31 BCE- Though Caesar's grandnephew, Octavian , shared rule of the Roman empire with Mark~Antony, 83?- 30 BCE , the two eventually battled each other for ultimate control of the empire. Antony joined forces with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII and met Octavian in battle at Actium (Greece). Octavian decisively defeated …

10 CE

The political alliance between Mark Antony, Augustus and Marcus Lepidus is known as the "Second Triumvirate." This alliance was recognized with legal authority to rule under Roman law. See Augustus.

60 BCE -- The First Triumvirate was an alliance between three very powerful Roman Senators, Julius Caesar, 100- 44 BCE , Crassus, 112- 53 BCE , and Pompey, 106- 48 BCE. When Caesar's attempts to augment his political power, after returning from a successful military command in Spain, failed, Caesar joined forces with …

71 BCE- Spartacus was a Thracian gladiator who led the most famous Roman slave revolt. Spartacus defeated several Roman armies, however he was eventually trapped and killed in 71 BCE.

Rome regained control and six thousand of Spartacus' followers were crucified.

106- 43 BCE - Marcus Tullius Cicero was an outsider and first in his family to hold the consulship. Cicero was known as an excellent orator, and made a name for himself as a lawyer. Cicero became consul in 63 BCE. Cicero tried to establish a new period of cooperative rule …

138- 78 BCE - Lucius Cornelius Sulla was a member of the nobiles, who was made consul in 88 BCE. During Sulla's consularship, the plebian assembly gave Marius command of the army. Sulla regarded this action as illegal, and used his army to march on Rome and reestablish control. Marius fled …