Augustus Caesar

Who: Grand-nephew of Julius Caesar; also known as Octavian.

What: Emperor of Rome

When: 63 BCE to 14 CE.

Where: Rome

Why: August finally restored peace by inventing a special kind of monarchy called the principate that claimed to restore traditional values. His new social and political system opened up the era of the Roman Empire. He retained the Senate and consuls to placate the elite while reshaping political power making him sole ruler, or, princeps.

Significance: Under Augustus, the Roman Empire entered a time called Pax Romana, or Roman Peace.