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Soon Augustus fleet, led by the capable Agrippa destroyed Mark Anthony’s fleet. The Romans in Anthony’s service seeing the destruction of their fleet surrendered in mass to Augustus, while the Egyptians began to follow their queen and retired before even the approach of the enemy. Anthony was soon forced to flee and the outcome of the Battle of Actium was a great victory for Augustus. Anthony at first, he went to North Africa, here he had some legions but by the time he arrived they had defected to Augustus. In desperation, Mark Anthony fled to Egypt but Cleopatra refused to help him and he died by his own hand in accordance with Roman custom. The Queen of Egypt then tried to negotiate with Augustus but he ignored her pleas and she too killed herself.<ref> Plutarch, Life of Augustus, 34 4</ref> Augustus later killed her alleged son by Caesar and he took steps to ensure that Egypt was to be part of the Roman Empire.

[[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.