You can be sure that Suetonius' writings about Livia is mere calomny.
If Augustus had had the least doubt about his wife plotting the murder of his chosen political heir, he would have dealt very swiftly with her. Augustus did not hesitate a second when he discovered that his own only daughter was plotting against him.
Augustus had, as a tough, made very clear that he would never hesitate to eliminate any lieutenant or friend that would but consider betraying him.
It is quite certain that neither young Marcellus, not young Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar were poisoned. They died young as many people died young, because they had a poor health of caught a had disesase of were not properly curée.
Concerning young Marcellus, Ronald Syme has very convincingly developed the hypothesis that during the crisis of 23BCE, Augustus' key allies and supporters convinced him that he could not decently have such a young man as Marcellus (19 years old) being so visibly his heir apparent because it would ruin the so-called restoration of the republic.
And when Augustus almost died of disesase, he did not designate Marcellus but Agrippa.
If Augustus had had the least doubt about his wife plotting the murder of his chosen political heir, he would have dealt very swiftly with her. Augustus did not hesitate a second when he discovered that his own only daughter was plotting against him.
Augustus had, as a tough, made very clear that he would never hesitate to eliminate any lieutenant or friend that would but consider betraying him.
It is quite certain that neither young Marcellus, not young Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar were poisoned. They died young as many people died young, because they had a poor health of caught a had disesase of were not properly curée.
Concerning young Marcellus, Ronald Syme has very convincingly developed the hypothesis that during the crisis of 23BCE, Augustus' key allies and supporters convinced him that he could not decently have such a young man as Marcellus (19 years old) being so visibly his heir apparent because it would ruin the so-called restoration of the republic.
And when Augustus almost died of disesase, he did not designate Marcellus but Agrippa.