Triumvirate

Triumverate
The term triumvirate (from Latin, "of three men") is commonly used to describe a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals. The arrangement can be formal or informal, and though the three are usually equal on paper, in reality this is rarely the case. The term can also be used to describe a state with three different military leaders who all claim to be the sole leader.

What modern scholars call the First Triumvirate  was an informal political alliance of two rival generals, Julius Caesar   and Pompey the Great  representing the popular viz. senatorial party, with the extremely wealthy businessman Marcus Licinius Crassus . This fell apart after the death of Crassus, and the two other triumvirs fought a civil war, during which Pompey was killed and Caesar established his sole rule as perpetual dictator.

The Second Triumvirate  was a formal governing body, consisting of Octavian   and Mark Antony  , the rivals for real power, and third wheel Marcus Aemilius Lepidus  <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Lepidus was sidelined early on in the triumvirate, and Antony was eliminated in a civil war, leaving Octavian as the sole leader.