Now that the dust has settled - who was in the wrong here?
>>18452825If Caesar had carried out proscriptions like Sulla, he probably wouldn't have been assassinated. The success of Augustus / Antony carrying them out proves Caesar was misguided in his mercy towards his political rivals.
>>18452906Litteraly. Nazis and bleeding heart libs complain bitch about Joe Steel killing 100 gorillian, but that is quite Litteraly what you need to do to stabilize a country, esepcially one being torn by civil discord.Even then, rhe enlightened and vaunted Octavian did shit like tell thugs to go kill and rob some political enemy, not even Stalin did anything as brutal lmao
>>18452906true. But Sulla succeeding meant his reforms were undone soon after he was gone, because he wasnt the martyr for his successors to rally around, and is remembered as a tyrant even today my most. Meanwhile Caesar's death gave his successors the moral high-ground needed to destroy republic and senate without public outrage.
>>18452906Oversimplification. During the Principate, Augustus generally favored his uncle's policy of clemency, and this mild reputation is pretty key to his durability (people were just fed up with all the violence). He's only really bloodthirsty during the proscriptions/Perusia/etc. Notably, he kills Caesarion but doesn't kill Antony and Cleopatra's children. I think the lesson is that you shouldn't show mercy towards people who are actively seeking your demise or those who simply pose too great of a threat to you. However, when it comes to people who are unlikely to be able hurt you (i.e., much weaker/defeated rivals, some nobody talking shit), the more game theoretical sound action is to be magnanimous. A reputation for justice encourages defections, as people can trust that they won't just be killed if they wave the white flag. They will also be less likely to rebel against you if you don't give them cause to hate you.
>>18452825Appian is the only historian who has insight into the details of the battle of the colline gate
>>18453454Did you know that during the Perusine War (41-40 BCE) after the surrender of Perusia (modern day Perugia) Octavian ordered 300 Perusine senators and equestrians be executed at the altar of the deified Julius Caesar as a human sacrifice to him?
