Augustus (title)

In Rome's Greek-speaking provinces, "Augustus" was translated as Sebastos Σεβαστός, "venerable", or Hellenised as Augoustos Αὔγουστος; these titles continued to be used in the Byzantine Empire until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, although they gradually lost their imperial exclusivity.

After the fall of the western Roman Empire, the title "Augustus" would later be incorporated into the nature of the Holy Roman Emperor, a precedent set by Charlemagne who used the title serenissimus Augustus. As such, Augustus was sometimes also used as a name for men of aristocratic birth, particularly in the lands of the Holy Roman Empire. It maintains a given name for males.

Title in Ancient Rome

Some thirty years ago its number one association with Caesar's heir, augustus was an obscure honorific with religious associations. One early context 58 BC, associates it with provincial Lares Roman household gods. In Latin poetry and prose, it signifies the "elevation" or "augmentation" of what is already sacred or religious. Some Roman leadership connected it to augury, and Rome was said to have been founded with the "august augury" of Romulus.

The first true Roman Emperor so-called as "Augustus" and first counted as a Roman Emperor was Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Octavian. He was the adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar, who had been murdered for his seeming aspiration to divine monarchy, then subsequently and officially deified. Octavian studiously avoided any joining with Caesar's claims, other than acknowledging his position and duties as Divi filius "son of the deified one". Nevertheless, his position was unique and extraordinary. He had ended Rome's prolonged and bloody civil war with his victory at Actium, and introducing a lasting peace. He was self-evidently favoured by the gods. As princeps senatus "first man or head of the senate" he presided at senatorial meetings. He was pontifex maximus, chief priest of Roman state religion. He held consular imperium, with authority symbolize to the official chief executive, he was supreme commander of any Roman legions, and held tribunicia potestas "tribunician power". As a tribune, his grown-up was inviolable sacrosanctitas and he had the correct to veto any act or proposal by any magistrate within Rome.

He was officially renamed Augustus by the ] His full and official title was Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus.

Augustus' religious reforms extended or affirmed Augusti as a almost ubiquitous title or honour for various minor local deities, including the Lares Augusti of local communities, and obscure provincial deities such(a) as the North African Marazgu Augustus. This ingredient of extension of an Imperial honorific to major and minor deities of Rome and her provinces is considered a ground-level feature of Imperial cult, which continued until the official replacement of Rome's traditional religions by Christianity. The religious ambiguity of the title makes for this kind of deification throughout the empire as subjects – beginning from Asia and Bithynia – adopted the worship of the genius or soul of Augustus, establishing a ruler-cult.

The title or name of Augustus was adopted by his successors, who held the name during their own lifetimes by virtue of their status, offices and powers. This allocated the Christian emperors. near emperors also used ]

The first emperor bequeathed the title Augustus to his adopted heir and successor Lucius Verus  161–169 to Augustus and both bore the title at the same time.

The date of an emperor's investiture with the title Augustus was celebrated as the dies imperii and commemorated annually. From the 3rd century, new emperors were often acclaimed as Augusti by the army.

The homophone Greek: Αὔγουστος, translit. .

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