Livia Drusella (58 BC - 29 AD), was the third wife of Emperor Augustus of Rome, the emperor's mother Tiberius, and the emperor's grandmother Cleopatra Laudis. One of the greatest women in history, she lived in the shadow of a powerful leader, quietly serving as his advisor and confidant. She supported her husband's reform policies, turned a blind eye to his infidelities, and served the empire as the epitome of a loyal Roman wife, but behind the scenes at court she spent much of her adult life ensuring that her son's success, whether he wanted it or not, was All will be the future heirs to the throne of Augustus.
Augustus comes to power
Although known to many as Octavian in his youth, having been adopted by his son Caesar, young Augustus eventually came to power after his father was assassinated , became the leader of an empire that stretched from northern Gaul, to Spain in the west, to Syria in the east, to North Africa in the south, and surrounded the entire Mediterranean. To achieve this goal, he endured the wars of the year, culminating in victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium and sending fellow Troika Lepidus into exile. Returning to Rome and its people as a hero, the Roman Senate granted him unlimited "Principal" powers. His many reforms and innovations as emperor transformed Rome from a fragile, dying republic into a powerful and dominant empire - he famously said in his later years: "I discovered that Rome was built of sun-dried bricks." . I clothed her with marbles” (Life of Augustus, xxix).
During his long and active life, Augustus married three times, only once for love. His first wife was Claudia, the stepdaughter of Mark Antony and his wife Fulvia - this was purely a political alliance and the marriage was never consummated. After their divorce, he married the much older Scribonia of another political alliance. However, she would give birth to his only child, a daughter named Julia, in 39 BC. Augustus is quoted as saying that he divorced Julia the day after she was born - because he couldn't stand the way she nagged him. Livia Drusilla would become his third wife.
Early Life and Marriage to Augustus
While much of her early life remains unknown - not unusual for women at the time - it is possible that Livia Born in Rome on January 30, 58 or 59 BC. Before she married Augustus, she had been married to Tiberius Claudius Nero, a member of a very ancient and illustrious Claudian gens. Unfortunately, her husband did not choose his political alliances wisely, not only siding with the most desirable side—the conservatives in the Senate—but also supporting Mark Antony of Philippi. Livia would follow her husband, taking their son Tiberius with him, into exile in Greece, returning to Rome in 39 BC. She would have two children with Tiberius Nero; the future emperor Tiberius was born in 42 BC, and Nero Claudius Drusus, the father of the future emperor Claudius. Claudius Drusus). When Livia divorced her husband and married Augustus in 37 (or 38) BC, she became pregnant with Drusus. This marriage would unite two prominent clans, the Julian (house of Augustus) and the Claudian (house of Livia).
The Roman people regarded her as a "model of old-fashioned etiquette" of wisdom, beauty and dignity.
For Augustus, this marriage, for all purposes, was a wise decision. Livia will be a strong supporter of her husband while keeping a low profile. In the eyes of the Romans, she would be regarded as a "model of old-fashioned etiquette" with wisdom, beauty and dignity. Because Augustus respected her opinion, she was considered by many both inside and outside the court to have significant influence on her husband's administrative affairs. She was also considered very generous, encouraging Augustus to be merciful to his political opponents. Unfortunately, there were dissenters within the court - to them she was a ruthless schemer. Her step-grandson Gaius said she had a sharp tongue and called her "Ulixes stolatus" or "Ulixes stolatus" or "Ulixes stolatus". Tuo spoke of her "secret plot" in his Annals. He wrote: "...she had gained such a hold on the elderly Augustus that he drove out as an exile to the island Planaxia. Agrippa, his only grandson, Posthumus, though without meritorious qualities, and possessing only physical strength and savage courage, could not survive being convicted of any serious crime" (5-6).
Household Affairs
Like many Roman wives, Livia's official duties were mainly domestic - supervising household chores and the education of her children and grandchildren, as there was no imperial palace where the emperor lived with his wife. In a house on the Palatine Hill near the Temple of Apollo, their home was both a private and official residence. However, there were many benefits to being the emperor's wife - in addition to a front-row seat in the theatre. In addition, she has financial independence and freedom from verbal or physical attack - sacrosanct.
She was called the Romana Principle, something akin to a first lady. However, while she remained supportive of her husband, her primary concern was ensuring that one of her sons—Tiberius or Drusus—became heir to the throne.
Livia had good reason to worry about Augustus' heir. Although Julia brought him nothing but trouble throughout her life (she would eventually be exiled), his only daughter gave birth to two daughters, Julia and Agrippina, and three sons. Her sons Gaius, Lucius, and Agrippa Postumus (so named because he was born after his father's death) were all considered possible heirs to the throne, and since they were directly through Julia (who was not adopted) Related to Augustus, so they preceded Augustus. Tiberius and Drusus, sons of Livia.
