Drusus Julius Caesar
Introduction
Drusus Julius Caesar (14 BC-14 September 23 AD) was the son of Emperor Tiberius
and the heir to the Roman Empire from the death of his adoptive brother Germanicus
in 19 AD until his own murder by Sejanus in 23 AD. He also served as Roman consul
in 15 AD and 21 AD.
Sobriquet
Castor
Appearance
Behavior
History
Drusus Julius Caesar was born in Rome, Latium, Roman Republic, the son of Tiberius and
Vipsania Agrippina; he was named for his paternal uncle Nero Claudius Drusus. In 4 AD,
when Tiberius was adopted as Emperor Augustus' heir, Drusus was married to his cousin
Livilla, who had infidelities with another cousin, Agrippa Postumus. Drusus and his
adoptive brother Germanicus progressed through Roman society together; they became
quaestor at the same age (Drusus in 10 AD), both were exempted from holding the
praetorship, they held their first and second consulships at the same age, and both
were given imperium when they were given lands to govern. In September of 14 AD, after
the death of Emperor Augustus, Drusus was sent to quell the mutiny of the legions in
Illyricum, and he also quelled the revolt of three legions in Pannonia after executing
the mutiny's leaders. He held the consulship in 15 AD, and, from 17 to 20 AD, he served
as Governor of Illyricum. During the summer of 18 AD, he led a successful invasion of the
Marcomanni lands in Bohemia, and he received an ovation for his success on his return to
Rome. After his brother Germanicus' death in 19 AD, Drusus became the new heir to the
Roman Empire, and he fathered Tiberius Gemellus on the same day as his brother's death,
10 October. Drusus returned to the consulship in 21 AD, and, the next year, he was formally
made his father's heir. However, the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, Sejanus, came to be
the de facto heir to the empire after seducing Drusus' wife Livilla and winning the favor
of Tiberius. Drusus felt jealous about Sejanus assisting in government while the Emperor's
heir was alive, and he struck him in the face. Sejanus soon divorced his wife and planned
to marry Livilla, who had her husband poisoned in 23 AD; Drusus died at the age of 36.
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