Antony Falls: Rome's Last Rival Defeated at Alexandria
Mark Antony controlled the eastern half of the Roman world, commanded a powerful fleet, and had the wealth of Egypt behind him through his alliance with Cleopatra VII. On July 31, 30 BC, his final military gamble at Alexandria produced a brief tactical success before his troops and fleet defected en masse to Octavian's side. Left without an army, Antony stabbed himself with his own sword and was carried, dying, to Cleopatra's monument. His suicide cleared the last obstacle to Octavian's total control of the Roman world. Octavian became Augustus, the first emperor, and transformed the Republic into an autocracy that would endure for five centuries.
July 31, 30 BC
Key Figures & Places
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