The Second Triumvirate was the legal political alliance formed in 43 BC by Octavian, Mark Antony, and Marcus Lepidus to avenge Julius Caesar's assassination; its collapse led to Octavian becoming Augustus, the emperor Ovid celebrates in Metamorphoses 15 (AP Latin Topic 1.18).
The Second Triumvirate was a three-man power-sharing deal struck in 43 BC, the year after Julius Caesar was assassinated. Octavian (Caesar's adopted heir), Mark Antony (Caesar's lieutenant), and Marcus Lepidus divided control of the Roman world among themselves with one official goal, punishing Caesar's killers. They did exactly that at the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC, then turned on each other. Lepidus was pushed aside, and Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The Republic never recovered. Octavian became Augustus, Rome's first emperor.
For AP Latin, this isn't just history trivia. It's the backstory behind the passage you read in Topic 1.18, Ovid's Metamorphoses 15.745-879. There, Ovid describes Julius Caesar's apotheosis (his transformation into a god) and uses it to glorify Augustus. Ovid's whole argument, that Caesar's greatest achievement was producing Augustus, only makes sense if you know how Octavian rode the Second Triumvirate from teenage heir to sole ruler.
This term lives behind Topic 1.18 (Ovid Metamorphoses 15.745-879, the celebration of the Caesars) in Unit 1's Latin prose and poetry practice. The learning objectives for that topic (AP Latin 1.18.A, 1.18.B, and 1.18.C) ask you to define Latin words, pin down their meaning in context, and explain how grammar shapes that meaning. Here's the catch with 'in context': when Ovid writes about Caesar becoming a comet and Augustus surpassing his father, the context is political. Words like Caesar, pater, and vindex (avenger) carry weight you can only feel if you know Octavian formed the Triumvirate specifically to avenge Caesar. Knowing this background turns Ovid's lines from a confusing star myth into transparent imperial propaganda, which makes translation and analysis questions much easier.
Keep studying AP Latin Unit 1
Julius Caesar (Unit 1)
Caesar's assassination in 44 BC is the trigger for everything. The Triumvirate existed to avenge him, and Ovid's passage in 15.745-879 turns that vengeance into divine destiny by making Caesar a god and Augustus his heir on earth.
Battle of Philippi (Unit 1)
Philippi (42 BC) is the Triumvirate doing its job. Octavian and Antony crushed Brutus and Cassius there, which is why Ovid can present Augustus as the dutiful avenger (ultor) of his deified father.
Battle of Actium (Unit 1)
Actium (31 BC) is the Triumvirate eating itself. Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra, ending the alliance and the Republic in one stroke. Augustan poets like Ovid and Vergil treat Actium as the moment order conquered chaos.
Pax Romana (Unit 1)
The peace Ovid celebrates at the end of Metamorphoses 15 is the payoff of the Triumvirate's collapse. With rivals gone, Augustus launched the Pax Romana, and praising it became the safest career move in Roman poetry.
AP Latin doesn't ask you to recite dates about the Second Triumvirate. It tests whether you can read Latin, so this term shows up as the context you need rather than the answer itself. On multiple-choice passages and short-answer questions tied to Ovid 15.745-879, you'll see references to Caesar's deification, Augustus as son and avenger, and Rome's new golden age. Knowing the Triumvirate's story (alliance, vengeance at Philippi, breakup, Actium, Augustus alone) lets you resolve who's who when Ovid says Caesar and means two different men in the same passage. That's exactly the in-context word skill LO 1.18.B targets. No released FRQ has used the term verbatim, but background like this is what separates a literal translation from one that actually makes sense.
The First Triumvirate (60 BC) was an informal, private deal among Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus, with no legal standing. The Second Triumvirate (43 BC) was Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus, and it was officially legalized with formal power to remake the state. Quick check for AP Latin readings: if Julius Caesar is alive in the passage, you're in First Triumvirate territory; if he's dead or a god (as in Ovid 15), you're in Second Triumvirate territory.
The Second Triumvirate was formed in 43 BC by Octavian, Mark Antony, and Marcus Lepidus to avenge the assassination of Julius Caesar.
Unlike the First Triumvirate, it was a legally sanctioned arrangement that gave the three men official power over the Roman state.
The alliance avenged Caesar at the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC, then fell apart, ending with Octavian's victory over Antony at Actium in 31 BC.
Its collapse ended the Roman Republic and made Octavian, renamed Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
In Ovid's Metamorphoses 15.745-879 (Topic 1.18), this history is the subtext: Caesar becomes a god, and Augustus is glorified as his avenging, even greater son.
On the AP Latin exam, this background helps you correctly identify which 'Caesar' a passage means and read Augustan praise poetry in context (LO 1.18.B).
It was the political alliance formed in 43 BC by Octavian, Mark Antony, and Marcus Lepidus to avenge Julius Caesar's assassination and control Rome. It accomplished the revenge at Philippi in 42 BC, then collapsed into civil war that Octavian won.
No. The Triumvirate operated during the dying years of the Roman Republic. The Empire only begins after the Triumvirate's breakup, when Octavian defeated Antony at Actium in 31 BC and became Augustus, the first emperor.
The First Triumvirate (60 BC) was an informal private pact among Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus. The Second (43 BC) was a legally official body made up of Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus, formed after Caesar's death to avenge him.
It's the backstory behind Ovid's Metamorphoses 15.745-879 in Topic 1.18, where Caesar is deified and Augustus is praised as his avenger and heir. Knowing this history lets you read words like Caesar and ultor correctly in context, which is what LO 1.18.B asks you to do.
Octavian. Lepidus was forced out of power, and Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. He then took the name Augustus and ruled as Rome's first emperor.