This alternate timeline diverges from our own in the year 41 BC (712 AUC). Marcus Antonius (more famously known as Mark Antony) travels to Judea to quell yet another rebellion in that rebellious Roman province. In OTL, Marcus Antonius meets the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII in Tarsos. The point of divergence in this timeline is that Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra do not meet, and thus, do not become lovers.
This has little immediate effects on the history of the world at first. Fulvia, Antonius’s wife, still rebels against Octavianus when he divorces Fulvia’s daughter, Clodia. Fulvia is captured, and exiled to Sicyon, where she died of a sudden illness while waiting for her husband Antonius. With Antonius a widower, Octavianus and Antonius strengthened their triumvirate in 40 BC (713 AUC) when Octavianus allows his half-sister, Octavia, to marry Antonius.
In 38 BC (715 AUC), a Sicilian revolt lead by Sextus Pompeius forced Octavianus to keep Antonius’s promised army in Italy to crush the revolt. Antonius had planned to conquer the Parthians. This lead to a quarrel in the triumvirate, and at Tarentum, the triumvirate was renewed for another five years.
Antonius didn’t have the necessary supplies to conquer the Parthians, and thought that Octavianus didn’t support the cause. In our history, Antonius went to Cleopatra for aid. She gave it to him, but the army was defeated. In Rome, Marcus Aemilis Lepidus (the third member of the triumvirate) resigned after a poor political move, leaving only Antonius and Octavianus as members of the triumvirate.
Lepidus was accused of usurping power in Sicily, and he and his supporters were exiled in 36 BC (717 AUC).
Antonius, in 37 BC (716 AUC), traveled to Egypt to find support for his Parthian campaign, leaving behind Octavia pregnant in Rome. Antonius settled in Alexandria for one year, and after Lepidus’s exile, Octavianus accused Antonius of going native, a heinous crime in Rome.
Antonius’s popularity spiraled the longer he lived in Egypt. In 35 BC (718 AUC)-at the urging of Octavianus-Octavia divorced her husband, and her child, Gauis Julius Octavianus Vipsanius. Antonius, in response, married an Egyptian woman.
In 37 BC, Rome conquered parts of Judea from the Parthians, and placed Herod as the client king of Judea. Herod feared his brother-in-law Aristobulus III, fears that came true, and Herod was overthrown by Aristobulus.
In 35 BC (717 AUC), Antonius and his Egyptian wife had twins Marcus Sextus Philadelphus and Cleopatra Antonia. General Agrippa and his wife, Pomponia Caecilia Attica, had their eldest daughter, Vipsania Agrippina. Agrippa and Octavianus agreed that Agrippina and Vipsanius (the nephew of Octavianus) were to be wed when old enough.
Antonius returned to Rome after the birth of his twins. His popularity had slowly plummeted, and when he arrived at the Roman Senate, the Senate went into an uproar. He demanded to be voted as consul and that Octavianus accept him back as a member of the triumvirate. Octavianus accused Antonius of treason, and ordered that he be arrested and exiled. Antonius jumped onto Octavianus, and by the time the mess was sorted out, Octavianus was dead.
Agrippa hurried back to Rome to restore order. The legions captured Antonius as he tried to escape back across the Rubicon. Agrippa ordered that Antonius be executed and the Senate approved.
Agrippa declared martial law, and temporarily disbanded the armies and the Senate. Before he disbanded both, he formed a small corps of soldiers that he trusted, and kept them; and he had the Senate elect him and Aemilius Lepidus Paullus as consuls. In early 32 BC (720 AUC), he officially reinstated the Senate and reformed the army.
The Senate gave Agrippa complete control over Spain, Gaul, and Syria for his duties to the Republic, something that was highly unusual for the Senate. In late 32 BC, the Senate voted Agrippa consul and dictator for life. Agrippa slowly consolidated his power over the next year or so.
Agrippa felt that Egypt was a growing threat to Roman dominance in that area. Agrippa personally led a fleet to Egypt in mid 30 BC (722 AUC). The Roman fleet destroyed the Egyptian fleet off the coast of Egypt, and Agrippa forced his ships down the Nile to Alexandria. For six long months, Roman forces lay siege to the city, but finally broke through in 29 BC (723 AUC). It was discovered that Cleopatra VII and Caesarion had committed suicide.
Most of Egypt west of the Nile was directly annexed to Rome. The rest of Egypt became a client kingdom to Rome. Young Vipsanius was placed as the pharaoh with his mother, Octavia, and former consul, Aemilius Lepidus Paullus, as regents.
Agrippa returned to Rome triumphant. In mid 29 BC, the Roman Senate officially granted Agrippa power of tribune (tribunicia potestas). Agrippa was popular in the Senate, and was granted control of the Roman Egyptian province.
Agrippa almost had supreme power. In 27 BC (725 AUC), Agrippa returned most of the Senate’s old power back to them. For this, Agrippa was given the title “Augustusâ€, which is Latin for majestic. In 26 BC (726 AUC), Agrippa was selected as princeps senatus, the leader of the Roman Senate.
Agrippa is now known as Imperator Augustus Agrippa, Consul and Dictator of the Roman People for Life and Princeps Senatus of the Roman Senate. Agrippa once again consolidated his power by purging the Senate of those who opposed him. His popularity soared in the Roman Republic.
A rebellion in Sicily spread quickly up the Italian Peninsula in 24 BC (728 AUC). Agrippa personally went south to quell the rebellion, which was done easily. But this rebellion placed even more pressure on Agrippa to take supreme power. Despite what he had all done, Agrippa didn’t want supreme power. He was doing what he was doing so that he could actually preserve the Roman Republic.
But young Tiberius had other plans. In 23 BC (728 AUC), Tiberius lead a small unit of his most trusted soldiers across the Rubicon and into Rome. The pro-Agrippa garrison in Rome was alerted, and mobilized. A battle broke out, and the Tiberian forces were destroyed and Tiberius himself captured.
Tiberius was taken in front of Agrippa, who ordered him executed for treason. Agrippa begins to fear for the stability of the Republic. The Senate pushes him to take the imperium proconsulare maius (power greater than any governor) and assume full power. But Agrippa was hesitant. Finally, Agrippa agreed in July, 23 BC. He relinquishes his title of consul of life, and assumes imperial power. He takes the position of princeps senatus for life, and the new title “princepsâ€, or First Citizen.
With this, Agrippa is now known as Imperator Augustus Agrippa, Dictator of the Roman People for Life, Princeps Senatus of the Roman Senate, Holder of the Tribunicia Potestas, Leader of the Roman Legions, and Princeps of the Roman Republic. He is in effect, the supreme ruler of the Roman Republic and Emperor.
