Pompey and Crassus and Caesar. Antony and Lepidus and Octavian. Two triumvirates were made; the first in secret, the second in the open. Each aimed to bend the Roman state to their will. Each fell apart, and their fall brought civil war.

The civil wars which Sulla had ended began again with Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon and his march on Rome. Pompey fled, resisted, and then was defeated and fled again. Pompey had escaped to Egypt, and was slain; Caesar had followed, and began an affair with Cleopatra. Caesar cleaned up resistance to his rule and then began to rule as Dictator in Perpetuity.

A group of senators could see that unless they acted, Caesar marked the end of the Republic. They gathered conspirators and on the Ides of March they slew Caesar in front of the senate. Always such with tyrants. Their actions marked not the end of civil war, but the beginning of a new round of 13 more years of conflict.

After Caesar's death Antony and Octavian became the two most powerful men in Rome. They divided the Roman Republic between themselves with Octavian controlling much of the west, and Antony controlling the East. Antony went to Alexandria and married Cleopatra and increasingly seemed to be steering his side of the Republic away from the rest. Octavian carefully convinced the senate that Antony had been seduced by the crafty Cleopatra and war on her and her kingdom was declared.

Antony and Octavian met at the Battle of Actium. Octavian's victory ensured the continued unity and Rome-centric nature of the Empire. Antony and Cleopatra retreated to Egypt but they didn't last long. Octavian conquered Egypt, integrating the province and seizing its wealth.

Octavian now stood alone on top of the Roman World. Unlike Caesar, Octavian was careful in his accrual of power. He slowly and tactfully increased his power. While he was lauded as Augustus, he would instead rule for 41 years as Princeps, "First Citizen". Octavian subtly transformed the wreckage that was the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.