History Buffs: Rome Season Two

[Music] hello and welcome history buffs my name is Nick Hodges and we're back again to take another look at Rome in this episode I'll be covering the real history the season 2 is based on as well as pointing out which parts that aren't I'll also be giving my impressions in the series my likes and dislikes with it and sadly cover its lasting legacy despite how much of a hit season 1 was its ex Orban's production cost was simply too high for HBO to bear which is what led to its untimely cancellation at the time it was the most expensive television show ever made that was until another HBO show would eventually take its place it's a hard pill to swallow but the lessons HBO learned from Rome is what helped make Game of Thrones possible so when Bruno Heller the creator of Rome was told that there wouldn't be a third season he was halfway through writing season 2 this left him with no choice but to condense seasons worth of material into only 10 episodes because of this a lot of history had to be cut out so I'm gonna try my best to fill in the blanks and give this show an Imperial send-off this is Rome [Music] 15th of March 44 BC the Roman world has been turned upside down its ruler Julius Caesar lies murdered on the Senate floor the news spreads quickly as people flee the streets and hide within their homes fearful of what would come next the Republic has endured four long years of conflict and Caesars civil war after only a year of peace the threat of open revolution has returned but led by whom was the big question the conspirators believed that with Caesars death his regime would collapse and the old system of government would be restored once more calling themselves the liberators they were led by two influential senators Cassius Longinus and Marcus Brutus Cassius the original instigator of the plot resented Caesar for not advancing his political career knowing he wasn't the only one who wanted him dead he was able to win over many senators but they needed one with the right family name to lead the older the name the more noble their course would be Brutus Cassius's brother-in-law was the obvious choice his family was of the junii eye and his ancestor was Lucius Junius Brutus the man who overthrew Rome's last King and became its first console Rome has fallen into the hands of a corrupt a monster you direct descendant of the father of the Republic what do you do what would you have me do now for dramatic purposes it is Brutus's mother Siviglia who convinces him to murder Caesar she was after all Caesars favourite mistress and when he ends their affair in the show she is enraged by the experience and wants him dead however some historians believe that it might have been Brutus his wife poor SIA cattiness who persuaded him instead but we don't see or hear any mention of her in the show another reason Brutus was picked for the job was his close friendship to Caesar despite having fought against him in the Civil War Caesar forgave Brutus and in his mind they had made peace at the doors of the Senate Caesars co-consul and most trusted General Mark Antony was blocked by the liberators by the time he forced his way in there was nothing he could do in fear for his life Mark Antony fled the scene anticipating that the liberators would purge all of Caesars supporters and take the city but this move never came in the naivety the liberators had gravely missed calculated the situation they had no real plan of what to do next and they underestimated Caesars popularity with the common people the only ones who really cheered for his death with the liberators in fact they were so scared of the enraged masses that they barricaded themselves indoors upon learning this Mark Antony reevaluated his position and quickly figured out the liberators had no clue what the hell they were doing so in the 17th of March he met with the conspirators to negotiate to compromise in real life this meeting took place in the Senate and not in Siviglia Caesar is not declared tyrants nor you declared killers all Caesars acts and his Will shall stand we shall all keep our posts whoo-hee as if you were struck by lightning then a show of unity a public funeral for Caesar led by you and I together we shall mourn the man and burn the tyrant this meant that if the liberators continued to push Caesars murder as a lawful Tyron aside it would nullify all of Caesars populist reforms this is because the laws and proposals of a tyrant are unlawful in Roman society but it would also validates all those nice fancy title Cesar gave to his fellow senators including Brutus and Cassius so very quickly these self-righteous hypocrites agreed and they were pardoned a few days later a confidence Mark Antony called for Caesars will reading knowing that he had been seized his right-hand man that he was popular with the people and that Caesar had no surviving children Antony figured his chance of inheritance was good but the will contained a surprise then nobody saw coming my name and the remainder of my estate with all legal obligations and benefits all property gold silver and other monies I leave to Gaius Octavian who is henceforth to be regarded for all intents and purposes as my