Final answer:
Caesar Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the first emperor and the founder of the Roman Empire after the fall of the Roman Republic. He ruled from 27 BCE until 14 CE and notably worked to maintain the semblance of the Republic while establishing an imperial form of government.
Step-by-step explanation:
The person who was allowed to rule Rome and establish an empire in place of the Roman Republic was Caesar Augustus. As the first emperor of Rome, he reigned from 27 BCE until his death in 14 CE. Caesar Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the architect of the Roman Empire and transformed the turbulent Rome of the late republic into a stable imperial form of government.
Unlike Julius Caesar, who was his great-uncle, Augustus successfully eliminated his political rivals and instituted a permanent hereditary emperorship while maintaining the facade of the Republic.
Augustus' leadership marked the beginning of the Roman Empire, an era that witnessed the expansion of Roman authority around the Mediterranean Sea.
This Empire lasted in the West until 476 CE and was succeeded by the Byzantine Empire in the East. Augustus established the groundwork for future emperors and enacted various reforms that reshaped the political structure of Rome, ensuring his legacy as a pivotal figure in Roman history.