[Ennath]

12 BC
German War of Drusus

Decimus Claudius Drusus was the youngest son of Livia Drusilla from her marriage to Tiberius Claudius Nero, who was legally declared his father before the couple divorced. Drusus was born in 38 BC, three months after Livia married Octavius Caesar. Drusus was raised in Claudius Nero's house with his brother, the future emperor Tiberius, until his legal father's death. The two brothers developed a famously close relationship that would last the rest of their lives. Tiberius named his eldest son after his brother, and Drusus did likewise, although eldest sons were usually named after their father or grandfather.

Drusus married Antonia Minor, daughter of Mark Antony and Augustus' sister Octavia, and gained a reputation of being completely faithful to her. After Drusus' death, Antonia never remarried, though she outlived him by nearly 5 decades. 3 emperors were direct descendants of Drusus: his son Claudius, his grandson Caligula, and his great-grandson Nero.

Augustus bestowed many honors on his stepsons. In 19 BC, Drusus was granted the ability to hold all public offices 5 years before the minimum age. When Tiberius left Italy during his term as praetor in 16 BC, Drusus legislated in his place. He became quaestor the following year, fighting against Raetian bandits in the Alps. Drusus repelled them, gaining honors, but was unable to smash their forces, and required reinforcement from Tiberius. The brothers easily defeated the local Alpine tribes.

Drusus arrived in Gaul in late 15 BC to serve as legatus Augusti pro praetore (governor on Augustus' behalf with the authority of a praetor). As governor of Gaul, Drusus made his headquarters at Lugdunum (Lyon). Starting in 14 BC, Drusus built a string of military bases along the Rhine - 50 according to Florus - and established an alliance with the Batavi in preparation for military action in Germania Libera (Free Germany). He is likely to have had 7 legions under his command.

In spring of 12 BC, he embarked an expeditionary force by ship from the vicinity of modern Nijmegen, making use of one or more canals he had built for the purpose. Drusus sailed to the mouth of the Ems and penetrated into the territory of the Chauci in modern Lower Saxony. The Chauci concluded a treaty acknowledging Roman supremacy, and would remain allies of Rome for years. As they continued to ascend the Ems, the Romans were attacked by the Bructeri in boats. Drusus' forces defeated the Bructeri in a naval battle, but, as it was now late in the campaign season, turned back for winter quarters in Gaul, taking advantage of a new alliance with the Frisii to navigate through the difficult conditions on the North Sea.

As a reward for the successes of his campaign, Drusus was made praetor urbanus for 11 BC when he returned to Rome for the winter. News of Drusus' achievements - navigating the North Sea, carrying the Roman eagles into new territory, and fixing new peoples into treaty relations with Rome, caused considerable excitement in Rome and were commemorated on coins.

Drusus did not have it in him to stay in Rome. In the spring of his term as praetor urbanus, he set out for the German border once more. This time, he assembled a force consisting of all or part of 5 legions in addition to auxiliaries and, setting out from Vetera on the Rhine, ascended the Lippe River. Here he encountered the Tencteri and Usipetes, whom he defeated in 2 separate engagements. He reached the Werra Valley before deciding to turn back for the season, as winter was coming on, supplies were dwindling, and the omens were unfavorable. While his forces were making their way back through the territory of the Cherusci, the latter tribe laid an ambush for them at Arbalo. The Cherusci failed to capitalize on their initial advantage, whereupon the Romans broke through their lines, defeated the Germans, and acclaimed Drusus as imperator. To show his continued mastery of the ground, Drusus garrisoned a number of positions in Germania during the winter of 11-10 BC. He then reported to Augustus in Rome, was given the honor of an ovation, and for the second time, Augustus closed the doors of the Temple of Janus, signifying that the whole Roman world was then at peace. Drusus was granted the office of proconsul for the following year.

In 10 BC, the Chatti joined with the Sicambri and attacked Drusus' camp, but were driven back. Drusus pursued, proceeding from the sites of present-day Mainz, where he set up a supply base, to Hedemünden, where a strong new camp was established. Around this time, the canny Marcomannic king Maroboduus responded to the Roman incursion by relocating his people en masse to Bohemia. In summer of 10 BC, Drusus left the field in order to return to Lugdunum, where he inaugurated the sanctuary of the Three Gaulish provinces at Condate on August 1. Augustus and Tiberius were in Lugdunum for this occasion (when Drusus' youngest son Claudius was born), and afterwards Drusus accompanied them back to Rome.

Drusus easily won election as consul for the year 9 BC. Once more he left the city before assuming office. His consulship conferred the chance for Drusus to attain Rome's highest and rarest military honor, the spolia opima, or spoils of an enemy chieftain slain personally by an opposing Roman general who was fighting (as consuls did) under his own auspices. He quickly returned to the field, stopping to confer with his staff at Lugdunum and to dedicate a temple to Caesar Augustus, before rejoining his command at Mainz, from which the year's expedition departed in early spring. Drusus led the army via Rödgen through the territories of the Marsi and Cherusci until he even crossed the Elbe. Here he is said to have seen an apparition of a Germanic woman who warned him against proceeding farther and that his death was near. Drusus turned back, erecting a trophy to commemorate his reaching the Elbe, perhaps on the site of Dresden or Magdeburg.

Drusus had sought out at least three Germanic chieftains during his campaigns in Germany, engaging them in single combat. The sources are ambiguous, but imply that at some point he did take the spolia opima from a Germanic king, thus becoming the 4th and final Roman to gain this honor.

Drusus was returning from his advance to the Elbe when he fell from his horse, lingering on for a month after the accident, by which point Tiberius had joined him. Interestingly, soon before his death he wrote a letter to Tiberius complaining about the style in which Augustus ruled. Suetonius reports that he had refused to return to Rome just before his death. Drusus' body was brought back to the city, and his ashes were deposited in the Mausoleum of Augustus. He remained extremely popular with the legionaries, who erected a monument in Mogontiacum (modern Mainz) on his behalf, remnants of which are still standing. His family was granted the hereditary honorific title Germanicus, which was given to his eldest son before passing to his youngest. Augustus later wrote a biography of him which does not survive. By Augustus' decree, festivals were held in Mogontiacum at Drusus' death day and probably also on his birthday.