lawful son and sole heir now Octavian was Caesars great nephew but at the time of the world reading he wasn't in Rome he was actually studying in a military academy in Illyricum but as soon as he heard the news of Caesars death he rushed back to Rome to press his claim and he needed to do it quickly as not many people in the Roman hierarchy knew who this 19 year old boy was and there was a good reason for that unlike in HBO's Rome his immediate family weren't patricians aristocrats they weren't members of the powerful ruling class families apart from Octavian his sister Octavia and his mother a seer were plebeians although not in the same manner as Vorenus and Pullo their extreme wealth placed them on the fringes a barrister kradic society but there were still below the nobility and therefore worth major players in the great game and yet almost out of nowhere Octavian was chosen to be Caesar's heir but why well to the average Roman Octavian didn't really strike much of an impression as portrayed in the show he was an intelligent reserved and quiet young man he wasn't athletic or much of a fighter so not really the valley traits of an ideal Roman is plenty soldiering you know it's not the kidding it's waving a massive swords I find tedious I daresay I can kill people readily enough as long as they're not fighting back never fear young Dominus will make a regular terror he was also prone to sporadic illnesses and because of this his mother Atia was overprotective he even more so than in the show in fact HBO's version of a Shias character constantly tries to groom Octavian into a true Roman whereas the real Atia sheltered him she constantly worried about his health and didn't want him to be a part of that life as a young adult she kept him under constant supervision even making him sleep in the same nursery apartment he had as a baby I'm old enough to take care of myself in a way Octavian kinda reminds me of the Saxon King Alfred the Great who is very similar especially with how they compensated for their weaknesses by using their fierce intelligence and Caesar was quick to spot Octavian's now we don't know for certain when they first met it might have been wood season returned from Egypt in 47 BC or perhaps a little bit earlier regardless Caesar was a quick judge of character I was impressed with Octavian's intellect detecting great promise with the boy after their brief interaction Caesar officially enrolled Octavian as a patrician he was 16 at the time later that year Caesar celled off to Africa to confront the Pompeian forces there Octavian asked to join for military experience but Caesar refused out of concern for his health that the harsh African climate might be too much for him they met a few more times but arguably the most crucial was in 46 BC and Caesar departed for his campaign in Spain to finish up the remaining Pompey enforces on this occasion he invited Octavian to join him but Octavian was still suffering from an earlier illness so instead he would follow Caesar when he fully recovered when he was fit enough to travel he set off but was later caught in a storm at sea and was shipwrecked by the time he and a small party Accord up to Caesar's army the war had finally been won Octavian missed his chance to gain battle experience but what he got instead was far more important for the next month or so they stayed in Spain and Octavian spent quality time with his great uncle they ate together they shared the same quarters and had many conversations about politics philosophy and so on Caesar clearly thought fondly of the boy but there was a reason for this time spent together according to Greek historian nicholas of damascus he said and i quote he made a point of engaging him in conversation for his anxious to make a trial of his understanding and finding out that he was gaseous intelligence and concise in his replies and as he always answered to the point his esteem and affection of him increased it is entirely possible that these few weeks in Spain may have been what ultimately convinced Caesar to secretly make Octavian his heir so anyway just to go back a bit this posthumous adoption by Caesar challenged Mark Antony's leading role in the cesarean movement but unlike Octavian who was relatively unknown Mark Antony had the love of the people on his side a fact he would take advantage of at Caesars funeral on the 20th of March 44 BC as consul his role was simply to deliver a eulogy but will go down as one of the most important speeches in history so imagine my huge disappointment when they cut it out we don't see Mark Antony make his famous speech just as immediate aftermath but the crowd going mental and then a few moments later it cuts to them talking about it vaguely I might add please speak sense to your Sami him and his friends must leave the city I cannot answer for their safety do not look so pleased with yourself you're a liar and a breaker of oaths and you've raised a rabble nothing more if you're unfamiliar with Roman history then you're not gonna know what the hell just happened if you are a history buff then the exclusion of the funeral speech just frustrates you even more according to Bruno Heller the reasons for cutting it was due to