Julia had married, of course arranged, Gaius Claudius Marcellus, Augustus' 17-year-old nephew. After his untimely death, she married Augustus' friend and commander Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who was forced to divorce his wife and marry Julia. Her marital luck would continue as Agrippa would die in 12 BC. However, their marriage gave Augustus three possible heirs to the throne.
Leave an heir
Whether it is her scheming or luck, Livia's promotion of her sons will eventually succeed. Death would put Tiberius on the throne. First, Livia lost her youngest son Drusus in 9 BC when he fell from his horse and was killed in battle. Gaius and Lucius would soon die next, although relatively young; Gaius was wounded in battle at the age of 23 in 4 AD, while Lucius fell ill in Gaul in 2 AD , 19 years old. 'Livia had no role in their deaths. The third son, Agrippa Postumus, was exiled while still young and, although adopted by the emperor, was executed shortly after Augustus' death.
Oddly enough, the empire would one day be ruled by the descendants of Drusus, the father of one future Roman emperor and the grandfather of another. Drusus had two sons, the brilliant commander Germanicus, the father of the despicable Caligula, who would rule Rome from 37 to 41 AD, and Claudius, who would rule from 41 to 41 AD. Ruled for 54 years. Poor Claudius. His grandmother Livia utterly despised Claudius because he limped, stuttered, and drooled. She couldn't bear to look into his face. When it was predicted that Claudius would one day rule the empire, she "praised aloud that the Roman people might be spared such a cruel and undeserved misfortune." Many believe that the popular Germanicus, who died in AD 19 at the age of 34, was poisoned on the orders of Tiberius to remove any possible threats to his rule.
Although Augustus was reluctant to name Tiberius as his successor, the untimely deaths of Lucius and Gaius brought Tiberius to the forefront. Tiberius always claimed that the emperor treated him badly. Regarding Tiberius becoming the next emperor, Tacitus wrote:
After Agrippa's death, Lucius Caesar was on his way to our Spanish army, and Gaius was returning from Armenia. Still wounded, betrayed by fate or their stepmother, Drusus prematurely cut off Nero (meaning Tiberius Nero) long dead, and alone among his stepsons, everything focused on him. (5)
While Livia worked hard to ensure that one of her sons became emperor, she never seems to have discussed the matter with her eldest son, Tiberius. Even though he was outstanding in politics and actual combat, he felt out of place among the royal family. At one point, he even exiled himself to Rhodes only to return to Rome in 2 AD. He claimed he was "tired of the office and needed a break." Augustus called it an escape. However, his mother had other plans for her son. She must guarantee his status as the rightful heir. To achieve this, Tiberius was forced to divorce his beloved wife, the pregnant Vespagna Agrippina, and in 12 BC he married the now widowed Julia. He actually hated Julia and may have fled to Rhode Island to avoid her. However, despite his feelings, Augustus defended Julia when he exiled her. Tiberius was later adopted by Augustus in AD 4, even though he was already in his forties. He was now the sole heir to the Roman throne.
The Last Years of Livia
Augustus died on August 19, 14 AD. Augustus and Livia left Rome at the time of the emperor's death, more than 100 miles away. In the years before his death, his health failed and Augustus became increasingly withdrawn, communicating with his wife only through letters. Some claim the date of his death is wrong, as Livia may have deliberately delayed announcing his death, as Tiberius also left Rome a full five days later. Like her stepson's death, many historians believe that Livia may have played a role in the emperor's death because she served him poisoned figs.
As Augustus lay dying, his wife remained by his side, supervising all those who saw the emperor and issuing proclamations regarding his health. Tacitus writes: "For Livia kept a close watch on the house and its entrance, and issued favorable announcements from time to time..." (6). Upon Tiberius' arrival, the emperor's death was announced. In his will, Augustus left most of his property to Livia and Tiberius. He also adopted Livia; thus, she became Augusta. Later, Tiberius would tire of his meddling mother and exclude her from all public affairs. He might even exile himself to Capri to get away from her.
Livia would die in 29 AD at the age of 86. Her son outlived her by eight years. Whether she played a role in her husband's death or even her step-grandson's death is best left to others to debate. History remembers her as a powerful woman who stood by her imperial husband but still removed all obstacles that stood in the way of her son Tiberius ascending to the throne. A member of the Julio-Claudian clan would rule the empire until the suicide of Claudius' adopted son Nero in AD 68. The empire would somehow endure the reigns of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. None reached the greatness of their illustrious ancestor Augustus.