What happened at the Battle of Mutina in 43 BCE?

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Augustus Portrait of the emperor Augustus, marble, Roman, c. 14–37 ce; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. Height 27.94 cm.

At the Battle of Mutina in 43 BCE, the forces of the Roman Senate, led by two consuls and supported by Octavian, engaged Mark Antony. At the time, Antony was besieging Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus at Mutina (modern-day Modena).123

The combined forces of the Senate and Octavian defeated Antony twice, compelling him to withdraw into southern Gaul. Although the conflict appeared to be a decisive success for the Senate, both consuls died during the campaign. Following their deaths, Octavian’s soldiers pressured the Senate to confer a vacant consulship upon him. The opposing armies subsequently broke up, and Antony was eventually joined by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, leading to the formation of the Second Triumvirate later that year.132