budget constraints Brutus's speech and mark Antony's speech would have all been a production nightmare essentially so explaining the the funeral and what happened afterwards is it's clever I suppose I think it it works no it doesn't the explanation he's talking about involves this really lame scene with some drunkards go over what happened at the funeral right the price is [ __ ] right yet it takes me off an hour a fight me wait at the front and up steps Brutus he goes blah the Lord this and the Republic in an Aneesa fakies Brutus a hug he starts talking no calm and gentle like he's not bothered good then it calls out Caesars toga Oh covered in blood but now and he's talking up and down with the toga and he's crying about what a good man was Caesar and how much he loves him and what a great leader we've lost it takes the bloody toga wash your [ __ ] place went up like a tar barrel no [ __ ] crowd went mad but Brutus in them lucky to be alive I'm sorry to say this but I don't like this scene as an explanation it's over simplified and dumbed down and also what is it with HBO using cockney juices for exposition because somehow they wound up doing a very similar thing in Game of Thrones in fact they might even be the same bloody character that's my wife she's merely Oh smile but unlike Game of Thrones we don't get that same satisfying character exit so what really happened at that speech well the general gist is that Antony manipulated the crowds emotions as they grieved for Caesar he read to them Caesars will and went over the donations he left to the people then he picked up Caesars blood-stained toga presenting it to the crowd and working them up into a frenzy by vowing to avenge Caesars killers right in front of the faces of Brutus and Kassius the mob grew angry and quickly a riot ensued Mark Antony had successfully United the common people to his side and fearing for their lives Brutus and Cassius fled to Greece so like I said it's a very historic speech and dare I say it's culturally significant because even William Shakespeare recognizes dramatic potential and immortalized her in his play Julius Caesar I come to bury Caesar not to praise Him the evil that men do lives after them the good is oft interred with their bones so let it be with Caesar no Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious ever so it was a grievous fault grievously hath Caesar answered it here under leave of Brutus and the rest for Brutus is an honorable man so are they all all honorable men come I to speak in Caesars funeral he was my friend faithful and just to me but Brutus says he was ambitious and Brutus is an honorable man now is it fair to you Shakespeare as an example maybe not but the point I'm trying to make is that you don't need to shoot a big-budget funeral procession to simply show Mark Antony's speech you can make do with a few close-up shots of the crowd all you really need is a great script and performance but instead they went with this so anyway by the time Octavian returned to Rome Mark Antony had consolidated his power as the new leader of the caesarian movement the conflict between these two first began when Octavian asked for his inheritance which Mark Antony was in sole possession of a word if I may what is it dear boy about my money seized his money he assured me I'd have it by now I'm so sorry it slipped my mind I will see to it good that is what you said several times now these things take time we are talking vast sums of money Antony quickly grew irritated Octavian's persistence and pointed out that Caesars adoption was not yet official he later made every effort he could to delay its conformation but Octavian would not take this lying down aside from not paying him Antony had also neglected to pay Rome's people and veterans their promised share of Caesars money seeing an opportunity Octavian borrowed a ludicrous amount of money to fulfill these requests even going as far as to sell Caesars private land the states to see it through these actions spoke far louder than Antony's promises and they threatened his leading role in the cesarean faction the fanatical devotion that Rome's people felt the Caesar was now transferred to Octavian even winning the hearts and minds of many veterans legions who observed with Caesar were now flocking to his side as the battle lines were being drawn everyone watched and waited a fool like Antony was sort of blunder they'll fight among themselves and they'll destroy each other cannot hope to rival him Caesar did not choose the boy on a whim you're surprising I think we can hope with the arrival of Octavian a smear campaign had been launched against Antony a notable politician called Cicero did the most damage by rallying much of the Senate against Antony with a series of speeches called the Philip --ax they were designed to attack his character his reputation and to demonize him as a threat to Rome with Antony's popularity slipping away and the end of his consulship drawing near he may plan to protect himself unhappy with his assignment to govern Macedonia he pushed the Senate for Cisalpine Gaul instead the province was close enough to Rome that if he was ever threatened he could swoop down to Italy with his army