Under The Guardianship of Venus:The Story of The Julio-Claudians

Lol, true. Though I actually like Nero. He seems like someone who was beloved by the people but hated by the senatorial aristocracy (hence the negative viewpoint portrayed on him by Roman historians, most of whom were in the senatorial class). After the Great Fire, he personally helped rescue citizens from the rubble.

Nero may not be as bad as the sources but I still think Agrippina was probably very ambitious and strong willed, so she is likely to dominate Drusus and she would probably want any issue between her and Drusus to succeed him rather than Gemellus, and even if she does get her own child on the throne, she is going to attempt to control him.
 
Nero may not be as bad as the sources but I still think Agrippina was probably very ambitious and strong willed, so she is likely to dominate Drusus and she would probably want any issue between her and Drusus to succeed him rather than Gemellus, and even if she does get her own child on the throne, she is going to attempt to control him.

Yes, this is true. Though Gemellus shouldn't be an issue after the next update. :cool:
 
Nero may not be as bad as the sources but I still think Agrippina was probably very ambitious and strong willed, so she is likely to dominate Drusus and she would probably want any issue between her and Drusus to succeed him rather than Gemellus, and even if she does get her own child on the throne, she is going to attempt to control him.
He killed his mother and step-brother, after possibly raping the latter. And that was before he's said to have lost his mind.
He wasn't exactly a shining pillar of virtue and is certainly in a contender when we have to choose the five worst emperors of the principate.
 
He killed his mother and step-brother, after possibly raping the latter. And that was before he's said to have lost his mind.
He wasn't exactly a shining pillar of virtue and is certainly in a contender when we have to choose the five worst emperors of the principate.

I would disagree that he was really bad. From what I can gather, the people of Rome loved him. It was the Senate that disliked him, mostly because of how he treated the Senate and its members.

I don't blame him for killing Agrippina either. She was a control freak, and he was trying to break away from her control. She threatened to proclaim Brittanicus as emperor and essentially overthrow him. So it was practically essential that he get rid of Brittanicus at the very least, and Agrippina just to be safe.
 
Is Rome Worth One Good Man's Life?- A Roman Empire TL

Excerpt From Under The Guardianship of Venus: The Story of The Julio-Claudians



Death Of Tiberius And Turmoil In Rome
Tiberius died on March 17th, 37, in Misenum. His death was viewed with relief and joy by the Senate and the people in Rome, as he had become increasingly more unpopular in the 14 years since his executions of Sejanus and Livia. Although he had slowly fazed himself out of public life, eventually moving to Capri and then Misenum, never to return to Rome, his treason trials of anyone who was even suspected of having had any connection to Sejanus, continued steadily throughout. Additionally, the time was used to purge the House of Germanicus, with Gaius Caesar Caligula ending up the only male survivor. All the meanwhile, Drusus (who married Agrippina in 28, when she was 13) was gradually given more of the emperor’s powers, as Tiberius faded out from the eyes of Rome. This did little to help his aspiring son out, as with Tiberius gone from Rome, the people of Rome increasingly turned to Drusus for blame. Despite his best efforts, Drusus was having a hard time winning any support in the senate, or sympathy with the people.

All this added up to the Pandora’s Box that would open up upon Tiberius’ death. The Senate would grapple for power with Drusus for a brief yet intense period, with the outcome always in doubt. Though Drusus would prevail, he would be locked in a continual feud with the senate until his death in 47.
Only a small spark was needed to light the powder keg that was the rapidly growing tension in Rome upon hearing of Tiberius’ death. That spark came when Tiberius’ body entered Rome. It was supposed to be buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus, but the Roman people had other plans. Mobs filled the streets yelling, “Throw Tiberius into the Tiber!” The Senate, in blatant disregard of Drusus’ authority, outright refused to award Tiberius divine honors. The situation reached a climax, when the mob turned violent, and hijacked Tiberius’ corpse. An attempt by Drusus to regain control of the situation and the corpse, failed miserably when the mob valiantly fought off the Praetorian Guard sent to capture it. Tiberius’ body was thrown into the Tiber, much to the delight of the people. The situation was rapidly deteriorating, and Drusus had lost all control over the city.

