Heirs of Augustus

Looking for more information relating to the succession of heirs-apparent that all died from 23-2 bc, leading to the ultimate succession of Tiberius. Marcellus, Gaius, Lucius, and then Agrippa Postumous deaths reek of conspiracy, but I hesitate to relate it solely to the ambitions of Livia and Tiberius. 

My feeling is that there were a succession of conspiracies, or interrelated ones against Augustus, or more specifically with a goal of returning to a Republican form of government. The succession of Tiberius leads to a succession of emperors- but I dont think that this was clear at the time. It's clear to me that Augustus and Livia wanted the princeps to continue, to create a dynasty. 

This is a bit of a historical rabbit hole for me so if anyone has an interest or thoughts on the subject, sources about the figures mentioned, thatd be great! 

On 3/25/2019 at 1:11 PM, IamSpartacus said:

Looking for more information relating to the succession of heirs-apparent that all died from 23-2 bc, leading to the ultimate succession of Tiberius. Marcellus, Gaius, Lucius, and then Agrippa Postumous deaths reek of conspiracy, but I hesitate to relate it solely to the ambitions of Livia and Tiberius. 

 

I have nothing to add on the subject other than to say that the BBC series "I, Claudius" cemented the Livia conspiracy into the minds of modern students since it was first released in 1976. (The novel was printed in 1934.) I recommend the television series highly if for no other reason than to give a framework for the complicated lines of succession.

Perhaps Adrian Goldworthy's book "Augustus: First Emperor of Rome" would shed some light on this subject. I have the book at home but I'm looking for the time to read it.

guy also known as gaius

Suetonius reported that many thought Livia was guilty of machinations to get her son (by a previous husband) Tiberius into succession. There were some suspicious deaths. Marcellus died of an illness - Augustus had apparently caught the same bug but survived, and so did his sons Gaius and Lucius.

I really need to reread the sources at some point - I can't find the quote I was thinking of. However, I did note that Casius Dio mentions the suspicion of her involvement in the death of Marcellus and Tacitus is none too full of praise of her. Augustus was said to have died while kissing her, telling her to remember their marriage as he said goodbye, but one suspects this was normal Roman dramatics and the anecdote shouldn't be taken too seriously.