but there was a problem Cisalpine Gaul already had a governor Decimus Brutus one of the conspirators and Caesar's assassination the Senate's refused to negotiate leaving Antony little choice but to take his army and beseech the governor at mutiny the fact that Decimus Brutus was one of Caesars assassins also helped Antony's credibility with his troops as soon as he set off the Senate denounced Mark Antony declaring him an enemy of Rome and turned to Octavian for military support Cicero in particular thought he could easily manipulate Octavian and discard him once he had served his purpose on the 21st of April 43 BC Octavian's forces subdued Antony's at the city of Mutina and lifted the siege although defeated Mark Antony was able to escape with a remainder of his army into Gaul from there he linked up with his old comrade Marcus emelius Lepidus the governor of transalpine Gaul originally the Senate had sent Lepidus with an army to finish off Antony but when many of his soldiers deserted to Antony's side Lepidus engaged in negotiations instead that following July a victorious Octavian returned to Rome who much to the Senate's horror it was at the head of an army since two of Rome's reigning consuls hirtius and pANSA had been killed in battle Octavian forced the Senate to accept him as the new consul and the very first motion he raised was to declare Brutus and Cassius as enemies of the Republic this was the moment when Cicero knew that he had gravely underestimated him my father died on this floor right there butchered by men he called his friends who will tell me that is not murder who will tell my legions who loved Caesar as I do that that is not murder who will speak against the motion furious of being outmaneuvered Cicero sent a letter to Brutus stating that Octavian Mark Antony were fighting amongst themselves and now a defenseless Rome needed to be liberated again from tyrants overjoyed Brutus and Cassius rallied their seventeen legions to march on Rome Antony Octavian hate each other far more than they hate us soon enough they must fight each other for supremacy we need only wait mop up the survivors outnumbered by the liberators Octavian turned for help in the unlikeliest place by joining forces with his enemy Mark Antony and Lepidus this alliance will later be known as the second triumvirate with it their combined armies gave him the numbers they needed to face the liberators however before facing them in battle HBO's Rome shows the Tri umbers enacting a horrific policy to consolidate their power making use of strategic surprise is obvious to that end there is a list of the most prominent friends and supporters of Brutus and Cassius left in Rome we should kill them these lists of names were known as the prescriptions first used by the Roman dictator sulla in 82 BC their purpose was to liquidate their political opposition and confiscate all their lands and money they were stripped of their rights and protection under the law and any citizen who acted as an informer who murdered the names on that list would be rewarded but aside from killing their enemies the prescriptions were really just about stealing money after all and included thousands of the wealthiest patricians in Rome and the most famous name on that list was Cicero as Antony had more reason than anyone in wanting him dead so moving on from that let's dive into the climactic showdown between the triumphs and the liberators in late September 42 BC the caesarian loyalists found the armies of Brutus and Cassius near Philippi in Greece now unlike the Battle of phosphorus in season 1 we are finally treated to a real battle sequence but unfortunately what we see is a very condensed version of how it was fought an important thing to mention is that the Battle of Philippi was actually two separate engagements won't took place on October 3rd and the other on October 23rd the arid landscape we seen the sequence is also inaccurate as the Romans fought in a very terrain of dense woodlands flat plains and swampy marshes the liberators had also built defensive fortifications and Palisades which made things difficult for the caesarian army but we don't see any of that in HBO's Rome we also don't see how Brutus and Kassius actually died in the show a mortally wounded Cassius's brought before Brutus and they exchanged a few words before he dies in reality kasia's committed suicide on the very first day of battle when his position was overrun by Antony's legions he thought the same thing had happened to Brutus not knowing that Brutus had actually overrun Octavian's camp and pushed back his forces in the fog of war he assumed the worst and took his life Brutus on the other hand held on for nearly three weeks on the 23rd of October the liberator army launched a massive assault against the caesareans but were ultimately defeated in the aftermath Brutus also committed suicide like Casius now we do see that in the show but not in the manner it's presented where Brutus takes off his armor walks up to the oncoming soldiers alone and attacks them now I personally love this moment because it mirrors how Julius Caesar was murdered stabbed dozens of times from all sides despite the fact that this is not how it