Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus
Encyclopedia
Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus (fl. 1st century BC) was a senator
of the Roman Republic
. He was born with the name Appius Claudius Pulcher, into the patrician family of the Claudii. According to Suetonius
, Drusus was a direct descendant of the consul
and censor Appius Claudius Caecus
. He was descended from Caecus via the first Appius Claudius Pulcher
, who was consul in 212 BC and Caecus's great-grandson.
Marcus Livius Drusus
. His name was change from Appius Claudius Pulcher to Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus, in honor of his adoptive father.
Drusus married a woman of plebeian
status called Aufidia
; the daughter of a Roman magistrate called Marcus Aufidius Lurco
. They had at least two children: a daughter Livia
Drusilla (58 BC-29) and a son Marcus Livius Drusus. Livia was the first Roman Empress and third wife of the first Roman Emperor
Augustus
and Livius Drusus would serve as a consul.
of Rome in 50 BC and presided over a court case brought under the Lex Scantinia
.Caelius, writing to Cicero
, seems to find the situation ironic.
In 45 BC, Cicero had purchased gardens owned by Drusus in Rome. Drusus was a supporter of the Roman Republic
and was among those who opposed the rule and dictatorship
of Julius Caesar
, assassinated in 44 BC by Brutus
and Cassius
.
In 42 BC, Drusus arranged for his daughter Livia to marry his kinsman Tiberius Claudius Nero, who became the parents of future Roman Emperor Tiberius
and the general Nero Claudius Drusus
. Through this second grandson, Drusus was a direct ancestor to the Roman Emperors Caligula
, Claudius
, and Nero
.
and Mark Antony
. The decision would have serious consequences for Drusus and for Livia’s family. He fought alongside Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi
in 42 BC. When Brutus and Cassius were defeated, they committed suicide. Drusus killed himself in his tent to avoid being captured alive by the victors.
The poet Sextus Propertius [11.1.27], described the Battle of Philippi as "civilia busta" or "sepulchre of citizens". The 1st-century senator and historian Aulus Cremutius Cordus
, glorified Brutus and Cassius in his history and described those who fought alongside Caesar’s assassins as the "last of the Romans".
Claudius dedicated an inscription to honor his ancestor on the Greek island of Samos
. This surviving inscription in Greek, hails Drusus as the "origin of many great and good works for the world" or "megiston agathon aition…en toi kosmoi". Claudius also honored Drusus with statues in Rome.
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
. He was born with the name Appius Claudius Pulcher, into the patrician family of the Claudii. According to Suetonius
Suetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, Drusus was a direct descendant of the consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
and censor Appius Claudius Caecus
Appius Claudius Caecus
Appius Claudius Caecus was a Roman politician from a wealthy patrician family. He was dictator himself and the son of Gaius Claudius Crassus, dictator in 337 BC.-Life:...
. He was descended from Caecus via the first Appius Claudius Pulcher
Appius Claudius Pulcher (consul 212 BC)
Appius Claudius Pulcher was a Roman general of the 3rd century BC, active in the Second Punic War.-Life:...
, who was consul in 212 BC and Caecus's great-grandson.
Early Life
Little is known about the circumstances leading to Drusus's adoption as an infant by the tribuneTribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
Marcus Livius Drusus
Marcus Livius Drusus (tribune)
The younger Marcus Livius Drusus, son of Marcus Livius Drusus, was tribune of the plebeians in 91 BC. In the manner of Gaius Gracchus, he set out with comprehensive plans, but his aim was to strengthen senatorial rule...
. His name was change from Appius Claudius Pulcher to Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus, in honor of his adoptive father.
Drusus married a woman of plebeian
Plebs
The plebs was the general body of free land-owning Roman citizens in Ancient Rome. They were distinct from the higher order of the patricians. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian...
status called Aufidia
Aufidia
Aufidia or Alfidia was a woman of Ancient Rome. She was a daughter to Roman Magistrate Marcus Aufidius Lurco and an unknown mother. She was a member of the gens Aufidia, a Roman family of Plebs status which appeared in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, and became a family of consular rank...
