Biography
On January 30, 59 BC in Rome, Italy, Livia Drusilla was born by the parents of Aufidia and Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus. Up until her marriage to Tiberius Claudius Nero when she was 16, there is very limited information on her early childhood. Unfortunately, that is very common for many women during this time period, because women had fewer rights and were not recorded nearly as often unless they had some sort of status (Wasson 2016). Livia’s first husband, Tiberius, was a Roman politician who made some poor decisions regarding which side he supported in the current wars. Tiberius sided with the conservative branch of the Senate, supporting Marc Antony in the Battle of Philippi, which resulted in him and his family moving from Italy to Greece because he feared for their lives. Livia had already given birth to her first son, Tiberius Nero in 42 BC, and was pregnant with her second son, Nero Claudius Drusus (Wasson 2012). Shortly after the war, Livia’s second husband becomes introduced when he requests to meet with her for unknown reasons. It was in that interaction that Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, fell madly in love with Livia. She was described to have the beauty of Venus and the character of Juno, which pulled in many people (Burns pg. 7). As Livia became aware of Augustus’ attraction towards her, she realized it was the perfect opportunity to gain the power and status she never had (Burns pg. 21). It is important to note that Augustus was married to another woman when he met Livia, and Livia was still married to Tiberius. Augustus' infatuation with Livia was so strong, that he divorced his current wife the same day that she was giving birth to their first child. Livia divorced her husband, while carrying his second child, in order to marry Augustus (Wasson 2016). It is rumored that Augustus and Livia had an affair before they declared their divorces, which is a poor reflection on what the Imperial family should represent (Barrett pg. 22). In 37 BC, Livia walked down the aisle, impregnated with her ex-husband’s child, and married Caesar Augustus. All of this happened within such a short matter of time, showing that Livia saw her opportunity in his interest towards her, and used it to her advantage.
Augustus strived to bring back the conservativeness of family dynamics, which made the Imperial family the ideal model for other roman families to follow (Burns pg. 9). Many women looked up to Livia for being the perfect wife; she was beautiful, obedient, and charismatic. Although Livia represented the perfect wife, this idea is flawed in several ways because she had already been married before, gotten a divorce, had two children of her own, and was rumored to have had an affair. Everyone was blindsided to her beauty and charisma, that they failed to pay attention to the very things that actually made her the opposite of an ideal wife. Another factor that plays into this idea is that Augustus and Livia were unable to have children, the only product being a stillborn which was both a personal disappointment and a political inconvenience (Burns pg. 8). Despite the devastation that must have caused, the inability to produce children as a woman was seen as unsatisfactory and against social norms. Many people during this time period were not too fond of Livia because she evidently affected Augustus’ political decisions, and many understood that Livia was behind some of the major events that Augustus took part in. Obviously, the role of the emperor was crucial for the sustainability of Roman society and many people became very upset with Livia over time because they saw that the person who was supposed to be their leader was being manipulated by his significant other, demonstrating his inability to be a sovereign leader. From the outside, she was beautiful and intelligent; however, many sources from inside the Imperial court stated Livia frequently questioned Augustus’ authority, leading him astray from his morals, along with having a sharp tongue which came off quite harshly (Wasson 2016). Despite her role as a woman in a male-dominated society, Livia was very controlling towards the people around her, including her husband, the emperor. She utilized her wit and charm to influence others in doing the things that she wanted.
As time went on, and the question of who will be the next heir to the throne was frequently being asked, more difficulties and rumors surrounding Livia’s character rose to the surface. Although Livia was supportive of her husband and his role as emperor, her main concern was that one of her own sons, would be next on the throne. Livia’s second son, Drusus, died in battle in 9 BC, which ultimately left Tiberius to fulfill the desire of his mother. Tiberius was of age now to inherit the throne; however, it was clear that he did not want anything to do with the imperial court (Wasson 2012). Tiberius was not interested in any political affairs, nor was he very good at it, but Livia forced him to step up into the position. For the next couple of years Livia would do anything in her power to eliminate any obstacles that prevented Tiberius from inheriting the throne (Barrett pg. 146). Since Tiberius was not directly blood related to Augustus, technically the next heirs were his 3 grandsons: Gaius, Lucius, and Agrippa Postmus. Over a short duration of time, all 3 of them died due to various causes, but the question remained whether Livia had something to do with their death. People saw how passionate Livia was about her son being the next emperor, so when the only 3 men in front of Tiberius in line for the throne all died, the people realized that she must have been involved (Burns pg. 13).
After the deaths of the 3 grandsons, the last thing preventing Tiberius from inheriting the throne was of course, Augustus. Caesar Augustus passed away on August 19, 14 AD due to natural causes. Yet again, Livia’s name is questioned on whether she had something to do with it or not. A rumor that dates back centuries and centuries is that she murdered her husband by feeding him poisoned figs (Burns pg. 13). Of course the death of the first roman emperor is tragic and caused a wave of grief throughout Rome; however, it is clear that this is exactly what Livia had planned. She knew what she wanted, and she achieved it no matter what got in the way.
When Tiberius stepped to the throne and became the second emperor of Rome, it did not take him very long to become very frustrated with acts of his mother. Livia went around stating that it was her who had made Tiberius emperor, and she wished to take precedent over him (Wasson 2012). Livia was envious of Tiberius’ position and all the power he had, despite the fact that she was the one who forced him to take that role. After some time, Tiberius got tired of his mother and banished her from all public affairs because she became extremely controlling, much like she was with Augustus. Once she was cast away from Rome, there is very minimal information on what happened to her or what she was doing up until her death on September 28, 29 AD. She died of an illness, and from there, she was brought back to Rome to be buried (Wasson 2016). Tiberius had her buried in the Mausoleum, which was the final resting place for the Julio-Claudian Imperial families (Barrett pg. 216). It is noted that Tiberius was so frustrated with his mother during the last years of her life, that he did not attend the funeral, nor issued any coins to be made in her honor (Wasson 2012). Tiberius not showing up to his mother’s funeral is clear evidence of the way she treated him and the impact that she had on his life for the worse. Despite her own son disregarding her at the last bit of her life, before Augustus died, he had stated that he wanted to adopt Livia and present her with the name “Augusta” when she passed. Livia Drusilla was the only woman during this time who had inherited the honorable name of Augusta, showing how deeply Augustus cared for his wife (Wasson 2016).