"Triumvirate - First and Second Triumvirates"

Definition: Triumvirate means three men and refers to a group of three men who hold political power, regardless of whether or not the trio has been elected. Julius Caesar, Pompey (Pompeius Magnus) and Marcus Licinius Crassus formed an alliance that wielded the real power in Rome from 60-54 B.C. The second triumvirate consisted of Octavian (Augustus), Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony. The second triumvirate was an official body created in 43 B.C., known as Triumviri Rei Publicae Constituendae Consulari Potestate. Consular power was assigned to the three men. Usually there were only two elected consuls.