s hair, and Charmion, would lead the war.
In general, Anthony was driven into a hopeless situation. If he supports Cleopatra, he will become the initiator of a civil war and a traitor to Rome. If he evades the fight (which no one believed in), he will lose a true ally in the face of Egypt, and besides, he will confirm the accusations of his incapacity.
The outbreak of war
The soldiers of Antony's army were recruited mainly in western Greece. In total, they managed to gather about 73 thousand infantrymen and up to 12 thousand horsemen. in the union navy Anthony and Cleopatra, there were 480 ships. Antony's squadron was dominated by large ships of the trireme type, the Egyptian ships were inferior to them in size. A landing was planned in Italy, where Antony still had many supporters.
However, he lost his time by spending days and weeks in continuous festivals held in Patras in honor of Cleopatra. Meanwhile, the winter of 32-31 BC came. e., soldiers and sailors suffered from hunger, besides, some kind of epidemic broke out (some historians believe that we are talking about malaria). Desertion began, and in the spring of 31 BC. e. it turned out that the ships were already only two-thirds full of sailors at best, and many of them now simply cannot go to sea.
But in the Roman fleet, thanks to the efforts of Agrippa, there was exemplary order. At the same time, he surprised everyone by making the basis of his fleet not large ships, as in the battle of Navlakh, but biremes and liburns equipped with throwing machines.
Birema
Liburna - a type of bireme with a closed deck
Iron-sheathed shells with boarding anchors and incendiary spears with tow impregnated with a combustible mixture were widely used. Roman ships were also equipped with asser - controlled rams, the ends of which were covered with iron: they were hung on ropes and were used not only to strike the sides of enemy ships, but also on the decks, sweeping away enemy sailors from them.
Agrippa formed the crews of the ships from experienced sailors who had recently fought against Sextus Pompey. The Roman land army was also under the command of Agrippa, it had 80 infantry and 12 cavalry. She was provided with everything necessary and did not lack food or fodder.
Mark Vipsanius Agrippa, bust, late XNUMXst century BC e. - beginning of the XNUMXst century A.D. e. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow
It was Agrippa who began the fighting, capturing the early spring of 31 BC. e. Kerkyra and transporting her army to Epirus - to the northern shore of the Ambracian Gulf (now the Gulf of Art of the Ionian Sea), where she stood opposite the positions of Antony. The Roman fleet at that time took up positions at Cape Actions, blocking the ships of Antony and Cleopatra in the bay.
In the summer, Agrippa managed to capture Corinth (by defeating the fleet of this city), Leucada and Patra. As a result, Antony's army lost its main supply bases. Anthony transferred troops to Cape Actions (Actii), but did not dare to give a big battle.
For 8 months, the armies of Agrippa and Mark Antony stood against each other, spending time in small skirmishes, but the position of the Romans was more advantageous, they could afford to delay the start of the decisive battle.
Meanwhile, relations between Antony and Cleopatra deteriorated significantly. The couple argued over everything. Antony offered to give a general battle on land, Cleopatra demanded to enter into a naval battle. And Cleopatra also wanted to participate in the future triumphal procession through Rome (which, of course, would be perceived there as an insult). In the end, the situation in Antony's camp worsened so much that Cleopatra began to insist on returning to Egypt, where there was another army, which included as many as 11 legions.
Antony also understood that time was lost, and his demoralized half-starved army had little chance of success in battle with the troops of Agrippa. And in the event of a successful breakthrough, they would have to retreat through devastated lands, which would lead to the death of a significant part of the soldiers. Therefore, a decision was made on the actual sea evacuation of the most combat-ready army units.
From the entire fleet, commanded directly by Mark Antony, 170 of the best ships were selected, and 22 of the most experienced soldiers were selected from the entire army, whom it was decided to take to Egypt. 60 ships subordinate to Cleopatra were supposed to break through to Alexandria.
Thus, the plan of Antony and Cleopatra is very reminiscent of the actions of Bonaparte on the Berezina, where the French emperor transferred only the elite units of his army that remained combat-ready across this river and did not consider it necessary to save the rest of the formations, which were a poorly organized and almost uncontrollable armed crowd.
And the goal of Mark Antony in the famous battle at Cape Actions was not a victory over the enemy fleet, but a breakthrough to Egypt.
Naval battle of Actia
On the night before this battle, two captains of the fleet of Mark Antony ran across to Agrippa, who told the Roman admiral about the plans and designs of his opponents. That same night, at the last feast, Cleopatra handed Antony a goblet of wine, into which she dropped the flower that adorned her hair - but immediately threw the vessel on the floor, declaring that the flower was poisoned, and she, if necessary, could easily get rid of her husband . This scene made a very heavy impression on all those present, and the Egyptian ships in the morning received an order to engage in battle only on a special signal.
