Editing Mark Antony (section)

===Division of the republic===
[[File:Roman-Empire-42BC.png|thumb|450px|Map of the [[Roman Republic]] in 42 BC after the [[Battle of Philippi]]: {{colbegin|colwidth=200px}}
{{legend|#81EE5B|Antony}}{{legend|#C19666|Lepidus}}{{legend|#DE8DE0|Octavian}}{{legend|#FF925E|Triumvirs collectively}}
{{legend|#7D87FF|Sextus Pompey}}{{legend|#ED1C24|Parthian Empire}}{{legend|#FED250|Rome's client kingdoms}}{{legend|#FF8C8C|Ptolemaic Egypt}}{{colend}}]]

The victory at Philippi left the members of the triumvirate as masters of the republic, save [[Sextus Pompey]] in Sicily. Upon returning to Rome, the triumvirate repartitioned rule of Rome's provinces among themselves, with Antony as the clear senior partner. He received the largest distribution, governing all of the Eastern provinces while retaining [[Roman Gaul|Gaul]] in the West. Octavian's position improved, as he received Spain, which was taken from Lepidus. Lepidus was then reduced to holding only Africa, and he assumed a clearly tertiary role in the triumvirate. Rule over Italy remained undivided, but Octavian was assigned the difficult and unpopular task of demobilizing their veterans and providing them with land distributions in Italy.<ref>Hinard, 2000, p. 854</ref><ref>Hinard, 2000, p. 253</ref> Antony assumed direct control of the East while he installed one of his lieutenants as the ruler of Gaul. During his absence, several of his supporters held key positions in Rome to protect his interests there.

The East was in need of reorganization. In addition, Rome contended with the [[Parthian Empire]] for dominance of the [[Near East]]. The Parthian threat to the triumvirate's rule was urgent due to the fact that the Parthians supported the ''liberatores'' in the recent civil war, aid which included the supply of troops at Philippi.<ref>Bivar, 1968, pp. 56–57</ref> As ruler of the East, Antony also assumed responsibility for overseeing Caesar's planned invasion of Parthia to avenge the defeat of [[Marcus Licinius Crassus]] at the [[Battle of Carrhae]] in 53 BC.

In 42 BC, the Roman East was composed of several directly controlled provinces and [[Client state|client kingdoms]]. The provinces included [[Roman Macedonia|Macedonia]], [[Asia (Roman province)|Asia]], [[Bithynia et Pontus|Bithynia]], [[Roman Cilicia|Cilicia]], [[Roman Cyprus|Cyprus]], [[Roman Syria|Syria]], and [[Creta et Cyrenaica|Cyrenaica]]. Approximately half of the eastern territory was controlled by Rome's client kingdoms, nominally independent kingdoms subject to Roman direction. These kingdoms included:
* [[Odrysian Kingdom|Odrysian Thrace]] in [[Eastern Europe]]
* The [[Bosporan Kingdom]] along the northern coast of the [[Black Sea]]
* [[Galatia]], [[Pontus (region)|Pontus]], [[Cappadocia]], [[Artaxiad dynasty|Armenia]], and several smaller kingdoms in [[Asia Minor]]
* [[Hasmonean dynasty|Judea]], [[Commagene]], and the [[Nabataean kingdom]] in the [[Middle East]]
* [[Ptolemaic Egypt]] in Africa