Rafael Prestes’s Reviews > Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar > Status Update
Rafael Prestes
is 34% done
151 - Augustus is growing old and is increasingly facing practical problems in the city of Rome. A struggle over the succession is unfolding between the Juliani and the Claudiani. With Augustus’s direct descendants either exiled or dead, he has no choice but to appoint his stepson as heir to the throne of the urbs aeterna. The section ends with Augustus exiling Ovid, a poet known for his pronounced sexual appetite.
— Dec 13, 2025 05:56PM
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Rafael’s Previous Updates
Rafael Prestes
is 42% done
End of Chapter 3 - Augustus died and Tiberius assumed the title of "princeps". The author states that the first crime committed by Tiberius was ordering the murder of Augustus’s grandson, which cleared his path to assume the throne. This chapter was complicated, full of unnecessary language that made it difficult to understand the main point.
— Dec 25, 2025 04:01AM
Rafael Prestes
is 39% done
Página 172 - Convicta de ter pacificado a Germânia, Roma avançou confiante sob o comando de Varo. Guiadas por Armínio, as legiões penetraram em terreno hostil. Traídas, foram emboscadas no Desfiladeiro de Teutoburgo. Três legiões foram aniquiladas, destruindo o projeto romano além do Reno.
— Dec 21, 2025 12:47PM
Rafael Prestes
is 37% done
Page 163 – Tom explains how Ovid suffered when he was exiled to the Balkans. Tom also explains what drove the Romans to keep expanding their territory. Being in a state of war was in the Roman blood, and expansion went beyond the everyday awareness of the average Roman. It was something premeditated yet taken for granted. This was the natural state of things: endless expansion to achieve “Imperium sine fine”.
— Dec 17, 2025 08:00PM
Rafael Prestes
is 30% done
Page 133 - Julia’s marriage to Tiberius, imposed by Augustus, did not generate genuine affection. Tiberius, disciplined and rigid, saw his role primarily as an obligation for the sake of political stability and Augustus’s will. Julia, on the other hand, continued to display her independence of spirit and intelligence, challenging conventions and testing the limits that power and tradition sought to impose.
— Dec 11, 2025 07:37PM
Rafael Prestes
is 27% done
Page 119: After the chaos that led to the fall of the Republic, Rome found itself on a path of “straightening out,” Emperor Augustus as the central figure of this process. He became the beacon and guide for society, imposing strict behavioural laws, especially on the nobility. The Romans needed stability, and, indirectly, the Princeps served this role: leading the people of Rome towards a new standard of conduct.
— Dec 08, 2025 03:01PM
Rafael Prestes
is 23% done
End of chapter 2 explains how the Romans, shaped by political pressures, crafted a narrative of devotion to Augustus to justify his power and steady a city in chaos. He became the image of a conciliator, backed by the elite, and proved one of history’s most skilled politicians. He secured what he wanted by cultivating a peacemaker’s image and gaining support from many in society, patricians and plebeians.
— Nov 24, 2025 03:17PM
Rafael Prestes
is 20% done
Page 89 - Tom spends a few pages describing how Augustus behaviour shifted once he had secured everything he wanted. No longer reliant on violent or hostile tactics, he could present himself more calmly in his dealings with senators and those around him. Tom has said in interviews that Augustus had a very raucous sense of humour, which he suggests was also part of his strategy for managing his public conduct. 
— Nov 24, 2025 05:07AM
Rafael Prestes
is 18% done
Page 82 - After managing to hold power in his hands with several displays of bravado, Emperor Augustus succeeded in making his image become associated with the state itself. The honours, the victories, and the image of the Roman empire were all shaped around the figure of Octavius. A masterstroke!
— Nov 22, 2025 01:18PM
Rafael Prestes
is 16% done
Page 70 - Octavius had begun to realise that the days of the vicious thug were ending. He would have to embrace a new identity, one that represented the people of Rome as a whole, that is, the Senate and the People of Rome. The image of the tough conquering general had already achieved its purpose. Now he would have to become someone who embodied everyone and would lead Rome: “The mistress of the world”.
— Nov 19, 2025 01:13PM
Rafael Prestes
is 14% done
Page 60 – After defeating what remained of the Republic’s supporters at Philippi, Octavian attacked Lepidus. Now, his main concern was removing the last obstacle in his path: Mark Antony. His rival had made the mistake of allying himself with Cleopatra and had fallen completely in love with her. In doing so, he lost all sense of judgment. For Roman society, a new leader for their nation had already been chosen.
— Nov 17, 2025 09:01PM
