After Caesar's death, the conspirators were driven from Rome but they gathered an army in Greece. They hoped to come back and regain control.

    Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony or just Antony) had been Caesar's second-in-command. He raised forces to go against the conspirators. Soon he was joined by Octavius (Octavian), a youth whom Caesar had named in his will as his adopted son and heir - he was Caesar's great- nephew. Together they planned to defeat the conspirators, although they disliked and distrusted each other.

    Antony, Octavian and Lepidus formed the Second Triumvirate and agreed to rule Rome together. Their combined forces were able to defeat the conspirators. Brutus and Cassius ended their lives as suicides.

    Antony and Octavius found it impossible to agree on ruling Rome together so they split the empire: Antony took the east (the richest area), Octavian the west (including Rome, the most important city), and Lepidus took North Africa.

    In Egypt, Antony met and fell under the spell of the famous Egyptian Queen, Cleopatra. He fell in love with her and allowed her to rule him. Cleopatra did not love Antony but was ambitious to become the queen of both Egypt and Rome.  She wanted to marry Antony and make him ruler of it all, with her being the real power. They began to use their connections to make trouble for Octavian in Rome.  He got upset with this and declared war. He led his armies to Egypt. A new civil war started in the empire. Octavius was victorious. Antony and Cleo patra  both  committed suicide. Lepidus was killed.

    Octavian was left in full control of the whole empire. He was to become one of Rome's greatest rulers, known to history as Caesar Augustus - Rome's first emperor.