Thus, only Antony's ships entered the battle with the ships of Agrippa: not 230 ships, as planned, but only 170 - against 260.
This battle, which is often called the last great naval battle of Antiquity, began on the morning of September 2, 31 BC. e.
Schemes of the naval battle at Cape Promotions:
The large ships of Antony tried to ram the lighter ships of Agrippa, from which they were fired upon with incendiary shells of ballistas and catapults.
A Roman liburna shelling Antony's ship, a scene from the film Cleopatra, 1963
Other Roman ships tried to get close to the enemy ships and board them.
Richard Burton as Mark Antony at the Battle of Cape Actium, scene from Cleopatra, 1963
Andrew Keir as Agrippa at the Battle of Cape Actium, scene from Cleopatra, 1963
Fulfilling the order of Mark Antony, the ships of the avant-garde, supported by part of the ships of the center, tried to impose a battle on the Roman fleet, while the rest of the ships tried to break into the open sea. About 60 ships of Mark Antony were able to leave the Ambracian Gulf, that is, a little more than a third of the total. The light and maneuverable ships of Cleopatra's squadron rushed after them. This episode is best known according to Plutarch:
“The battle became general, but its outcome was still far from being determined, when suddenly, in full view, sixty ships of Cleopatra set sail for sailing and took to flight, making their way through the thick of the fighting, and since they were placed behind large ships, now, breaking through their ranks, they sowed confusion. And the enemies only marveled, seeing how they, with a fair wind, go to the Peloponnese.
Mark Antony jumped into the light galley and followed Cleopatra. In historiography and popular literature, the opinion has strengthened that the flight of Cleopatra and Mark Antony led to a panic on other ships. However, few people noticed then the flight of the commander-in-chief, and Antony's ships fought for several more hours, and some even for two days. And another 7 days the land army waited for the return of Mark Antony. The same Plutarch says:
“Few saw the flight of Antony with their own eyes, and those who found out about it at first did not want to believe - it seemed incredible to them that he could abandon nineteen intact legions and twelve thousand cavalry, he, who had experienced both mercy and disgrace of fate so many times , and in countless battles and campaigns, he recognized the capricious changeability of military happiness. The soldiers yearned for Antony and all hoped that he would suddenly appear, and at the same time showed so much loyalty and courage that even after the flight of their commander did not cause the slightest doubt, they did not leave their camp for seven days, rejecting all proposals, whatever Caesar did to them."
Modern historians are quite skeptical about this evidence, believing that the legionnaires who remained on the shore did not wait for Anthony, but bargained for the terms of surrender. They could no longer win, but, on the other hand, Agrippa did not want to fight them and suffer even small losses. Moreover, Anthony's former subordinates showed a clear willingness to negotiate.
As a result, the soldiers who wanted to continue their service were accepted into the army of Agrippa without losing their ranks. And the veterans were promised land in Italy or in the provinces.
Antony's behavior at Actium was considered by all to be cowardly, although he most likely strictly followed his own plan and achieved complete success in its implementation. But this "success" forever ruined his military reputation.
The Battle of Actium struck the imagination of contemporaries, and at the same time no one even tried to deny the merits of Agrippa. From first article we remember that in Virgil's poem, the shield of Aeneas, made for him by Vulcan, was adorned with the image of Agrippa at the battle of Actium. Apparently, even this god was impressed by the scale and results of the battle, which was to take place many centuries after the death of Aeneas.
Monument in Prenest in honor of the victory at Actia, Vatican Museums
The final denouement of these events came in 30 BC. e., when the Roman troops entered Alexandria. Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide.
This is how the suicide of Mark Antony and Cleopatra looks like in the illustration of Giovanni Boccaccio's book "On Famous Women" (first quarter of the XNUMXth century). The only true detail here, perhaps, is the hair color of the heroine: the Macedonian Cleopatra with a small admixture of Greek blood (“gold-haired Hellenes” - remember?) Was supposed to be a blonde. By the way, this shade of hair color is now called "Titian"
Caesarion, who interfered with Octavian, as well as Antony's son from Fulvia, were killed. But he spared the children of Mark Antony and Cleopatra and handed over to his sister, the former wife of Antony, to be raised. Egypt was initially recognized as the personal possession of Octavian, and then became a Roman province. Rome for some time "rested" from civil wars during the years of the so-called "August Peace".
