The Beginning of the End for Antony

Cicero and More Trouble for Antony
In 44 BCE, Cicero published the Philippics, a set of 13 scathing speeches (never delivered) against Antony. It was impossible for Antony to stay in Rome with the people against him, so he tried to make it to Gaul with his troops before the end of his consulship lest he be left powerless and with no troops. Meanwhile, Brutus and Cassius had taken over the Eastern provinces, the richest in the empire, and had control of the armies there, while the governors in the Western provinces were not dependable allies for Antony. At the same time, Octavian marched on Rome, and he bribed two of Antony’s legions into following him. Cicero, still dreaming of regaining his position of prestige in the empire, was openly supporting Octavian, though he intended to use him as a tool and discard him later.

The Beginning of the End for Antony
In order to take over the Gaulish provinces, Antony needed first to get rid of Decimus Brutus, who was one of Caesar’s assassins and who refused to leave his rightful province. He laid siege to Decimus Brutus and his forces at Mutina. In response, the Senate sent the year’s two consuls, Aulus Hirtius and Gaius Vibius Pansa to lift the siege, as well as Octavian, who was granted senatorial rank, propraetorian power, and was promised land and money for his troops as well as the right to stand for the consulship ten years earlier than was legal. Antony retreated further into Gaul, but the two consuls were killed, leaving Octavian in full power.

Cicero at this point saw a bright future. Antony was on the run, the East was safely in the hands of Brutus and Cassius, Sextus Pompey held the sea, and it would be easy to get rid of Octavian. The Senate even declared Antony a public enemy. But Cicero and the Senate made a mistake. Despite giving honors to the aforementioned men, they completely slighted Octavian and gave him nothing that they had promised, thereby driving him by necessity into collusion with Antony.

To punish the Senate, Octavian turned right around and marched on Rome. He had eight legions, and the two legions that had come from Africa to protect the Senate also defected to his side. Resistance collapsed, and Octavian entered Rome triumphant. He had himself and his relative Quintus Pedius elected suffect consuls, the position of fulfilling the deceased consuls’ terms. As his first act, Octavian used public funds from the treasury to pay his troops. Then he created a special tribunal to try Caesar’s assassins and Sexus Pompey.

Desperate for allies, Octavian revoked the decree against Antony and went to meet him. While Octavian had been dealing with the problem of the Senate, Antony had gone to Gaul, where he convinced Marcus Aemelius Lepidus’s troops to join him. He returned then to Italy with 22 legions and found Octavian waiting for him there with 11 legions. However, though he outnumbered Octavian, Antony could not risk fighting him in case his own legions deserted him in favor of the new Caesar. Instead, Lepidus mediated between the two.