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The Roman mob fighting off the Praetorian Guard



The Senate, seeing this as a golden opportunity to overthrow Drusus, and any continuity of Tiberius’ policies, staged a coup. Tiberius Gemellus, the son of Drusus, was taken by surprise and killed, and they next moved on to Drusus, garnering the support of the mob to help them. As fortune would have it however, Drusus was tipped off just in time, and he along with Agrippina were able to barely escape Rome. For reasons unknown, Drusus fled to Gaius Caesar “Caligula”, who happened to be just outside Rome at the time. Our sources are contradictory on why Caligula didn’t kill Drusus and Agrippina right then and there, as it would be a perfect time to get revenge for the killings of his family members, and he would all but be assured becoming the new emperor if he had done so. It is likely, that upon seeing the toxic environment Rome had become at the moment, Caligula figured his prospects were better if he were to side with Drusus, rather than face the mob at Rome which at this point seemed so unpredictable, they could very well
lynch anybody they could get their hands on including himself. A promise by Drusus to make him his heir may have helped in this decision as well.

There is another reason however that must have been a factor. Drusus was married to Caligula's sister, Agrippina. This could also explain why Drusus had fled to Caligula in the first place. He would have a personal stake in it. Taking a gamble, Drusus guessed, correctly, that at least at this point, Caligula did not want to see yet another one of his families killed. While Agrippina could have possibly escaped punishment in the case of Drusus's death and overthrow, Caligula was not about to take that chance. Agrippina's domineering and assertive personality, even at this young age, may have further convinced Caligula to ally with the son of the man who killed his family. There's a possibility that it was Agrippina who had pressured Drusus into promising Caligula the succession in the first place.

Whatever the reasons, Caligula sheltered Drusus and Agrippina, and the two hastily devised a plan to regain control of Rome. During his years in Rome, Caligula had spent time befriending an important ally, the praetorian prefect who had replaced Sejanus, Naevius Sutorius Macro. This friendship became Drusus’s way back to Rome, as when Macro was informed of Caligula’s siding with Drusus, he immediately put the Praetorian Guard into action.
The Senate’s coup had already begun to break down, as infighting between the senators due to lack of a strong leader to guide them tore them into various factions. Caligula’s support for Drusus further slowed the momentum of the coup as he was their last chance at uniting behind a strong figure.Furthermore, the violent fervor that had overtaken the people of Rome began to die down. It all added up to a perfect storm for the coup to fail in an epic fashion. Macro sent a detchment of the Praetorian Guard to escort Drusus, Caligula, and Agrippina back to Rome, while the rest of the guard sprang into action and regained control of the city, slaughtering what was left of the mob. On April 20th, a little over a month after Tiberius’s death, Drusus returned to Rome with Agrippina and Caligula, triumphant and firmly secure in his position as Princep.

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Depiction of Drusus returning to Rome. Contrary to this image, Drusus most likely returned to Rome in a much more modest fashion, and certainly not on a chariot.
 
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Thanks. Glad you liked it. What did you think about the little twist I had with Caligula?
At first I was confused as to why Drusus would promise Caligula the throne over Claudius even if in a crisis but then I realized that I was thinking about the wrong Drusus. Damned Romans and their use of about 12 names!
 
At first I was confused as to why Drusus would promise Caligula the throne over Claudius even if in a crisis but then I realized that I was thinking about the wrong Drusus. Damned Romans and their use of about 12 names!

Lol yeah, the names always get confusing. Especially when there's quite a few historical figures living around the same time with similar names...
 
Ok, so I just added something to the last update. I'll post it here too.

There is another reason however that must have been a factor. Drusus was married to Caligula's sister, Agrippina. This could also explain why Drusus had fled to Caligula in the first place. He would have a personal stake in it. Taking a gamble, Drusus guessed, correctly, that at least at this point, Caligula did not want to see yet another one of his families killed. While Agrippina could have possibly escaped punishment in the case of Drusus's death and overthrow, Caligula was not about to take that chance. Agrippina's domineering and assertive personality, even at this young age, may have further convinced Caligula to ally with the son of the man who killed his family. There's a possibility that it was Agrippina who had pressured Drusus into promising Caligula the succession in the first place.
 
