Succession·b. 27 BC
Founding of the Roman Principate
Overview
On 16 January 27 BC the Senate confirmed Octavian's settlement of the previous month, granting him the title Augustus and conferring extraordinary powers while maintaining the formal continuity of the Republic. The arrangement created the role of princeps — first citizen — and gave Rome its first emperor in all but name. The Principate as Augustus designed it lasted three centuries.
