The Roman emperor born Gaius Octavius who later became Augustus was Augustus, Rome’s first emperor.
He was born in 63 BCE and was adopted in Julius Caesar’s will, taking the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. After defeating Caesar’s assassins and later Mark Antony and Cleopatra, he consolidated power while preserving the appearance of republican institutions.
In 27 BCE, the Senate granted him the honorific title Augustus. He generally presented himself as the leading citizen rather than an openly crowned monarch. His long rule brought major administrative, military, and building reforms and began the period commonly called the Roman Empire.