Apogee of the political career of Marcus Agrippa
Agrippa in bas-relief by Gregorio di Lorenzo, Ferrara, 1472-1473
In the early years of Octavian's reign, his closest and most trusted collaborators were Mark Vipsanius Agrippa and Gaius Cylnius Maecenas. It was Maecenas who ruled Rome and Italy while Octavian fought against Sextus Pompey and Mark Antony. However, over time, Maecenas more and more moved away from political activity, although he retained a great influence on Octavian.
The role of Agrippa, on the contrary, grew. In 30-29 years. BC e. he served in Rome and Italy as the governor of Octavian, who at that time was in the East. Agrippa became consul twice more - in 28 and 27 years. BC e. During the first term, he was engaged in the census of the population of Italy. And in 27, Octavian himself was elected his fellow consular officer: they became the last consuls of the republic, which was later transformed into a principate. Agrippa advised Octavian to give up the title "Augustus" and urged him to keep the republican institutions.
At the same time, Agrippa managed to write works on stories and geography and supervise the work on the creation of a map of Italy. With his direct participation, the pantheon, four new water pipes, and public baths on the Field of Mars were built.
It is also significant that it was Agrippa in 23 BC. e. ill Octavian gave his ring with a seal: this was tantamount to recognition as his heir and caused sharp displeasure among the emperor's nephew, Mark Claudius Marcellus, who was married to Octavian's daughter. This then led to the removal of Agrippa from Rome under the guise of his appointment as governor of Syria. However, he was not interested in the affairs of this province, entrusting it to the care of his legate. He himself lived for two years on the island of Lesvos - in the city of Mytilene.
Agrippa returned to Rome in 21 BC. e. after the death of Marcellus. Here Octavian forced him to divorce his second wife (who was the emperor's niece) and marry his daughter, Julia the Elder, the widow of Marcellus. The following year, Agrippa was sent to Gaul, then to Spain. In both provinces, he suppressed the unrest of local tribes (the uprising of the Spanish Cantabri was especially serious), put things in order, including taxation, and was engaged in construction. It was Agrippa in 29 BC. e. set the standard for the step of 5 feet and the Roman mile of 5 feet.
Finally, in 18 B.C. e. Agrippa received the so-called proconsular empire and the powers of the people's tribune, which made him almost equal to the emperor. He was engaged in affairs in the East, putting things in order in the provinces and neighboring kingdoms of "friends and allies of the Roman people." In 14 BC. e. fought with the Bosporus, placing the Roman protege Polemon on the throne. And 13 BC. e. led the army that conquered Pannonia.
However, the years took their toll. In 12 BC. e. ill Agrippa returned to Italy, where he soon died. At this time he was about 52 years old. Octavian had Agrippa buried in his own mausoleum and spent a month in mourning.
Descendants
The fate of the descendants of Agrippa was not too happy.
His last son, born after the death of his father (and therefore nicknamed Postumus), was first adopted by Tiberius, who became the third husband of his mother, and then by Octavian (together with Tiberius). Later, Agrippa Postum, the grandson of Octavian, was killed on the orders of his stepfather, who saw him as a potential rival in the struggle for power.
By the way, the first wife of Tiberius was the eldest daughter of Agrippa - Vipsania Agrippina.
Another daughter of Agrippa, Julia the Younger, “became famous” for the fact that her own grandfather, Octavian, sent her into exile on the island of Tremiti for adultery (Julia the Elder, the mother of the Younger, also ended her life in exile on the island of Pandatheria, and also because of dissolute behavior : as they say, the apple does not fall far from the tree).
Some historians believe that the famous poet Ovid, already during his lifetime, was sent into exile in the city of Tom (modern Constanta) precisely “in the case of Julia the Younger”.
Another daughter of Agrippa (from Julia the Elder) became the mother of Emperor Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Caligula. She went down in history as Agrippina the Elder (although of the three daughters of our hero who bore this name, she was the youngest).
And Agrippina the Younger, granddaughter of Agrippa and sister of Caligula, who was credited with a relationship with her brother, is the mother of Nero. She was killed on the orders of her son, whom she made emperor. Interestingly, Nero's maternal grandmother was Anthony the Elder, the daughter of Mark Antony and the sister of Octavian Augustus.
Their other daughter, Antonia the Younger, became the mother of Emperor Claudius, who, as many suspected, was poisoned by Agrippina the Younger, Agrippa's granddaughter. Antonia the Younger was also the grandmother of Caligula.
Such a posthumous struggle unfolded in Rome between the descendants of Mark Vipsanius Agrippa and Mark Antony.
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