“Both as a sea commander and as a statesman, Anson
triumphed over adversity by courage and determina-
tion. Flexible and pragmatic at a tactical level both at
sea and ashore, he kept his ultimate goal clearly in view.
He was an outstanding judge of men, which served him
well both in the navy and in politics. His professional
legacy was above all a tradition of devotion to duty, of
aggressive attack and of taking his subordinates into his
confidence which was transmitted through his followers
to future generations.”
References: Anson, Walter Vernon, The Life of Admiral
Lord Anson, the Father of the British Navy, 1697–1762
(London: John Murray, 1912); Barrow, Sir John, The Life
of George, Lord Anson, Admiral of the Fleet, Vice-Admiral
of Great Britain, and First Lord Commissioner of the Admi-
ralty, Previous to, and During, the Seven Years’ War (Lon-
don: John Murray, 1839); Rodger, N. A. M., “George,
Lord Anson,” in Precursors of Nelson: British Admirals
of the Eighteenth Century, edited by Peter Le Fevre and
Richard Harding (London: Chatham Publishing, 2000),
176–199; “Memorandum by Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st
Duke of Newcastle under Lyne, Newcastle House—London;
4 June 1757 [Ne C 3158, 4.6.1757],” in Letters of and
Relating to Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle
under Lyne (Newcastle, U.K.: University of Nottingham
Library, 1725–1771).
Antony, Mark (Marcus Antonius, Mark Anthony)
(82/83–30 b.c.) Roman general
Mark Antony was born in 82 b.c. (although some
sources list his date of birth as 83 b.c.) in Rome, the
son of Marcus Antonius (known as Creticus, ?–71 b.c.),
a Roman military leader and praetor (magistrate) who
lost a major battle to the Cretans. His paternal grand-
father was Marcus Antonius (143–87 b.c.), one of the
best known of the Roman orators, who also served as a
consul and censor; his maternal grandfather was Julius
caesar’s uncle Lucius. Antony is first noted in Roman
histories in 54 b.c., when he was 28 and serving with
Julius Caesar in Gaul (now modern France). Caesar was
Antony’s main influence, both as a father figure—his fa-
ther died when Antony was only 11—and as a military
figure. Antony rose in rank from quaestor (financial of-
ficial) to tribune, and in 49 b.c. he was put in command
of Roman forces that drove PomPey from Italy. That
same year, Caesar put Antony in charge as deputy gov-
ernor of Italy while Caesar was in Spain. Antony was at
Caesar’s side at the battle of Pharsalus (48 b.c.), and in
47 b.c. he again served as deputy governor of Italy while
the Roman leader was in Africa.
Although some historians believe that Antony may
have had something to do with Caesar’s assassination
on 15 March 44 b.c., there has never been firm proof,
and Antony was not one of Caesar’s murderers. Follow-
ing the assassination, Antony strove to become Rome’s
ruler, and though he did not arrest Caesar’s killers, he
did publish his mentor’s will. His stunning eulogy at
Caesar’s funeral brought the ire of the Roman people
on the assassins, forcing them to flee. One of them,
Decimus Junius Brutus, held the province of Cisalpine
Gaul; Antony got the Roman Senate to transfer con-
trol of the territory to him, and when Brutus refused to
hand it over, Antony assembled an army and marched to
seize it.
The Senate, however—urged by Caesar’s heir,
Octavian, who was to become the Roman emperor
augustus—claimed the land for Rome. Antony
was denounced as a traitor to Rome, Octavian moved
to fight him, and their armies met at Mutina (now
Modena, Italy) (14–27 April 43 b.c.). Historian George
Bruce writes: “[Mutina] was between the adherents of
Antony, and three Consular armies under Hirtius, Oc-
tavius [Octavian], and Vibius Pansa. Antony, who was
besieging Mutina, was attacked simultaneously by the
three armies. That of Pansa was routed and Pansa slain,
but Octavius and Hirtius gained some small success.
Antony, however, was undefeated, and continued the
siege. On the 27th Octavius and Hirtius made a com-
bined attack on his lines and succeeded in forcing their
way through into the town, though Hirtius fell in the
action.” Although they were victorious, Antony and
his men raised the siege of Mutina, and he retreated to
Gaul, where he combined his forces with the Roman
consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (?–13 b.c.) and then
marched on Rome. Octavian, unable to defend the city,
instead made a truce with Antony, who would no longer
be a public enemy: Under the Triumviri Republicae Con-
stituendae (Republican Constitutional Triumvirate), also
called the Second Triumvirate, Antony, Octavian, and
Lepidus united to create a powerful army, and Antony
was given control of all of Gaul.
The triumvirate marched against the conspira-
tors who murdered Julius Caesar, and in two battles at
Philippi (42 b.c.), Antony and Octavian took on Mar-0 Antony, mARk