happened I believe these changes add to the drama I mean no doubt Brutus reflected on the decisions he had made leading up to his death and this wonderfully written and performed seen visually communicates that to the audience and so the deaths of Brutus and Cassius would effectively mark the downfall of the Roman Republic as they knew it for nearly 500 years it proudly stood but it was now in its death throes by killing a tyrant they had unknowingly created a martyr Caesar was to be deified and remembered as the ultimate Roman his name would live on through Octavian making him Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian 'us throughout the centuries the name Caesar became a title for Emperor through the Romans the Byzantines even going further it would be emulated and adopted by the Holy Roman emperors as Kaiser and the Russian Emperor's as the czars following their victory in Philip I the triumphal return to Rome with all senatorial rule and influence snuffed out the next decided how to officially legalize their power clearly we three cannot all rule together at once which will only confuse and contradict each other true enough we must divide responsibilities what are you proposing I suggest we divide the territory of Rome into three and just like that this division of power was made Octavian would rule Gaul Hispania and Italia Lepidus would have Africa but Antony got the real prize from Egypt he would rule the rich eastern provinces made so bites high-traffic of trade Commerce and access to the Silk Road as for Egypt while not technically a Roman territory it was a client's Kingdom independent but heavily influenced by Rome it also acted as the breadbasket of the ancient world by supplying the vital grain needed to feed Rome Egypt also depended on Rome for its protection and its recently crowned Pharaoh Cleopatra was especially indebted before her sole ascension she Co ruled Egypt for the younger brother and husband Ptolemy the 13th but envious of her popularity with the people she was to post from power and forced him to hide him but then in 48 BC a Roman general named Pompey Magnus arrived in Alexandria seeking refuge having just been defeated in battle against Julius Caesar Ptolemy hoping to please Caesar murdered Pompey and presented his head as a gift expecting gratitude he was instead astonished with how appalled Caesar was despite being recent enemies Pompey and Caesar were once old friends outraged Caesar stormed out of the palace back to his compound it was around this time that Cleopatra heard the news of Caesars arrival in Alexandria and decided that the best way to reclaim her throne was with his help Caesars discussed with Ptolemy might give her the chance she desperately needed smuggled into Caesars compound she made one of the most memorable entrances in history a rolled carpet was placed on the floor before Caesar and it unrolled revealing Cleopatra this piqued his interest and as they spoke he became more and more attracted by her charm intelligence and sexuality Cleopatra would successfully seduce Caesar and become his mistress in return he helped her win back her crown by defeating Ptolemy in the Battle of the Nile nine months after their first meeting Cleopatra gave birth to a baby boy whom they named cesarean meaning little Caesar now a quick thing to note about HBO's Rome is that when Caesar leaves Egypt we never see Cleopatra visit or stay with him in Rome in the show she stays behind in Alexandria but when she does come to Rome it's at the worst possible moment I mean not only is it historically inaccurate but also kind of stupid if you think about it because when HBO's Cleopatra comes to Rome it's right after Caesars assassination which has never made sense to me especially if you consider how the real Cleopatra reacted when Caesar was murdered Cleopatra was in Rome at the time with caesarian upon hearing the news she fled the city without her lover's protection she feared for her life and especially her babies many of Caesars enemies already viewed her child as a threat and being a son of Caesar was a dangerous thing to be so she went back to Alexandria and waited keeping her distance and watched how things developed you know like a normal person but in the show she not only comes to Rome presumably for the first time but brings his airing with her to a city that's in the middle of a power struggle and is fraught with danger then she confronts Antony and asked him to publicly declare Caesarion as Caesar's legal son a simple public declaration of paternity and suffice and what would i profit by that you would have my eternal gratitude your son will eat [ __ ] and die before making legal remember that at this point in the show Antony's trying to assert himself as Caesars successor he's already at odds with Octavian he's not going to deal with another son of Caesar but just wait she not only does that but she brings caesarian right to Octavian's Villa who was also advocating his claim as Caesars adopted son and heir caesareans presence alone is a direct challenge and Octavian has more reason than Antony in wanting him dead so I find this very out of character for the real Cleopatra the Cleopatra I know was calculating