Mark Antony Born: Rome's Ambitious General
He was Caesar's general, Cleopatra's lover, and Octavian's enemy — in roughly that order. Mark Antony commanded Caesar's left wing at Pharsalus, served as his Master of the Horse, and eulogized him in the Forum. After the assassination, he and Octavian divided Rome's world between them. Then Cleopatra, whom he met in Tarsus and reportedly never recovered from, pulled him east. He lost the Battle of Actium to Octavian in 31 BC and killed himself the following year. Shakespeare gave him the speech starting "Friends, Romans, countrymen." Caesar actually gave that speech.
January 14, 83 BC
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