Livia Drusilla
Livia Drusilla was married to Augustus for fifty-one years and was the most powerful woman in Roman history. Born in 58 BC into the patrician Claudian family, she married Tiberius Claudius Nero and fled with him and their infant son during the civil wars, at one point hiding in the woods with the child while Octavian's troops searched for them. Octavian met her in 39 BC when she was pregnant with her second son, compelled her husband to divorce her, and married her three days after the birth. Her former husband gave her away at the wedding. She bore Augustus no children, and the marriage lasted until his death. Her public role was carefully constructed. She was presented as the model Roman matron, spinning wool in the house, dressing modestly, restoring temples and funding buildings, and she was granted the sacrosanctity of a tribune and the right to control her own property. Her private influence was extensive and acknowledged. She received petitions, promoted men in the administration, and Augustus is recorded as preparing notes before discussing serious business with her. Her aim across decades was to secure the succession for her son Tiberius, and the deaths that cleared his path — Marcellus, Agrippa's sons Gaius and Lucius — led Tacitus and later Cassius Dio to report suspicions of poisoning, without evidence. Robert Graves fixed that reputation for modern readers. Augustus adopted Tiberius in AD 4 and died in AD 14, and Livia's will made her Julia Augusta. She quarrelled with her son, who left Rome partly to escape her. She died in AD 29.
- Lived: 58 BCE – 29 CE
- Nationality: Roman
- Roles: politician