politically savvy and incredibly intelligent some sources stated that she was fluent in nine different languages which says a lot but I never got that impression from HBO's Cleopatra I mean like one minute she's a junkie and in the next she's a capable seductress who somehow puts herself in unnecessary dangerous circumstances I mean I just find it inconsistent it's also a shame they couldn't afford to shoot Antony Cleopatra's first significant meeting the way it happened which didn't take place in Rome but in force he want BC in the city of Tarsus after Antony had already taken control of the eastern provinces at this point he wasn't really concerned about being caesar's successor he rules the richest provinces in the ancient world and it was making him some serious Bank it was at this meeting there Cleopatra played her games with Antony to seduce him in the same manner she had with Caesar and how she goes about it is a lot more interesting than what we see in the show at the docks of Tarsus Cleopatra arrives in a royal galley Antony sent an invoice inviting her to have dinner with him ashore but instead she makes a counteroffer inviting him for dinner aboard her galley this invitation was obviously a power play but it nevertheless intrigued Antony he decides to come aboard and see this Egyptian pharaoh for himself his quick defines this galley is lavished with gold exotic silks and ornaments everything to represent the extreme wealth of Egypt but more importantly the status and power of its Queen to impress Antony and make him see her not as a subservient ruler to Rome but as an equal or possibly even greater no doubt Antony had never met like her before there are many remarkable stories of Cleopatra's efforts to impress Mark Antony the most famous was when she bets Antony that she could host the most expensive banquets in the world quoting her to cost 10 million sesterces which in today's money would amount to almost 30 million dollars when Antony accepted the bet Cleopatra assured in the slave to bring in a glass of vinegar plucking out her Pearl Earring she drops it into the vinegar and when it dissolved she drank the entire glass and won the bet so this is already a much better demonstration of her character than what we see in the show sadly one of the most famous women in history just didn't leave much an impression on me instead of that famous galley meeting we get Antony stuffy office and an awkward dinner party and they don't see each other again until Antony's arrival in Egypt at the end of episode 8 speaking of which this might be a good place to go over Rome's final episodes and how rushed everything feels that massive time jump in episode 9 is a little jarring but you kind of have to expect it at this point I mean there was no way now that they could afford showing mark Antony's Eastern campaigns against the Parthians Armenians and so forth instead the show skips forward by about 10 years to when a new conflicts between Antony and Octavian was taking shape made possible by Mark Antony and Cleopatra withholding Rome's grain shipments to provoke Octavian into declaring war now it's true that Rome suffered from grain shortages but this happened years before and had nothing to do with Mark Antony they were because of naval blockades made by sexes Pompey the last surviving son of Pompey Magnus he and his army had taken over Sicily and were using it as a base to commit acts of piracy blockading Rome's access to grain from 39 BC to 36 BC it's apparently got so bad there were reports of cannibalism now if you're confused to con remember any sexist Pompey that's because he's never mentioned in the show the only son of Pompey we do see is Quintus Pompey but in real life he never existed and his character gets killed by Antony shortly after Caesars assassination so the show is clearly adapting these grain shortages to be used by Antony as a tactic against Octavian that doesn't make the little [ __ ] declare war will but the real reason for this prelude for war is a little bit more complex and have been building up for many years by this point mark antony and octavian and grown accustomed to sliding each other off in public each attacking the others character and political authority for example Mark Antony accused Octavian of being a usurper that the only reason he was posthumously adopted by Caesar was because he was the passive partner in the homosexual relationship he also attacked Octavian's masculinity by pointing out that he never took part in any battle personally and always relied on others to do his fighting for him whether it be Mark Antony Octavian's best friend Agrippa on the other hand Octavian played is a little bit smarter than that he accused Antony of having no moral virtues which is not exactly breaking news since Antony was notorious for a successive behavior such as his drinking I'm afraid I drank rather too much ed no matter how hard I tried I have the most shocking headache and his sexual deviancy I am NOT rising from this bed until I [ __ ] someone these well-known character traits would eventually come back to haunt Antony especially after leaving his wife Octavia who is Octavian sister and marrying Cleopatra more accusations