Marcus Livius Drusus (155–108 BC) was a Roman politician who served as

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

in 112 BC. He was also governor of Macedonia and campaigned successfully in Thrace against the Scordisci.

Early life

Drusus was a son of Gaius Livius Drusus. He had a brother named Gaius Livius Drusushttp://www.strachan.dk/family/livius.htm and a sister named

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Roman emperor, Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption in ancient Rome, adoption into the J ...

Tribunate

Drusus was set up as

tribune of the plebs Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune ( la, tribunus plebis) was the first office of the Roman Republic, Roman state that was open to the plebs, plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most importan ...

by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 122 BC to undermine

Gaius Gracchus Gaius Sempronius Gracchus ( – 121 BC) was a reformist Roman politician in the 2nd century BC. He is most famous for his tribunate for the years 123 and 122 BC, in which he proposed a wide set of laws, including laws to establish ...

' land reform bills. To do this (according to the record of Appian), he proposed creating twelve colonies with 3,000 settlers each from the poorer classes, and relieving rent on property distributed since 133 BC. He also said the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

allies should not be mistreated by Roman generals, which was the counteroffer to Gracchus' offer of full citizenship. These were known as the ''Leges Liviae'', but they were never enacted, because the Senate simply wanted to draw support away from Gracchus. Their plan was successful. Drusus had just enough popular support to justify his veto of Gracchus' bills.

Consulship and later career

Drusus was later

in 112 BC and fought in Macedonia defeating the

Scordisci The Scordisci ( el, Σκορδίσκοι) were a Celtic Iron Age cultural group centered in the territory of present-day Serbia, at the confluence of the Savus (Sava), Dravus (Drava), Margus (Morava) and Danube rivers. They were historically no ...

, even pushing them out of

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...

across the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

. In 109 BC he was elected censor along with the elder Marcus Aemilius Scaurus. He died in office.

Family

Drusus was married to a Cornelia, they had three known children: * Marcus Livius Drusus, the famous tribune of 91 BC, whose murder incited the Italian Social War. *

Mamercus Aemilius Lepidus Livianus Mamercus Aemilius Lepidus Livianus (died c. 62 BC) was a Roman politician and military commander who was consul in 77 BC. Biography Livianus was a well connected and influential figure in Late Republican politics. A member of the aristocratic par ...

, the consul of 77 BC (adopted into the

Aemilii Lepidi The gens Aemilia, originally written Aimilia, was one of the greatest patrician families at ancient Rome. The gens was of great antiquity, and claimed descent from Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome. Its members held the highest office ...

), who married the daughter of Sulla the dictator. *

, the mother of Servilia and

Cato the Younger Marcus Porcius Cato "Uticensis" ("of Utica"; ; 95 BC – April 46 BC), also known as Cato the Younger ( la, Cato Minor), was an influential conservative Roman senator during the late Republic. His conservative principles were focused on the pr ...

References

Sources * 155 BC births 108 BC deaths 2nd-century BC Roman consuls Marcus Roman censors Tribunes of the plebs {{AncientRome-politician-stub