; the daughter of a Roman magistrate called Marcus Aufidius Lurco
Aufidius Lurco
Marcus Aufidius Lurco or known as Aufidius Lurco, was a Roman magistrate who lived in the 1st century BC. Lurco was a member of the gens Aufidia, a Roman family of Plebs status, who appeared in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire. They became a family of consular rank...
. They had at least two children: a daughter Livia
Livia
Livia Drusilla, , after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14 also known as Julia Augusta, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Augustus and his adviser...
Drusilla (58 BC-29) and a son Marcus Livius Drusus. Livia was the first Roman Empress and third wife of the first Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
and Livius Drusus would serve as a consul.
Career
Drusus was praetorPraetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
of Rome in 50 BC and presided over a court case brought under the Lex Scantinia
Lex Scantinia
The Lex Scantinia is a poorly documented ancient Roman law that penalized a sex crime against a freeborn male minor . The law may also have been used to prosecute adult male citizens who willingly took a passive role in having sex with other men...
.Caelius, writing to Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, seems to find the situation ironic.
In 45 BC, Cicero had purchased gardens owned by Drusus in Rome. Drusus was a supporter of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
and was among those who opposed the rule and dictatorship
Roman dictator
In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...
of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, assassinated in 44 BC by Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus , often referred to as Brutus, was a politician of the late Roman Republic. After being adopted by his uncle he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, but eventually returned to using his original name...
and Cassius
Gaius Cassius Longinus
Gaius Cassius Longinus was a Roman senator, a leading instigator of the plot to kill Julius Caesar, and the brother in-law of Marcus Junius Brutus.-Early life:...
.
In 42 BC, Drusus arranged for his daughter Livia to marry his kinsman Tiberius Claudius Nero, who became the parents of future Roman Emperor Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
and the general Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus , born Decimus Claudius Drusus also called Drusus, Drusus I, Nero Drusus, or Drusus the Elder was a Roman politician and military commander. He was a fully patrician Claudian on his father's side but his maternal grandmother was from a plebeian family...
. Through this second grandson, Drusus was a direct ancestor to the Roman Emperors Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
, and Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
.
Death and Legacy
Drusus became a supporter of Brutus and Cassius and joined them in the war against OctavianAugustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
and Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
. The decision would have serious consequences for Drusus and for Livia’s family. He fought alongside Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi
Battle of Philippi
The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian and the forces of Julius Caesar's assassins Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus in 42 BC, at Philippi in Macedonia...
in 42 BC. When Brutus and Cassius were defeated, they committed suicide. Drusus killed himself in his tent to avoid being captured alive by the victors.
The poet Sextus Propertius [11.1.27], described the Battle of Philippi as "civilia busta" or "sepulchre of citizens". The 1st-century senator and historian Aulus Cremutius Cordus
Aulus Cremutius Cordus
Aulus Cremutius Cordus was a Roman historian. There are very few remaining fragments of his work, that covered the civil war and the reign of Augustus Caesar. In 25 AD he was forced by Sejanus who was praetorian prefect under Tiberius to take his life after being accused of maiestas...
, glorified Brutus and Cassius in his history and described those who fought alongside Caesar’s assassins as the "last of the Romans".
Claudius dedicated an inscription to honor his ancestor on the Greek island of Samos
Samos Island
Samos is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of Asia Minor, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separate regional unit of the North Aegean region, and the only municipality of the regional...
. This surviving inscription in Greek, hails Drusus as the "origin of many great and good works for the world" or "megiston agathon aition…en toi kosmoi". Claudius also honored Drusus with statues in Rome.
Sources
- Dutch Wikipedia on Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus
- http://www.roman-emperors.org/livia.htm
- http://wildfiregames.com/0ad/page.php?p=9826
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1088.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1089.html
- http://www.theaterofpompey.com/rome/magistrates.shtml#50
- http://www.romansonline.com/Persns.asp?IntID=12589&Ename=Marcus+Livius+Drusus+Claudianus
- Augusto Fraschetti (2001): Roman women, University of Chicago Press, p. 243