Augustus, as the first emperor of Rome, established a political system that would influence countless later empires and shape global history. He oversees the transition from the Roman Republic to the Empire, setting a template that future emperors follow for the next 500 to 1500 years, as they all aspire to be like him, adopting his titles such as 'Caesar Augustus' and 'Imperator'.

Octavian, Caesar's grandnephew, emerged as a key player in the power struggle following Caesar's assassination, eventually becoming the first emperor of Rome.

Augustus becomes the paradigm of a good ruler, embodying the idea of an absolute ruler who does good things, such as building public works, which influences rulers for centuries.

Augustus frames his rise to power as a refounding of the Roman Republic, skillfully using propaganda to present himself as a defender of liberty rather than a king.

Augustus consolidates power by establishing a political system that appears to maintain the Republic's structure, but in reality, he controls everything behind the scenes, effectively functioning as a king.

During the late Republic, the Roman army primarily consisted of indigenous Italians, with the expansion of auxiliaries occurring later in the empire.

The first king of Rome, Romulus, was a warrior, reflecting the martial nature of Roman society, which was very masculine and patriarchal.

The Romans would often take the sons of conquered tribal leaders, raise them as Romans, and incorporate them into their society, turning enemies into allies. As early as the second century AD, Roman emperors and senators began to come from provinces like Spain and North Africa, rather than just Italy.

The Roman Empire's succession problem was a significant failure of Augustus, who relied on heredity for leadership, leading to a series of incompetent rulers until a shift towards selecting qualified successors emerged.