Charlemagne and The Sopranos, Trump and I, Claudius – all owe a debt to the imperial biographies of Suetonius.

Then Augustus got a lucky break. In 46 BC, Caesar won the civil war and was named dictator of Rome. To secure his position, he needed an heir. With no son of his own, he adopted Augustus.

Before Augustus was declared the first citizen of Rome or the son of the divine or a god among men, he was just a teenager named Octavian. Granted, he was the adopted son of the powerful dictator ...

Looking to ensure succession, Augustus first adopted Marcus Claudius Marcellus, the son of his sister Octavia, born the same year as Tiberius. He adopted Marcellus and married him to his daughter ...