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1 Livia Drusilla

by Eugenia Salza Prina Ricotti

Livia Drusilla
After his second marriage with Scribonia Augustus began to lead a lively amorous life during which he had many intercourses with the wives of some senators whose planning and plotting interested him. It was probable that in the love transports these ladies did let him know what their spouses were doing. Of course to have success in this field a young man had to be endowed with some particular qualities, but Octavianus, with his beautiful and boyish features, had no difficulty to enter in the matrons hearts. And it was while he was exercising this activity that he met Livia Drusilla who, like the others, was married with a senator and from him had a baby, Tiberius.
Livia was born in the Claudian family, but as his father had been adopted by the Livii Drusi and therefore had assumed the name of Livius Drusus, when Livia, was born, she received her father name - an old Roman custom - and was known as Livia Drusilla
When after the second triumvirate the triumvirs affixed the lists of proscription in which all the names of the men they hated and wanted to be killed were inscribed, also the name of Livius Drusus was included in them. With this lists, Octavianus, Anthony and Lepidus, asked the Romans to kill their enemies, but keeping in mind the social differences, or maybe as a sign of respect for the more important personages they had decided to eliminate , the triumvirs made two different tablets one for the persons of senatorial status and the other for common people as – observe Dio Cassius in his history- they weren’t to be killed in the same way. Of course reading his name among the senatorial personages of the first tablet, Drusus decided to flee to Macedony and there join Brutus and Cassius. But, as history tells us, they were defeated at Filippi’s and at this moment Drusus didn’t wait to see what the winners planned to do with the survivors and rapidly killed himself.
Thus it was from her young age that the young woman experimented all the tears and the blood of those terrible period of civil war, a time which created indestructible barriers between the different factions. To lose in such a way her own father who battled against Anthony and Octavianus probably didn’t help her to nourish much sympathy for the two generals.
She was still very young, only 15 years old, and had been just married with Tiberius Nero, a man much older than her, who in the 48 B.C. had been a quaestor of Julius Caesar, and who, in the Alexandrine war, had also held the command of the fleet and behaved in such splendid way that he was rewarded with the title of Pontifex Maximus. From him Livia had her first son, Tiberius, who was born on the 16 November of the 42 B.C. at the same time that, as a consequence of Octavianus’ victory, his grandfather was killing himself. Her beloved father, Drusus, who could never imagine, not even in his worst nightmares that just the future Augustus, this so hated young man, would seduce his daughter, would become his son in law and, as if all this was not enough, become his grand child stepfather and protector.
For the moment however Livia was married with Tiberius who, notwithstanding the ties he had with Iulius Caesar, who had always been very kind with him and had largely recompensed him, was against the great general and even more against his successors. His heart was all for the Ottimati, the noble class of the old republican senatorial faction. He was against all the Caesarians at such a point that at Caesar’s death, while even the closest friends of Brutus and Cassius asked only an amnesty to save them, Tiberius came up with a bright idea and advised the senate to give a prize to the tyrannicides. There was no doubt that with this he cleared his stand. This was his idea and he never changed it. Moreover what took place afterward contributed to augment his hate for Caesar’s successors.
After the end of Brutus and Cassius, Fulvia, Marc Anthony’s wife, raised the unfortunate Perusian war in which the followers of Anthony fought Octavianus. Immediately Livia’s husband took side to Anthony forces and was sent in Campania to command a garrison. When Perugia capitulated, he got involved in the defeat and was forced to flee. At this moment he decided to bring with him also his wife and his newborn son.
This idea did not seem to be a very bright one. To run away with a young woman and a suckling baby was quite unpractical. Besides there were absolutely no proofs that Octavianus did kill women and babies left at home, but evidently Tiberius believed this young man to be capable of anything. What is sure is that this was a very difficult time for Livia. The couple and their servants had to move from an hideout to another, always pursued by Octavianus’ soldiers, who, as all the soldiers of the time, if they ever succeeded in finding them would not have had any scruples to cut their throats, baby’s one included.
Tiberius and his following went across a long escape, always bringing with them the not still weaned baby. It was not easy for them, neither it was for the little creature who clamorously reacted to all changes. Twice during this flight the baby’s clamorous protests nearly gave them away. Once, when they were trying to reach a boat and thus distance them from their pursuers, little Tiberius, pulled away from his wet nurse’s breast, began to cry very loudly. This put them in a grave danger. For some time Livia succeeded in taking the baby in her arms and in calming him, but the boat was still far away and as Tiberius was heavy, she couldn’t hold him any more. Her companion tried to help her, but this raised up a new a new rush of yelling and crying from the offended baby, and the wretched group endured a mighty bad quarter of an hour. They however succeeded to escape and went on with their flight that through Sicily brought them to Acaia. Here Tiberius entrusted his wife and his child to the Lacaedemonian who, being under the Claudian protection, were tied to Livia’s family, and could look after her. After this Tiberius went back to Sicily. For Livia however forced marches and dangers were not concluded, and she had again to affront narrow escapes as in the time that she found herself in a forest fire from which she escaped with all her hairs and clothes burned.
A very adventurous and hard life and among all those dangers and scares never could the young woman imagine that very soon she would met her enemy and prosecutor, and that she will end in loving him with all her heart and even marry him. As was written in the fates and for the two young people luck, Livia always succeeded in saving herself and when the danger ended and the peace was established she came back to Rome.
Livia Drusilla
