Drusus Caesar: The Betrayed Prince
In the blood-soaked history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Drusus Caesar (c. 8 – 33 CE) stands as one of its most tragic and complex figures. As the second son of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder, he was a prince of the blood who possessed the lineage of Augustus, yet he fell victim to the very ambition and sibling rivalry that his enemies exploited to destroy his family.
A Childhood in the Shadow of Greatness
Drusus was born into a family that the Roman people viewed as the “ideal” imperial household. While his older brother, Nero Caesar, was the clear favorite for succession, Drusus was equally prominent. He was a great-grandson of Augustus and, following his father’s death in 19 CE, was seen as a pillar of the Julian line.
In his youth, Drusus enjoyed the honors typical of a high-ranking prince:
• Marriage: He was wed to Aemilia Lepida, a woman of high noble standing.
• Political Path: He entered public life under the watchful eye of the Emperor Tiberius, who initially treated the sons of Germanicus as his potential heirs.
The Wedge: Sibling Rivalry and Sejanus
The tragedy of Drusus Caesar lies in his susceptibility to manipulation. The Praetorian Prefect Sejanus, seeking to dismantle the power of Agrippina the Elder, realized he could use Drusus as a weapon against his own brother, Nero Caesar.
Sejanus fueled a bitter rivalry between the two siblings. He whispered to Drusus that he was the Emperor’s true favorite and that Nero was an obstacle to his future power. Drusus, described by historians as having a volatile and aggressive temperament, fell for the trap. He turned against his mother and brother, hoping to secure his own position by siding with the “establishment” represented by Tiberius and Sejanus.
The Traitor’s Reward
His loyalty to the Emperor bought him little safety. After his brother Nero was exiled in 29 CE, Drusus’s usefulness to Sejanus came to an end. The Prefect turned the same machinery of surveillance and paranoia against Drusus.
In 30 CE, Tiberius—convinced that Drusus was now the one plotting against him—had the young prince arrested. Drusus was not sent to a remote island like his mother or brother; instead, he was imprisoned in a dungeon located in the very heart of the Palatine Hill, beneath the Imperial Palace.
A Gruesome End
Drusus languished in his cell for three years. His death in 33 CE was one of the most horrific recorded by the historian Tacitus. Stripped of food and dignity, it is said that Drusus was driven to such extreme hunger that he attempted to eat the stuffing from his own mattress to survive.
After his death, Tiberius took the unusual and cruel step of reading Drusus’s “prison diary” to the Senate. The Emperor intended to prove Drusus’s madness and hostility, but the reading backfired:
• It revealed the meticulous, day-by-day abuse the prince had suffered.
• It recorded his dying prayers, which were not for his own life, but a terrifying curse upon Tiberius for the destruction of his family.
Aftermath
Like his brother Nero, Drusus’s memory was eventually rehabilitated by his surviving younger brother, Caligula. When Caligula took the throne, he recovered Drusus’s ashes and placed them in the Mausoleum of Augustus, alongside the rest of the tragic household of Germanicus.
Drusus Caesar remains a cautionary tale of the Roman court: a man who betrayed his own family in a desperate bid for survival, only to find that in the world of Tiberius, loyalty offered no shield against paranoia.