were made of Antony becoming Egyptian eyes no longer resembling the proud Roman he once was but what finally did it in the end was when Octavian claimed to have gotten his hands on Antony's wealth and testament in it he said that Antony was planning to divide Rome's eastern provinces to the children he sided with Cleopatra that he officially recognized Cleopatra's son Caesarion as Caesar's legitimate successor undermining Octavian's claim and finally upon his death Antony wish to be buried in Alexandria and not Rome it was this in particular that shocked and outraged the public with this well Octavian was able to convince the Roman people and Senate to declare war octavia mark Antony's earth trouble himself to the sorceress Cleopatra promising her dominion upon hearing the news of Octavian's war mongering Antony and Cleopatra mobilized their Navy their intention was to conquer Rome itself but when their fleets got caught in a storm Antony had a diverted for Greece to seek safe harbor this gave up saving the time he needed to respond eventually his fleet and those of Antony and Cleopatra would face each other for one final showdown on the 2nd of September 31 BC at the Battle of Actium but unfortunately in true HBO Rome fashion we don't see this famous battle we are instead caught up at its very end with the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra to quickly summarize what went wrong one of Antony's journals had defected to Octavian bringing him all of Antony's battle plants with this advantage Octavian's fleets reach havoc on Antony's eventually trapping it hurling fire and pitch at the Egyptian fleet sesang it's a blaze and when things were at their bleakest cleopatra decided to abandon the battle all together as Antony's fleet was engulfed in flames it was the sight of his wife and queen fleeing that struck the heaviest blow in that moment he deserted his navy to their fate and took off after her after losing everything Antony and Cleopatra returned to Alexandria they barricaded themselves inside the royal palace and spent the next year waiting for the inevitable arrival of Octavian's army when it finally did the city of Alexandria was placed under siege knock Tavian sent a messenger demanding their surrender now one cool thing I'd like to mention is an authentic moment when Antony sends back his reply I challenge your master into single combat sir let him meet me face to face with sword and shield just as our ancestors did then we shall see who is the better man so when I first saw this scene I thought was simply a creative way of sharing Antony's desperation but I was surprised to discover that he really did do this in fact on multiple occasions but he was of course always refused so knowing their days were numbered Cleopatra made a tragic attempt to save her life and the lives of her children she did this by sending word to Antony that in her moment of despair and solitude she committed suicide with nothing left to live for Antony decided to take his own life but I should mention that there are no definitive accounts of his death in the show he dies right there and then but Plutarch wrote that Antony survived the attempt although mostly wounded he was brought before Cleopatra and died in her arms with Octavian's permission Cleopatra presided over her husband's funeral but we don't see this in the show later Cleopatra met face to face with her Conqueror and like she had done with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony she attempted to win him over but a charm and charisma would not succeed a third time resorting to a desperate Cleopatra begging for her life an amused Octavian's of this pitiful display of an Egyptian queen as proof she wanted to live he said he would spare her life if she companies him back to Rome Cleopatra then knew that at the end of this trip awaited a humiliating death sentence like with verse and Jetix at the hands of Julius Caesar she would be paraded through the streets of the triumph and executed before a jeering crowd playing for time Cleopatra deceived Octavian by accepting his terms she would later kill herself by placing a venomous ASP on her breast her death marked the end of the Ptolemy dynasty with the subjugation of Egypt under Roman rule denied Cleopatra as a prize octane was forced to proceed with his triumph without her resorting to an effigy in her likeness with no enemies left to challenge Jim Octavian would usher in a new era as Rome sole ruler it will be called Pax Romana the Roman peace an age of peace prosperity and stability that endure for over 200 years Octavian would also changes name and become Caesar divi filius or Gustus the first Roman Emperor [Music] but this last chapter I'm gonna go over a few inaccuracies I left house earlier and give my final conclusion as authentic as the show is there are many discrepancies between what happens on-screen to the historical events they're based on especially in season two one major inaccuracy that I'm sure that every history buff is dying for me to mention is the fate of caesarean the real cesarean was 17 at the time not 12 like shown here he also didn't escape the clutches of Octavian and go into hiding with Titus Pullo this is