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[[File: Natoire Cléopâtre-Repas-Tarse.jpg|300px|thumb|left| A seventeenth-century painting of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony as a feast]]

The civil war between Anthony and Augustus was not particularly bloody compared to previous wars such as that between Marius and Sulla. It ended much quicker than anyone could have hoped. The victory at Actium meant that Augustus had no enemies at least within his own borders. For the first time in a century, the armies of Rome were now under a single authority. For many years, the Roman legions were often the private armies of generals and not under the control of the Senate.

Now Augustus was in control of all the armies and they were personally loyal to him. This was to transform the situation in the Empire.<ref> Holland, p 318</ref> No longer was any general or party able to challenge the military supremacy of Augustus and this meant that few if any dared to question his authority. Because of the strength of Augustus, no one was able to rebel against him and hope to succeed. This meant that there were no more civil wars during the long reign of Augustus. When he died the first Emperor was able to pass on his armies to his heir and this ensured stability and this prevented any conflicts over the succession from developing <ref> Suetonius. The Twelve Caesars, 4</ref>. The later emperors followed Augustus example and ensured that they alone controlled the army and this led to an unprecedented period of peace in most of Europe and parts of the Middle East and North Africa.<ref>Suetonius, 5</ref>