Antonia
The Moral Compass of Empire: Antonia Minor, Augusta In the treacherous waters of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Antonia Minor (36 BC – AD 37) stood as a rare pillar of stability, virtue, and terrifying resolve. The daughter of Mark Antony and…
Category People
Nero Claudius Drusus
The First Conqueror of the North: Nero Claudius Drusus In the pantheon of early Roman heroes, Nero Claudius Drusus (often called Drusus the Elder) occupies a legendary space. The younger son of Livia Drusilla and the stepson of Augustus, Drusus…
Sejanus
The Architect of Terror: Lucius Aelius Sejanus (AD 14–31) In the long history of the Roman Empire, few figures climbed as high or fell as spectacularly as Lucius Aelius Sejanus. As the commander of the Praetorian Guard under the Emperor…
Germanicus Gemellus
The Vanishing Twin: Germanicus Gemellus In the high-stakes world of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, even a child’s birth could be a weapon of political propaganda. Germanicus Gemellus, born in AD 19, was the twin brother of Tiberius Gemellus and the son…
Tiberius Gemellus
The Discarded Twin: Tiberius Gemellus and the Price of Blood In the final, paranoid years of the Emperor Tiberius, the future of the Roman Empire rested on the shoulders of two young men. One was the charismatic but volatile Caligula;…
Livia Julia
The Price of Heritage: Julia Livia, the Tragic Granddaughter of Tiberius In the blood-soaked annals of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Julia Livia (commonly referred to by historians as Julia Livia or simply Julia) stands as a haunting symbol of the collateral…
Livilla
The Architect of Ruin: The Life and Crimes of Livilla In the shadow-draped halls of the Julio-Claudian palace, few figures embody the lethal intersection of beauty, ambition, and betrayal like Claudia Livia Julia, known to history as Livilla (“Little Livia”).…
Drusus
The Forsaken Heir: Drusus Julius Caesar While the history of the early Roman Empire is often dominated by the charismatic Germanicus or the brooding Tiberius, Drusus Julius Caesar (often called Drusus the Younger) occupied the most precarious position of all:…
Tiberius
The Reluctant Autocrat: The Reign of Tiberius (AD 14–37) Tiberius Caesar Augustus was perhaps the most complex and enigmatic figure to ever wear the imperial purple. The son of Livia Drusilla and the stepson of Augustus, he was a brilliant…
Livia
The Matriarch of Empire: Livia Augusta (AD 14–29) In the year AD 14, the death of Augustus transformed the Roman world, but it also fundamentally redefined the status of his widow. Through a unique provision in Augustus’s will, Livia Drusilla…