Drusus the Younger

Drusus Julius Caesar
Bust of Drusus (Prado, Madrid).
Born	7 October 13 BC Rome
Died	14 September AD 23 (aged 35)
Burial	Mausoleum of Augustus
Spouse	Livilla
Issue	Julia Tiberius Julius Caesar Nero Gemellus Tiberius Claudius Caesar Germanicus II Gemellus
Father	Tiberius
Mother	Vipsania Agrippina

Drusus Julius Caesar (7 October 13 BC – 14 September AD 23), was the son of Emperor Tiberius, and heir to the Roman Empire following the death of his adoptive brother Germanicus in AD 19.

He was born at Rome to a prominent branch of the gens Claudia, to Tiberius and his first wife, Vipsania Agrippina. His name at birth was Nero Claudius Drusus after his paternal uncle, Drusus the Elder. In AD 4, he assumed the name Julius Caesar following his father's adoption into the Julii by Augustus, and became Drusus Julius Caesar.

Drusus first entered politics in AD 10, and held the office of quaestor. His political career mirrored that of Germanicus, and he assumed all his offices at the same age as his adoptive brother. Following the model of Augustus, it was intended that the two would rule together. They were both popular, and many dedications have been found in their honor across Roman Italy. Cassius Dio calls him "Castor" in his Roman History, likening Drusus and Germanicus to the twins, Castor and Pollux, of Roman mythology.

In AD 23, Drusus suddenly died amid a feud with Sejanus, a powerful Praetorian prefect of Rome. Ancient historians, such as Tacitus and Suetonius, say that Sejanus poisoned him with the help of his wife, Livilla. She had been seduced by Sejanus, and with the help of a doctor, poisoned her husband. He died of what appeared to be natural causes on 14 September 23.

He was born on 7 October 13 BC in Rome with the name Nero Claudius Drusus, and is often referred to be historians as Drusus II, Drusus the Younger and Drusus Minor to distinguish him from his paternal uncle, Nero Claudius Drusus, the younger brother of Tiberius whom Drusus was named after. Drusus was the maternal grandson of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a close friend of Augustus, and his first wife Caecilia Attica.