History Student Reacts to Sextus Pompeius and the Sicilian War Part 2 by Historia Civilis

Today we watch the second half of Sextus Pompeius and the Sicilian War (42 to 36 B.C.E.) by Historia Civilis.

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[ConkerVonZap]

Octavian after someone try to kill him in the camp: "Soldiers of the Fifth, you recognize me. If any man would shoot his future emperor, he may do so now."
properly causing soldiers to pass away in shock and defect to his army.

[LightxHeaven]

Tiberius Claudius Nero is the Talleyrand of ancient times 😂

[LightxHeaven]

The problem for Lepidus as I see it is that he didn’t have an obvious source of institutional support that could help him achieve parity with Octavian and Antony. In the case of Octavian he had Caesar’s name and fortune, and the de-facto support of the Roman Senate. Antony was a veteran of Caesar’s campaigns and commanded both respect and loyalty among the legions, which is what initially gave him the strongest hand in the Second Triumvirate.

What did Lepidus have going for him? Sure, he served as Caesar’s right hand for a brief time and proved to be a capable administrator and played a crucial role in the chaotic aftermath of Caesar’s assassination. But what else? That was enough to initially secure him a solid position within the Triumvirate but as time went both Octavian and Antony continued to strengthen their positions, and gradually his power waned.

[Potatobowmaster]

love the vids, Historia Civilis is my favorite roman historian so I love seeing you react to him

[LightxHeaven]

Like you, Augustus recognized that the size of the Roman army had ballooned out of control due to the constant civil wars and foreign conquests. After Antony was defeated he ensured that a vast amount of legions were demobilized and stabilized the number of legions empire-wide to about 30 legions or so. A much more reasonable and sustainable number.

[LightxHeaven]

Octavian and Agrippa reminds me also of Napoleon and Marshal Berthier. An excellent partnership that was built on the fact that one party in the relationship accepted to play a subordinate role and not challenge or contradict the other.