Background
Drusus was born between mid-March and mid-April 38 BC. He was the son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla, stepson of Augustus and younger brother of the emperor Tiberius.
Drusus was born between mid-March and mid-April 38 BC. He was the son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla, stepson of Augustus and younger brother of the emperor Tiberius.
Having held the office of quaestor and acted as praetor for his brother during the latter’s absence in Gaul, Drusus began (in 15 B. C. ) the military career which has made his name famous. In conjunction with Tiberius, he carried on a successful campaign against the Raeti and Vindelici, who, although repulsed from Italy, continued to threaten the frontiers of Gaul. The credit of the decisive victory, however, must be assigned to Tiberius. Two of the Odes of Horace (iv. 4 and 14) were written to glorify the exploits of the brothers.
In 13 Drusus was sent as governor to the newly organized province of the three Gauls, where considerable discontent had been aroused by the exactions of the Roman governor Licinius. Drusus made a fresh assessment for taxation purposes, and summoned the Gallic representatives to a meeting at Lugdunum to discuss their grievances. It was of great importance to pacify the Gauls, in order to have his hands free to deal with the German tribes, one of which, the Sugambri, on the right bank of the Rhine, had seized the opportunity, during the absence of Augustus, to cross the river (12). Drusus drove them back and pursued them through the island of the Batavi and the land of the Usipetes (Usipes, Usipii) to their own territory, which he devastated. Sailing down the Rhine, he subdued the Frisii and, in order to facilitate operations against the Chauci, dug a canal (Fossa Drusiana) leading from the Rhenus (Rhine) to the Isala (Yssel) into the lacus Flevus (Zuidersee) and the German Ocean.
Making his way along the Frisian coast, he conquered the island of Burchanis (Borkum), defeated the Bructeri in a naval engagement on the Amisia (Ems), and went on to the mouth of the Visurgis (Weser) to attack the Chauci. On the way back his vessels grounded on the shallows, and were only got off with the assistance of the Frisii. Winter being close at hand, the campaign was abandoned till the following spring, and Drusus returned to Rome with the honour of having been the first Roman general to reach the German Ocean.
In his second campaign, Drusus defeated the Usipetes, threw a bridge over the Luppia (Lippe), attacked the Sugambri, and advanced through their territory and that of the Tencteri and Chatti as far as the Weser, where he gained a victory over the Cherusci. Lack of provisions, the approach of winter, and an inauspicious portent prevented him from crossing the Weser. While making his way back to the Rhine he fell into an ambuscade, but the carelessness of the enemy enabled him to inflict a crushing defeat upon them. In view of future operations, he built two castles, one at the junction of the Luppia and Aliso (Alme), the other in the territory of the Chatti on the Taunus, near Moguntiacum (Mainz).
The third campaign was of little importance. The Chatti had joined the Sugambri in revolt; and, after some insignificant successes, Drusus returned with Augustus and Tiberius to Rome, and was elected consul for the following year. In spite of unfavourable portents at Rome, he determined to enter upon his fourth and last campaign without delay. He attacked and defeated the Chatti, Suebi, Marcomanni and Cherusci, crossed the Weser and penetrated as far as the Albis (Elbe). Here trophies were set up to mark the farthest point ever reached by a Roman army.
Various measures were taken to secure the possession of the conquered territory: fortresses were erected along the Elbe, Weser and Maas (Meuse, Mosa); a flotilla was placed upon the Rhine and a dam built upon the right arm of its estuary to increase the flow of water into the canal mentioned above. Drusus was said to have been deterred from crossing the Elbe by the sudden appearance of a woman of supernatural size, who predicted his approaching end. On his return, probably between the Elbe and the Saale (Sala), his horse stumbled and threw him. His leg was fractured and he died thirty days after the accident.
Drusus married Antonia Minor, the daughter of Mark Antony and Augustus' sister, Octavia Minor, and gained a reputation of being completely faithful to her. Their children were Germanicus, Claudius, a daughter named Livilla ('little Livia'), and at least two others who did not survive infancy.
Politician who lived in the last century of the Roman Republic
Roman emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD
Roman emperor from 41 AD to 54 AD
Member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a prominent general of the Roman Empire
Roman emperor