Is Rome Worth One Good Man's Life?-A Roman TL

Excerpt From Under The Guardianship of Venus: The Story of The Julio-Claudians

Trials Of The Head Conspirators

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Brutus speaking before the Senate​

It is frustrating that Tacitus's Annals are lost for the entirety of Drusus's reign after 37.[1] What us left focuses on the trials and executions of the leaders of the attempted coup in the senate. Luckily, other historians fill the gaps missing in Tacitus's work, and we are still able to get a fairly good look at the ten years of Drusus's reign. Admittedly however, not having Tacitus to compare these works to forces us to be more cautious when analyzing these sources.

Tacitus goes in depth about the trials of the leaders of the attempted coup to overthrow Drusus. Drusus had learned to control his temper in the years preceding his assumption of power. The time he spent in Rome slowly taking on Tiberius's duties was time well spent. He was able to recognize and learn the importance of placating the senate along with making them feel important. He also became a believer that he needed to not shy away from the inner workings of the government like Tiberius had done, seeing the consequences it led to. This is something he would pass on to Caligula, who although he would push the Senate to its limits, was able to understand where those limits were.[2]

So although Drusus would have liked nothing better than to have executed the leaders of the coup immediately, he let the Senate pretend their fates rested on their decisions. The most prominent of these trials described by Tacitus was that of Lucius Brutus[3]. Brutus was a middle aged and semi-respected Senator. He was cunning, and one of the few men associated with Sejanus that had escaped prosecution. When Tiberius died, it was Brutus who urged the senate to stage the coup, and set it in motion. The prosecution lead by Gnaeus Lucullus[4] would also claim he killed Gemellus himself, though Tacitus tells us this was completely false, instead claiming the mob likely got to Gemellus first.

Brutus made no attempt to deny the charges against him (save for killing Gemellus). Tacitus gives us a version of his speech:

Tacitus said:
It is true, I was involved in the conspiracy to overthrow the emperor. Was not everyone else also guilty of the same? Many of the senators here, including you Lucullus, had a stake in this plot. Had this succeeded and not failed as it did, you would be boasting about your role in overthrowing Drusus! I am no more guilty than many in this room. As this is Rome however, one man must pay for the crimes of the rest. Since I have had in the past associated myself with the friendship of Sejanus, I make the perfect scapegoat while other senators hide behind a less suspicious past to shield them from the connections to the conspiracy. So I ask you senators, what makes me more guilty than any of you?
Tacitus, Annals, Book 5

The speech was brave of Brutus, but it won him little sympathy. Drusus countered in a speech lambasting Brutus for falsely accusing Lucullus of being a co-conspirator. There was little doubt on what consensus the Senate would reach: Brutus was condemned to death and his property, some 40,000 sesterces, was confiscated and split evenly between Drusus and Caligula. Shortly thereafter, Drusus would make 15,000 of his 20,000 sesterces aquired from Brutus, public land. This alone was enough to expel any negative views the Roman people had on Drusus from their minds.

[1] This is true for OTL as well. The years 38 through 46 are lost in the Annals.
[2] As opposes to OTL...
[3] A senator I made up as I am woefully uninformed on senators of the time and their affiliations
[4] Another senator I made up (help with names would be appreciated)
 
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Is Rome Worth One Good Man's Life?- A Roman Empire TL

Excerpt From Under The Guardianship of Venus:The Story of The Julio-Claudians

Drusus's Reforms Part 1: Secretariat and Freedmen

In the beginning of 38, Drusus chastised the Senate to award Tiberius divine honors. He argued it was the least they could do, as Tiberius's body was now lost in the Tiber. After all, Drusus argued, was not Augustus awarded divine honors posthumously? And was Tiberius not Augustus's chosen successor? The Senate, under intense pressure from Drusus, eventually deified the emperor Tiberius; who nonetheless had approved of his worship in certain places in the east during his reign.