After his second marriage with Scribonia Augustus began to lead a lively amorous life during which he had many intercourses with the wives of some senators whose planning and plotting interested him. It was probable that in the love transports these ladies did let him know what their spouses were doing. Of course to have success in this field a young man had to be endowed with some particular qualities, but Octavianus, with his beautiful and boyish features, had no difficulty to enter in the matrons hearts. And it was while he was exercising this activity that he met Livia Drusilla who, like the others, was married with a senator and from him had a baby, Tiberius.
Livia was born in the Claudian family, but as his father had been adopted by the Livii Drusi and therefore had assumed the name of Livius Drusus, when Livia, was born, she received her father name - an old Roman custom - and was known as Livia Drusilla
When after the second triumvirate the triumvirs affixed the lists of proscription in which all the names of the men they hated and wanted to be killed were inscribed, also the name of Livius Drusus was included in them. With this lists, Octavianus, Anthony and Lepidus, asked the Romans to kill their enemies, but keeping in mind the social differences, or maybe as a sign of respect for the more important personages they had decided to eliminate , the triumvirs made two different tablets one for the persons of senatorial status and the other for common people as – observe Dio Cassius in his history- they weren’t to be killed in the same way. Of course reading his name among the senatorial personages of the first tablet, Drusus decided to flee to Macedony and there join Brutus and Cassius. But, as history tells us, they were defeated at Filippi’s and at this moment Drusus didn’t wait to see what the winners planned to do with the survivors and rapidly killed himself.
Thus it was from her young age that the young woman experimented all the tears and the blood of those terrible period of civil war, a time which created indestructible barriers between the different factions. To lose in such a way her own father who battled against Anthony and Octavianus probably didn’t help her to nourish much sympathy for the two generals.
She was still very young, only 15 years old, and had been just married with Tiberius Nero, a man much older than her, who in the 48 B.C. had been a quaestor of Julius Caesar, and who, in the Alexandrine war, had also held the command of the fleet and behaved in such splendid way that he was rewarded with the title of Pontifex Maximus. From him Livia had her first son, Tiberius, who was born on the 16 November of the 42 B.C. at the same time that, as a consequence of Octavianus’ victory, his grandfather was killing himself. Her beloved father, Drusus, who could never imagine, not even in his worst nightmares that just the future Augustus, this so hated young man, would seduce his daughter, would become his son in law and, as if all this was not enough, become his grand child stepfather and protector.
For the moment however Livia was married with Tiberius who, notwithstanding the ties he had with Iulius Caesar, who had always been very kind with him and had largely recompensed him, was against the great general and even more against his successors. His heart was all for the Ottimati, the noble class of the old republican senatorial faction. He was against all the Caesarians at such a point that at Caesar’s death, while even the closest friends of Brutus and Cassius asked only an amnesty to save them, Tiberius came up with a bright idea and advised the senate to give a prize to the tyrannicides. There was no doubt that with this he cleared his stand. This was his idea and he never changed it. Moreover what took place afterward contributed to augment his hate for Caesar’s successors.
After the end of Brutus and Cassius, Fulvia, Marc Anthony’s wife, raised the unfortunate Perusian war in which the followers of Anthony fought Octavianus. Immediately Livia’s husband took side to Anthony forces and was sent in Campania to command a garrison. When Perugia capitulated, he got involved in the defeat and was forced to flee. At this moment he decided to bring with him also his wife and his newborn son.
This idea did not seem to be a very bright one. To run away with a young woman and a suckling baby was quite unpractical. Besides there were absolutely no proofs that Octavianus did kill women and babies left at home, but evidently Tiberius believed this young man to be capable of anything. What is sure is that this was a very difficult time for Livia. The couple and their servants had to move from an hideout to another, always pursued by Octavianus’ soldiers, who, as all the soldiers of the time, if they ever succeeded in finding them would not have had any scruples to cut their throats, baby’s one included.
Tiberius and his following went across a long escape, always bringing with them the not still weaned baby. It was not easy for them, neither it was for the little creature who clamorously reacted to all changes. Twice during this flight the baby’s clamorous protests nearly gave them away. Once, when they were trying to reach a boat and thus distance them from their pursuers, little Tiberius, pulled away from his wet nurse’s breast, began to cry very loudly. This put them in a grave danger. For some time Livia succeeded in taking the baby in her arms and in calming him, but the boat was still far away and as Tiberius was heavy, she couldn’t hold him any more. Her companion tried to help her, but this raised up a new a new rush of yelling and crying from the offended baby, and the wretched group endured a mighty bad quarter of an hour. They however succeeded to escape and went on with their flight that through Sicily brought them to Acaia. Here Tiberius entrusted his wife and his child to the Lacaedemonian who, being under the Claudian protection, were tied to Livia’s family, and could look after her. After this Tiberius went back to Sicily. For Livia however forced marches and dangers were not concluded, and she had again to affront narrow escapes as in the time that she found herself in a forest fire from which she escaped with all her hairs and clothes burned.
A very adventurous and hard life and among all those dangers and scares never could the young woman imagine that very soon she would met her enemy and prosecutor, and that she will end in loving him with all her heart and even marry him. As was written in the fates and for the two young people luck, Livia always succeeded in saving herself and when the danger ended and the peace was established she came back to Rome.


Bibliography
Scientific popularization
E. SALZA PRINA RICOTTI, L'amore a Roma in Archeo, VII, 10 (92) October 1992, pp. 54-99

Books
E. SALZA PRINA RICOTTI - Amori ed amanti tra la repubblica ed il principato, Editore. L’Erma di Bretschneider, Roma, 1992