Roman political factions have always interested me. Who was making the decisions and what links did he have with other politicians? Usually the best and only way for us to find this this out is to check who was married to whom. In Rome political alliances were usually sealed with a marriage, and family relations were considered almost holy. If someone was related to you, you would support him no matter what he was doing.
Usually it is thought that when Rome became imperial, this changed. How ever that is not so. Emperor was not the only person making decisions and having power. During the rule of Julio-Claudian emperors the republic was still in theory operating. The consuls were making important decisions, governors in provinces could act quite freely, new important offices like the praetorian prefect and city prefect were created. Factions were still formed and they fought for power. They competed for political offices and also for who had most influence on the emperor. At times the competition was also for who would be the next emperor.
Faction of Germanicus Caesar:
Germanicus Caesar was the eldest son of Claudius Nero Drusus and Antonia.
His grandfather was Marcus Antonius himself. Mother of Drusus was Livia
who was married to emperor Augustus. Later when Drusus was dead his
brother was adopted by Augustus and eventually became the emperor,
Tiberius. So Germanicus was close to the highest power. Even more so when
after the death of Augustus new emperor Tiberius adopted him. Together
with his adopted brother and cousin Drusus (younger) he became the heir to
the empire.
When one starts to talk about a roman politician, the most important thing
is to find out to whom he was related. We already know that Germanicus had
emperor Tiberius as his uncle adopted father, and Marcus Antonius as his
grandfather. He had one brother, Claudius, who was during Germanicus`s
time an embarrasment to his family for he was handicapped. Later he was
emperor. Germanicus and Claudius also had a sister, Livilla, who was
married to their cousin Drusus, son of Tiberius. It seems that Germanicus
and younger Drusus formed a good pair, and there was no trouble between
them though they both were heirs to Tiberius.
Germanicus was married to Agrippina, and they had six children. Boys were
Nero, Drusus and G.Caesar (Caligula), and girls Agrippina younger, Julia
(Lesbia) and Drusilla. Agrippina was most noble lady, being the
grand-daughter of Augustus. Her parents were Marcus Agrippa and Julia.
This pair also had two sons who died young, daughter Julia and son
Postumus Agrippa.
The history of this faction might go as far as to the person of Julia, the
daughter of Augustus. It seems she was against the influence of her
step-mother Livia. In 2 bc a group that was formed around Julia was purged
by Augustus. Julia was exiled, as well as the persons who allegedly had
done an adultery with her. These were Jullus Antonius, son of Marcus
Antonius and uncle of Germanicus, T.Quinctius Crispinus, Tib.Sempronius
Gracchus, Ap.Claudius Pulcher and Cornelius Scipio. These were men from
extremely famous families. Interestingly, Crispinus had been a consul in
9 bc. together with Drusus, father of Germanicus. Jullus Antonius had been
consul a year before. Other were propably so young that had not been
consuls yet.
In 8 ad. there was another purge, and the target was again the group
around family of Julia. This time Julia elders daughter, also Julia, was
exiled. His huspand, L.Aemilius Paullus, and D.Junius Silanus were
executed. Year after this Julia`s brother, Agrippa Postumus, was exiled.
So the family group of Julia was pretty much out of the way. Only person
who gained from this was Tiberius, whose political competitors were
purged. Some parts of the family how ever remained.
Germanicus was married to the only surviving children of Julia. It seems
he sort of inherited the leadership of the old party which was purged. He
was not an enemy of Tiberius, but perhaps the emperor didn`t see it that
way, as the future would show.
When Tiberius became the emperor in 14 ad, Germanicus had already been
consul (12.ad) and was the pro-consul of Gaul with both armies of Lower
and Upper Germany under his command. He wasn`t alone politically, for some
of his relatives still remained. He had an aunt, Antonia, who was married
to L.Domitius Ahenobarbus. Ahenobarbus was one of the enemies of Tiberius.
We do not know if he was close to Germanicus, but his son was married to
Agrippina, daughter of Germanicus. This could tell about the good
relations between these two families. And we must not forget that Jullus
Antonius was one of those purged in 2 bc. Ahenobarbus and Antonia
also had two daughters. Another one of them was married to Gaius
(Sallustius) Passienus Crispus, the adopted son of G.Sallustius
Crispus, the powerfull minister of Augustus. Agrippina elder also had two
sisters more, daughters of Marcus Agrippa from his older marriages. These
women were both called Vipsania. Older was married to a novus homo Quintus
Haterius, who was consul in 5 bc. Younger was first married to Tiberius
himself, but Tiberius was forced to divorce her when he married Julia
elder. Vipsania then was married to Gaius Asinius Gallus, who also was a
political enemy of Tiberius. Exiled Julia younger also had two children,
M.Aemilius Lepidus and Aemilia Lepida. Lepidus was married to Drusilla,
daughter of Germanicus. Lepida was married to Marcus Junius Silanus.
