While Mark Antony was away in the East entangled with Cleopatra, his younger brother, Lucius Antonius, became the face of the Antonian cause in Italy. A man of fierce family loyalty and a populist streak, Lucius would eventually lead a full-scale rebellion against the young Octavian in what became known as the Perusine War.
The Family Radical
Lucius was the youngest of the three Antonii brothers. While Mark was the general and Gaius was the administrator, Lucius was the political firebrand. In 44 BC, he served as Tribune of the Plebs, a role he used to pass land reform laws designed to benefit Caesar’s veteran soldiers.
By 41 BC, Lucius reached the pinnacle of the Roman political ladder: the Consulship. This gave him legal authority that often rivaled that of Octavian, who was then struggling to manage the difficult task of settling thousands of veterans on Italian land—a process that involved seizing property from Italian civilians and causing widespread unrest.
The Perusine War (41–40 BC)
Lucius, encouraged by Mark Antony’s formidable wife Fulvia, saw an opportunity to undermine Octavian. They claimed that Octavian was taking all the credit for the veteran settlements and ignoring Mark Antony’s rights.
Lucius branded himself a defender of the “oppressed” Italian landowners and a champion of the traditional Republic against Octavian’s growing autocracy. He even went so far as to adopt the surname Pietas (Duty/Loyalty) to signal his devotion to his brother’s interests.
The conflict escalated into open warfare. Lucius gathered an army and occupied Rome briefly before being forced to retreat to the hilltop city of Perusia (modern-day Perugia).
The Siege of Hunger
The siege of Perusia was one of the most brutal in Roman history. Octavian’s forces, led by his brilliant general Agrippa, surrounded the city with a massive system of circumvallation (fortified lines).
The famine inside the city became legendary, known to historians as fames Perusina. Archaeological finds from the site include lead sling bullets (glandes) inscribed with insults directed at Lucius and Fulvia, as well as counter-insults from the defenders.
The Surrender and the Title of Imperator
In early 40 BC, Lucius was forced to surrender. Despite his rebellion, Octavian followed a path of calculated clemency. Because Lucius was the brother of his fellow Triumvir, Octavian could not execute him without triggering a world war with Mark Antony.
Interestingly, despite the defeat, Lucius had been hailed as Imperator by his troops during the campaign. This title appeared on his coinage alongside his consular title, asserting that his command was legitimate and sanctioned by the Roman people.
Aftermath and the Spanish Exile
Octavian essentially “promoted” Lucius out of Italy. He was sent to Hispania (Spain) to serve as a governor. It was a golden cage; it kept him far from the levers of power in Rome while keeping him alive as a gesture of peace toward Mark Antony.
Lucius Antonius died shortly thereafter in Spain. His rebellion was the last major internal threat Octavian faced in Italy before the final showdown at Actium.
Legacy: The Last Republican Antonian?
Lucius Antonius remains a complex figure. While Octavian’s propaganda painted him as a puppet of the “wicked” Fulvia, his support among Italian landowners suggests he was a man who understood the deep social grievances of the time. His failure marked the end of any meaningful resistance to the Triumvirate within the Italian heartland.