Which individuals formed the Second Triumvirate?

• A. Antony, Octavian, Lepidus
• B. Caesar, Pompey, Crassus
• C. Antony, Crassus, Octavian
• D. Pompey, Antony, Lepidus

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is a formal, legally sanctioned power-sharing alliance in the late Republic. The Second Triumvirate was created in 43 BCE as an official arrangement, not just a loose pact, to govern and to defeat Caesar’s legal heir and his allies. It was cemented by a law (Lex Titia) that granted the three leaders extraordinary authority to appoint magistrates and to proscribe enemies, effectively reorganizing supreme power among them. The members were Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus, with each taking control of different regions (Antony in the East, Octavian in the West, and Lepidus initially in Africa). This setup contrasts with the earlier First Triumvirate, which was an informal, personal alliance among Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus rather than a legally empowered government arrangement. The other options mix in leaders who belonged to the earlier trio or who weren’t part of the Second Triumvirate at all (Crassus had died, Pompey had died earlier), leaving Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus as the correct group.