Livia Basics
Livia Profile
Livia was a long-lived, influential matriarchal figure in the early years of the Roman Principate. Livia was the wife of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, mother of the second, Tiberius, and deified by her grandson, the Emperor Claudius.
Livia's Family and Marriages:
Livia Drusilla, the daughter of Marcus Livius Drusus Claudius, married Tiberius Claudius Nero, her cousin, when she was 15 or 16. She was already the mother of the future emperor, Tiberius Claudius Nero, and pregnant with Nero Claudius Drusus (January 14, 38 B.C. - 9 B.C.) when Octavian, who would be known to posterity as the Emperor Augustus Caesar, found he needed the political connections of Livia's family. He arranged for Livia to be divorced and then married her after she gave birth to Drusus, on January 17, 38. Livia's sons, Drusus and Tiberius, lived with their father until he died, in 33 B.C.
Augustus Adopts Livia's Son:
Octavian became the Emperor Augustus in 27 B.C. He honored Livia as his wife with statues and public displays; however, instead of naming Drusus or Tiberius as his heirs, he acknowledged his grandchildren Gaius and Lucius, sons of Julia, his daughter by his previous marriage to Scribonia.
By 4 A.D., Augustus' grandsons had both died, so he had to look elsewhere for heirs. He wanted to name Germanicus, son of Livia's son Drusus, as his successor, but Germanicus was too young. Since Tiberius was Livia's favorite, Augustus eventually turned to him, with provision made for Tiberius to adopt Germanicus as his heir.
Livia Becomes Julia:
Augustus died in 14 A.D. According to his will, Livia became a part of his family and was entitled to be called Julia Augusta from then on.
Livia and Her Relations With Her Descendants:
Julia Augusta exerted strong, but unwelcome influence on her son Tiberius. After the emperor Tiberius left Rome, he would not even return for her funeral in 29 A.D.
Livia's grandson had her deified in A.D. 41.