Meanwhile, Drusus was drowning in the administrative duties of running the empire. Although it seemed manageable enough when he was slowly acquiring them from Tiberius, now upon assuming the full responsibility of the princeps, it was proving overwhelming. It is said that he would often stay up throughout the night, begging for the sun to come up, such was the amount of strain it was putting on him.

He was not the type of man to let himself smother in his duties however Always eager for a challenge, whether i be military, political, or administratively, Drusus tacked the problems at their heart. The emperor decided he was going to reform the system, by creating a large and efficient bureaucracy. It would be a monumental task, but one Drusus was up to taking on.

One of his first and most enduring reforms was with the use of freedmen in the administration. With a semi-hostile Senate throughout his reign, Drusus was more or less forced to rely on freedmen to help him in the management of the empire. Although he was not the first to employ freedmen in helping run the state, Drusus took their use to a whole new level.

Slaves could always look forward to hoping they could one day be freed. The Roman Empire at this time consisted of millions of freedmen and freedwomen, found in all the provinces and all walks of life. A freedman was entitled to the privileges of citizenship, some rising to high status. Though they could never reach equestrian or senatorial rank, the average freedman was able to become involved in the administration of their local town or city, or become a modest businessman such as a merchant.

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Roman freedmen​

Drusus divided the secreatariat into four bureaus, each controlled by a freedman.[1] Priscus was the secretary of correspondence. Numerius became the secretary of treasury. Mettius was appointed secretary of justice, and Faustius was the secretary for miscellaneous stuff Senators were naturally aghast at freedmen being appointed to such important positions. If freedmen had control of money, letters, and law, it seemed like it would not be difficult at all for them to manipulate the emperor.

This would not be the case however The freedmen were loyal to Drusus (and subsequent Julio-Claudian emperors) and he in return was similarly appreciative. He gave them due credit for policies where he had used their advice. If they showed treasonous inclinations, the emperor would waste no time punishing them with just force. Regardless of the extent of their control of Drusus's policy (which was minimal), the freedmen managed to amass wealth as a product of their positions, with Pliny telling us some of them would amass more wealth than that of Crassus, the richest man in Rome during the Late Republican era.


[1] I am taking a page out of Claudius's textbook
 
Is Rome Worth One Good Man's Life?- A Roman Empire TL

Excerpt From Under The Guardianship of Venus: The Story of The Julio-Claudians


Drusus's Reforms Part 2:Seneca The Younger

During his time as emperor, Drusus would become good friends with the Roman statesman and rhetorician, Seneca The Younger. Seneca became Drusus's go to man for inside information on the senators, and was often used in Drusus's absence to read statements and letters from the emperor. In Seneca Drusus confided ideas for reform, seeking his approval and or advice. Aside from that, the two would frequently converse on stoic philosophy, which Seneca had introduced Drusus too and Drusus had become intrigued in. The relationship between the two would also carry on to Caligula, whom Seneca would also become a close adviser of after Drusus's passing.

In addition to establishing bureaus to be run by loyal freedmen, Drusus began pushing some of the administrative burden in Rome on the praetorian guard. Although partially a natural transition and partially induced on Drusus's whim, it seriously relieved the pressure on the emperor's shoulders. Historians would argue on whether the formation of a large bureaucracy was natural or through the intervention of Drusus, myself preferring to take a middle ground approach. It is true, that a large portion of the bureaucratic institutions that would form around Drusus and to a small extent Caligula, came about naturally, while Drusus's administrative reforms played a role in speeding up and better organizing its formation. Regardless, the establishment of a large administrative bureaucracy would prove an immense help to Drusus and future emperors.

Construction In Rome
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Aqua Agrippina[1]​
Drusus would not have any major awe-inspiring construction works during his 10 year reign, but he is accredited with the building of two aqueducts, the Aqua Agrippina, and the Aqua Anio Novus. The construction work was begun in 38, and finished in 52 under Caligula. Their sources would be the Springs of Subiaco (Aqua Agrippina) and the Aniene River (Aqua Anio Novus), east of the city of Roma. The Aqua Agrippina ran for about 47 miles[2](43 miles), 37(34) of which it traveled underground from its source, with the remaining 10(9) miles on arches to its terminus on the Caelion Hill. The Aqua Anio Novus stretched a length of about 58(54) miles, with the first 50(46) being underground from its source, and the last 8.7 (8) miles on arches entering Rome at Porta Maggiore, atop the channel of Aqua Agrippina to its termus on the Caelion Hill.

