Octavius (Augustus) Caesar: Cruel sniveling coward or great Roman (or both)?

I never knew him.

He's not treated too kindly in I, Claudius, but for his faults he was definitely better than those that came after him. Agirppa was the "man behind the throne" for sure though. Without Agrippa winning the Battle of Actium Augustus isn't victorious, without Agrippa the capitol isn't re-made in marble and splendor, various other engineering defeats aren't accomplished, and no one is afraid of Octavian. Augustus gets the credit, but the real man of history was Agrippa, and people talked trash about Octavian for that reason at the time.

Who was the Greatest Roman?

Marius? Tiberius? Julius Caesar? Gnaeus Pompey? Octavian/Augustus?

Crassus was Julius Caesars Benefactor, the wealthiest man in Rome (perhaps the wealthiest man in history), basically the Kingmaker for Julius Caesar. Interesting but certainly no tthe greatest.

Agrippa was definitely a very talented person. Kind of A renaissance man with skills in multiple. Areas . But I don't know if I'v e ver seen him referred to as the Power behind the throne. Maybe something of a mutually beneficial relationship. Between the two but I think Augustus was pulling the strings.

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I would put Trajan right up there with Augustus or underneath him.

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Both pretty good examples of the effectiveness of the Roman habit of emperors "adopting" their heir as emperor. Though in Trajan's case at least I think the guy that a adopted him was given a little push by the army.

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Who was the Greatest Roman?

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He was a political mastermind unlike any the Roman Empire had ever seen and none after ever had the enduring influence that he had. He understood how to hide autocratic rule beneath the guise of Republican principles. He outlasted and out maneuvered the likes of Pompey, Brutus and Cassius in the East, Sextus Pompey on Sicily, and Mark Antony. He chose wisely in making his childhood friend Agrippa the hammer of his reign. Under his reign, the empire reached its apex in expansion and administration and was at an all time high at his death. He wisely, abandoned the quest to expand North of the Rhine into Germanica even though it had been a goal of his and the Senate to expand to the Elbe for 3 decades. Instead, he put focus on strengthening the border territories South of the Rhine and strengthening Romes hold on the Trans-Alpine, Long Haired, and Cis-Alpine Gaul territories.

He was a master at giving the impression that he was a champion of the Republic while ruling as a benevolent dictator.

As far as being a coward, he was definitely interested in his own self preservation especially in his early years and in the heat of battle. He was always "sick" and in a tent in the rear when things got messy. He was no Agrippa or Antony in that regard. His brilliance was in his ability to slow play politics to eventually consolidate power. It did not hurt that he Julius Caesar left him his entire estate. He had the money and wherewithal to pay his legions, Senators, and citizens handsome sums for their loyalty early in his rise to power.

History shows that all of this ended up for the greater good of Rome during and for centuries after his death. I personally think he was the greatest leader Rome ever had.

The guy with pet rock has my vote

considering who he had to defeat through political gain and actual warfare and the overall health of the empire at the time, I think Augustus has a serious claim to be GOAT roman emperor and is definitely no. 1 in my book.

He was a great man. Simple as that. He took the rather sloppy work begun by Ceaser and turned it into an empire. He was brilliant, considerate, and crafty.

He was kinda a bastard though when it came to family matters. He instituted a bunch of dumb anti-sex laws and even had his own daughter arrested.