So Germanicus had some relatives to support him, thought how much they did
so is uncertain. When Tiberius became the emperor Germanicus was in Gaul.
He managed to put down the rebellion among the troops, and then attacked
Germania to avenge the defeat in battle of Teutoburg forest. In 15 and 16
ad. Germanicus fought succesfully against the germans, and received a
triumf and second consulate in 18 ad. Another group from where we search
his faction is from the men who served under him. The army of Upper
Germany was commanded by Gaius Silius (Caecina Largus?), and the cammander
in Lower Germany was crack general Aulus Caecina Severus. Severus propably
was not "men of Germanicus", but Silius surely was. Lucius Apronius was
one of the most important officers, together with Publius Vitellius. Also
L.Stertinus is mentioned, and centurio Cassius Chaerea.
In 18 ad. Germanicus became the commander of the east, with all the armies
of the east under his command. Here he was murdered by Gnaeus Calpurnius
Piso in 20 ad. Piso was a close ally of Tiberius, and the emperor was
suspected. In Syria we meet two more officers who were legates of
Germanicus. These were Sentius Saturninus and Gaius Vibius Marsus. At
least P.Suillius Rufus also was kvestor of Germanicus in Germania and then
legate in Syria. Many of these men had good careers. In 4 ad. two men with
the name Sentius Saturninus were consuls. One of these was the man
mentioned above. Lucius Apronius was suffectus in 8 ad. His daughter was
married to Plautius Silvanus who was close to Livia and Tiberius. Later
another daughter of Apronius was married to Lentulus Gaetulicus. Gaius
Silius was a consul in 13 ad. and Vibius Marsus in 17 ad.
After the death of Germanicus his faction propably partly dissolved.
Agrippina was how ever still alive, and soon his sons became adults and a
new faction started to form around them. Gaius Asinius Gallus started to
court Agrippina, and though Tiberius forbade him from marrying Agrippina,
the faction now formed around these two. The hostility of Tiberius was how
ever now evident. Relatives and followers of Germanicus how ever still had
influence. Decimus Haterius was consul in 22 ad, and his cousins G.Asinius
Pollio and Asinius Agrippa in 23 and 25 ad. Passienus Crispus was consul
in 27 ad.
Perhaps already in 18 ad a first strike against the faction was hit. After
the death of Germanicus Aemilia Lepida was exiled for adultery. She might
have been the daughter of Julia younger. In 26 ad. the cousin of
Agrippina, Claudia Pulchra, was exiled for adultery. She was married to
Quinctilius Varus who died in Teutoburg forest. According to Tacitus the
exiled of Pulchra was purely political move against Agrippina. In the next
year Quinctilius Varus, son of Pulchra, was accused. Again a political
move. How ever the senate suppoted him, and he was released. This is no
wonder, for there were many persons related or connected to Germanicus and
therefore also to Agrippina. Varus also had many personal connections to
other imprtant groups. In 28 ad. equites Titius Sabinus, old officer and
friend of Germanicus was accused politically and executed. Even before, in
24 ad. P.Suillius Rufus was exiled. In the same year Gaius Silius was
forced to commit suicide and his wife Sosia Galla was exiled. Both Quintus
Haterius and Asinius Agrippa died in 26 ad. Old friend of Germanicus,
Publius Vitellius, had joined the faction of Sejanus, and when he was
crushed in 31 ad. Vitellius was forced to kill himself. According to
Tacitus Sejanus was the enemy of Germanicus and his faction. How ever it
is interesting that though Asinius Gallus, Agrippina, Nero and Drusus were
imprisoned (late 20s?), they were not killed untill Sejanus was crushed.
In 33 ad. All four were killed in prison and this was the end of the
faction.
The faction was how ever revived 4 years later when Tiberius died and the youngest son of Germanicus, Gaius Caesar Caligula, succeeded him. In 38 Servius Asinius Celer was consul. In 39 ad. Gaius Caesar himself and L.Apronius Caesianus were consuls. How ever the father of Apronius, old legate of Germanicus, was executed suspected of conspiracy. In 41 Gnaeus Sentius Saturninus was consul. Suillius Rufus was also recalled from exile, as well as some others. Cassius Chaerea, old centurion of Germanicus, was the praetorian prefect of Caligula.