Livia Druilla Book Report
Livia Drusilla was born into an already very politically active family. By the age of 15 or 16 she was married to her cousin Tiberius, and shortly after had her first child, Tiberius Octavius. However not long since they first married she had taken the heart of a young man named Augustus Octavian. He becomes so smitten with her that he convinces Tiberius to divorce Livia, and he himself divorces the woman he is currently married to. At this time, Livia is currently pregnant with her and Tiberius’s second child yet Augustus wastes no time and marries Livia almost immediately. Livia gives birth to her second son a few days after. Augustus holds a position of much power as emperor and Livia realizes that he will one day need an heir to take his place. She begins to do everything in her power to make sure her son Tiberius is that heir. Tiberius isn’t offspring of Augustus so securing him a seat on the throne won’t be easy. All of Augustus’s current offspring are too young to take a position of power, so for the time being Tiberius takes their place. Yet Livia knows this
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can not last long and tries to increase her son’s chances of being heir. She forces him to divorce Vispana, his wife with whom he has lived with happily for quite a few years, and instead marry Augustus’s recently widowed daughter, Julia. Livia’s work begins to pay off when Augustus’s oldest grandsons die, leaving only one too young to hold position, a juvenile delinquent, and Tiberius.
By now Augustus and Tiberius have grown to dislike each other, yet they have no other choice, Tiberius is now the heir. And when Augustus later dies, it is Tiberius who is in command. But Livia had grown used to having a strong influence, something she thought would continue with her son, yet it was quite the opposite. Tiberius resented how he hadn’t gotten the spot of his own merit, he knew his position was due to Livia’s cleverness. So while Livia had been honored with statues and important positions by Augustus, Tiberius was working hard to end that special treatment. Eventually, he stopped visiting her at all. And in the last three years of Livia’s life he only visited her once, not at all when she actually became sick. Livia died at the age of
86.
can not last long and tries to increase her son’s chances of being heir. She forces him to divorce Vispana, his wife with whom he has lived with happily for quite a few years, and instead marry Augustus’s recently widowed daughter, Julia. Livia’s work begins to pay off when Augustus’s oldest grandsons die, leaving only one too young to hold position, a juvenile delinquent, and Tiberius.
By now Augustus and Tiberius have grown to dislike each other, yet they have no other choice, Tiberius is now the heir. And when Augustus later dies, it is Tiberius who is in command. But Livia had grown used to having a strong influence, something she thought would continue with her son, yet it was quite the opposite. Tiberius resented how he hadn’t gotten the spot of his own merit, he knew his position was due to Livia’s cleverness. So while Livia had been honored with statues and important positions by Augustus, Tiberius was working hard to end that special treatment. Eventually, he stopped visiting her at all. And in the last three years of Livia’s life he only visited her once, not at all when she actually became sick. Livia died at the age of
86.