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Aqua Anio Novus​

Preparations For Invasion of Britannia

By 41, Drusus was eager to embark on a new campaign. Though he proved to be an able administrator, he was a military man at heart. He also looked for a way to get some breathing room from his domineering wife Agrippina. Adding to this, to gain fame among the soldiers (whom he had not campaigned with for some time), he felt a military campaign was needed. Luckily, an opportunity presented itself in Britannia.

By Drusus's time, the political climate of the Britanni(Celtic)[3] tribes in Britannia that maintained loyal relationships with Rome had been slowly deteriorating. Caesar's invasions, though deemed a failure by many, had resulted in a century of tribute, profitable trade, and subservient political attitudes from the tribes to Rome. As the image of Caesar faded from memory's of the Britanni tribes, so did the stability in their relationships with Rome.

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British Coin Minting Tribes​
From Rome's perspective, they could ill-afford breaks in their trading relationsips with the Britanni tribes. These trading relationships provided invaluable metals such as tin, iron, and silver, and gave them large profits for other industries such as pottery and wine making. A newly discovered abundance of lead ore was also integral to many Roman industries. Since 39, the political situation continued to rapidly deteriorate and destabilize, and by 41, Drusus was prepared to intervene.

When King Verica of the allied Atrebates called on Rome's assistance against neighboring tribes, Drusus was conveniently looking for an excuse to start a fresh campaign. It wold also prove a good distraction from the political differences he was having with the senate and his frustration with Agrippina. Adding to this, the Rhine and Danube borders were mostly quiet and most of the empire as a whole was at peace for a change. This would allow the invasion to commence without stripping troops from other vital areas.

To join him in leading the campaign was Titus Flavius Vespasianus, and Aulus Plautius. Both were seen as capable commanders, and more importantly, loyal to Drusus, making them safe choices for the emperor. 4 legions, the Legio II Augusta, IX Hispana, XIV Gemina, and XX Valeria Victrix, were gathered for the campaign, numbering some 20,000 legionaries. Accompanying them was an additional 20-30,000 auxilia. The legions underwent vigorous drilling exercises to weed out anyone deemed unfit.

The initial crossing of the channel was set to take place in the beginning of the campaign season in 42.[4] The winter was spent calming the nerves and fears of the legions. It is true, legionaries were normally weary of naval crossings, but this was different. Not even Divius Caesar had succeeded in invading the mysterious island of Britain. Plus, this was the ocean, Britannia being the edge of land before that was encircled by a giant sea(at least in the minds of the Roman soldiers of the time). With this in mind, it is not surprising the legions were weary and fearful of what would await them on the crossing. It is a testament to the abilities of Drusus, Vespasian, and Plautius that they were able to successfully perk up the spirits of the legionaries and quell their fears about what lie ahead.
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[1] Yes, I know the Colosseum wasn't built yet, but all the images of the Aqua Claudia (which is what the Aqua Agrippina is IOTL) had the collosseum in it. It will be built eventually anyway in TTL so its not that bad...
[2] In TTL, the Roman mile is still used. It's technically 46.764160659. It's something that really has not much effect but just seems cool to use. I know we switched to our mile in the 16th century, so I feel it's a valid assumption that the Roman mile can survive.
[3]The Romans called the Britanni(or at least Tacitus did) whereas the Greeks referred to all those in northern europe including the German tribes, as Celtic.
[4] 1 year before Claudius launched his invasion OTL.
 
Excellent timeline slydessertfox. I have to say I get a little confused by all the Drusus' :winkytongue: but you've got a solid timeline here which I hope you continue.
 
Haven't read through yet but looks interesting. Best place to find names for contemporary Senators is on Wikipedia's list of Roman consuls for each year.
 
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