all complete fiction Caesarea was actually caught soon after Cleopatra's death and murdered under Octavian's orders for this next point I honestly felt that this went without saying but people are asking for me to mention it anyway basically how an HBO's Rome it's not true that says Aryans the son of Titus Pullo but was indeed Julius Caesar's so if you're still wondering Titus Pullo was not the father next I'd like to talk about Siviglia like I said before she was not involved in Caesars murder the only role she had was hosting the conspirators in her villa after the assassination had taken place and advised them on how to proceed she also never had a sexual relationship with Octavia or any brutal rivalry with Atia these key plot points were all works of fiction the same goes for a final scene where she curses Atia and seals it by taking her own life the real Siviglia lives comfortably for many years before dying of old age unlike Atia who died much earlier in 43 BC just before the Battle of Philippi making her presence Octavian's triumphs impossible she also never had an affair with Mark Antony and wasn't known for being promiscuous the real Atia was considered immoral pious woman the complete opposite of an onscreen counterpart that don't even share the same name as here the Julie I should really be at SIA Bulba the show also dramatis Isis a lot of things [ __ ] Avia mainly her relationships such as her fling with Octavian's best friend Agrippa there is nothing in written records to support this but funny enough the real Agrippa did marry her daughter Claudia Marcella I should also point out that Octavian never had sex with her brother Octavian this is also made up and to be honest it's kind of weird how HBO's produce two TV series featuring incest the real Octavia was viewed by the public as the ideal Roman matron especially when she adopted Antony and Cleopatra surviving children this act of kindness truly struck a chord with the Roman people and as for my final thoughts on Rome in spite of its many inaccuracies and creative liberties I really do enjoy it there is no doubt in my mind that his creators were passionate about this period and worked hard to bring it to life even whilst making it an entertaining show I think that's why Rome has such a hardcore fan base it's passion in history is evident on screen and even though Rome does have problems they all stem from the same place in the end it was simply too grand of a story to tell and too expensive of a show to make Bruno Heller the creator of Rome said this of its cancellation I discovered halfway through writing the second season the show was going to end the second was going to end with the death of Brutus the third and fourth season would be set in Egypt fifth was going to be the rise of the Messiah in Palestine but because we got the heads-up that the second season would be it I telescope the third and fourth season into the second one which accounts for the blazing speed we go through history near the end there's certainly more than enough history to go around so everything he just said sounded really awesome so it's sad knowing that Rome's potential as an epic series will never be realized and you can see evidence of where he was setting things up for the future like that brief scene when Mark Antony meets the Jewish Prince Herod in episode 7 help me take the throne of Judea make my enemies your enemies and I offer you a substantial gift you must guarantee of course to keep your Jews in line they will do as I say or they will suffer the consequences this future king of Judea is best remembered by an event in the Bible called the massacre of the innocents an author Herod gave to execute all the male babies of Bethlehem he did this out of fear for losing his throne because of a prophecy that foretold the birth of a new king of the Jews well that about wraps it up but before I go I would like to give a shout out to the channel impact to history for helping me research this episode from there you could find out more by roman units tactics battles and campaigns over on their Channel and remember to tell him I said hi my name is Nick Hodges and thanks for watching history buffs and remember if you like the show help the channel grow if you wish to support history buffs that you can now do so at patreon and as always let me know in the comments section what you thought about Rome and of course what historical movie should I review next in the meantime check out the history bus Twitter and Facebook pages for new updates until then I'll see you next time [Music] you

Channel: History Buffs

Views: 3,132,274

Keywords: History Buffs, historically accurate, historical accuracy, history (tv genre), Rome Season Two, rome, hbo, caesar, octavian, cleopatra, antony, rome (tv program), mark, ancient rome, brutus, roman empire, roman republic, roman, rome series, agrippa, history (tv genre)history (tv genre), egypt, augustus caeser, hbo's rome, ceasar, ancient rome (dated location), rome tv series, marc antony, history, historically innacurate, ray stevenson, kein mckidd, James Purefoy, Tobias Menzies

Id: Jz8WWIz_a-I

Length: 44min 34sec (2674 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 28 2017