Treaty of Taranto

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The Treaty of Taranto was the last, in the summer of 37 BC. BC near Taranto between Marcus Antonius and Octavian concluded treaty in which the two triumvirs once again put aside their latent hostility.

When Antonius and Octavian with Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in October 43 BC BC, the Second Triumvirate closed, Antony was the most powerful in this three-man college and thus the strongest Caesarians militarily. But with his victory in the Peruvian War (early 40 BC) Octavian recorded a significant increase in power. Accordingly, in the Treaty of Brundisium (autumn 40 BC) he was able to enforce that he got all the western provinces of the Roman Empire, while Antony was recognized as lord of the east of the empire. As a marginal figure, Lepidus was allowed to keep his provinces in North Africa. In the summer of 39 BC BC Antony and Octavian tried to find a compromise with Sextus Pompeius , who cut off Italy's food supplies through a sea blockade, but the contract of Misenum concluded in the process was not kept. Octavian now fell to the task of fighting Pompey, while Antony was supposed to remove the danger of the Parthian invasion in the east. The latter task was accomplished by Antonius' Legate Publius Ventidius Bassus , while Octavian 38 BC. Chr. Had to take a severe setback against Pompey.

Antonius, who had set up his headquarters in Athens , now wanted to undertake a campaign in the Parthian Empire itself and to recruit numerous legionaries in Italy. According to the Treaty of Brundisium, he was entitled to this right, but in practice it could only be realized with the consent of Octavian. In the spring of 37 BC Antonius drove to Brundisium with 300 warships , but was not allowed to dock in the city's port. Thereupon he sailed on to Taranto and asked Octavian through ambassadors to meet with him. But Octavian listened to neither this nor any other delegation of Antonius. Only Octavia , Octavian's sister and Antony's wife , was able to avert the threatening conflict . She went to her brother and persuaded him to meet his brother-in-law. At this personal meeting near Tarento, Octavian and Antonius demonstrated their trust in one another and invited each other several times. They signed the Treaty of Taranto , which left the borders of their domains unchanged, but obliged them to help each other.

The most important treaty points were that Antonius immediately gave his brother-in-law 120 of his ships for the war against Sextus Pompey, while Octavian promised in return to send Antonius 20,000 legionaries for his Parthian war. Of course, Antonius was never to receive these soldiers. Octavia's role as mediator, which had enabled the contract to come about, was honored by getting 20 ships and 1,000 soldiers, which she passed on to her brother or husband. Antonius recognized his wife's activity as a broker even on the coins he had issued. In addition, this was already the end of 38 BC Triumvirate expired without a referendum by five years until the end of 33 BC. Chr. Extended. As usual, the contract was reinforced by the initiation of new family ties, in which Marcus Antonius Antyllus , the almost ten-year-old son of Marcus Antonius and Fulvia , was engaged to Iulia , the only two-year-old daughter of Octavian and Scribonia . Lepidus, the third man of the triumvirate, did not participate in the deal in any way - a sign that Antony and Octavian did not consider him so powerful that they should have taken him into account.

The meeting in Taranto was to be the last meeting of Antony and Octavian. Antonius never returned to his Italian homeland. After taking Octavia with him to Corfu after the Taranto Treaty had been signed, he sent her back to her brother. This separation should also be final. From then on, Antony maintained relations exclusively with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra . 31 BC BC Antony and Cleopatra lost the battle of Actium against Octavian and committed suicide the next year, after which Octavian became Augustus' first Roman emperor.

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