General · 83 BC – 30 BC
Mark Antony
Key Takeaways
- Mark Antony was Julius Caesar's chief lieutenant and ally.
- After Caesar's murder he formed the Second Triumvirate with Octavian and Lepidus.
- He ruled the Roman East and famously allied with Cleopatra of Egypt.
- He was defeated by Octavian at Actium and died by suicide in Egypt.
Mark Antony stood at the very center of Rome’s transformation from republic to empire — a brilliant, flawed soldier whose loyalty to Julius Caesar and love for Cleopatra made him one of the most dramatic figures of antiquity.
Caesar’s right hand
Antony was Caesar’s trusted general and lieutenant. After Caesar was assassinated, it was Antony’s funeral oration that turned the Roman crowd against the killers. He then joined the young Octavian and Lepidus in the Second Triumvirate to avenge Caesar and divide the Roman world.
Cleopatra and Actium
Taking the East as his domain, Antony allied with — and fell for — Cleopatra of Egypt. Octavian seized on this to turn Rome against him, and the two rivals met at the naval Battle of Actium in 31 BC. Antony was defeated and took his own life in Egypt. His fall ended the Roman Republic and left Octavian — soon Augustus — master of the Roman world.
Influence
Antony's rivalry with Octavian decided the fate of the Roman world, and his defeat cleared the way for the Roman Empire and the rule of one man.
Legacy
His doomed love affair with Cleopatra has become one of history's and literature's most famous romances, immortalized by Shakespeare.
Connections
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Mark Antony?
Mark Antony (83–30 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, ally of Julius Caesar, who ruled the Roman East with Cleopatra and lost the final civil war to Octavian.
How did Mark Antony die?
After his defeat by Octavian at Actium, Antony took his own life in Egypt in 30 BC, followed soon after by Cleopatra.
Citations & Sources
People Like Mark
Julius Caesar
95Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman whose conquest of Gaul and victory in civil war made him dictator of Rome, ending the Republic and paving the way for the Empire.
Why Antony's friend and leader, whose funeral oration he used to turn Rome against the assassins.
Cleopatra VII
90Cleopatra VII was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, a shrewd and learned monarch whose alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony placed her at the center of Roman politics.
Why The Egyptian queen with whom Antony allied and fell in love.
Augustus
94Augustus was the first Roman emperor, the heir of Julius Caesar who ended a century of civil war, established the Roman Empire, and inaugurated the Pax Romana.
Why Then Octavian, Antony's rival who defeated him at Actium and became Rome's first emperor.
Pompey
80Pompey the Great was a Roman general and statesman, one of the leading figures of the late Republic, whose conquests in the East made him Rome's greatest soldier before he was defeated by Julius Caesar in a civil war that ended the Republic.
Why Also a general & statesman · Active in the same era
Scipio Africanus
81Scipio Africanus was a Roman general who defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama to win the Second Punic War, one of the greatest commanders of antiquity and the savior of the Roman Republic in its darkest hour.
Why Also a general & statesman · Active in the same era
Cicero
88Cicero was a Roman statesman, orator and philosopher whose speeches and writings defined Latin prose, transmitted Greek philosophy to Rome, and championed the values of the Roman Republic.
Why Also a statesman · Active in the same era