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→Immediate Aftermath of the Assassination
The reading of the will of Caesar came as a surprise, he made his grand-nephew his son and heir. This shocked Mark Anthony who was not even mentioned by Caesar in his will. Octavian returned from Greece and as Caesar’s heir, he became one of the most influential men in Rome. This only added to the confusion in Rome. The Senate supported Octavian, who distrusted Mark Anthony and he was forced to flee the city. He assembled an army of five legions but was defeated by Octavian and the forces of the Senate at the Battle of Mutina in Northern Italy (43 B.C.). The two consuls for that year were also killed during the battle. Antony was forced to retreat, and his cause seemed lost, but he was fortunate.
The Senate tried to take his army away from Octavian and give it to one of the assassins of Caesar.<ref> Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars, xxiv</ref>. This persuaded Octavian to enter an alliance with Anthony and Lepidus. This was the so-called Second Triumvirate and it divided the legions and provinces among the three allies. The aim of the agreement was to avenge the assassination of Caesar. They soon occupied Rome and launched a campaign of terror in the city, summarily killing their enemies. However, their rule was opposed by the ''Optimates'' and the assassins of Caesar and this led to another civil war.<ref>Galinsky, Karl. Augustan Culture. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998), p. 89</ref>.
====The Civil War====
