Drusus Julius Caesar Nero Claudius Drusus , later Drusus Julius Caesar ( adoptive name ; 13 BC – 14 September 23 AD ) was the only child of Roman Emperor Tiberius and his first wife , Vipsania Agrippina . He was also a maternal cousin of the Emperor Caligula , a paternal cousin of the Emperor Claudius and a second cousin of the Emperor Nero . Biography . He was born in 7 October 13 BC with the name Nero Claudius Drusus , and is also known to historians as Drusus II , Drusus the Younger and Drusus Minor . Drusus was named after his paternal uncle the general Drusus the Elder , who was Tiberius ' younger brother . He was born and raised in Rome . Drusus was the first grandchild of the statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and his first wife Caecilia Attica . Despite his violent temper , Drusus showed promise with both military and politics . In 13 AD , he was made a permanent member of the Senate committee Augustus had founded to draw up the Senate ' s daily business . However , because Drusus was only related to the Claudian side of the family , rather than both the Julians and Claudians , Augustus forced Tiberius to adopt Germanicus , who was married to Augustus ' s granddaughter , as his son and heir , removing Drusus from the succession . In 14 , after the death of Augustus , Drusus suppressed a mutiny in Pannonia . In 15 he became a consul . He was also governor of Illyricum from 17 to 20 . In 21 he was consul again , significantly with his father Tiberius as his colleague , while in 22 he received " tribunicia potestas " ( tribunician power ) , a distinction reserved solely for the emperor or his immediate successor . Drusus married his paternal cousin Livilla in 4 . Their daughter Julia was born shortly after . They had twin sons Tiberius Gemellus and Tiberius Claudius Caesar Germanicus II Gemellus in 19 , the latter of whom died still an infant in 23 . In 19 , Germanicus died , making Drusus the new heir ; Germanicus ' wife Agrippina suspected Tiberius of having killed him to allow Drusus to become his heir , but this is unlikely . Before the birth of the twins , Livilla may already have been in a relationship with Sejanus , Tiberius ' Praetorian Prefect . Moreover Drusus , who was naturally irascible , had once in the course of a casual argument with Sejanus raised his fist and struck him in the face . By 23 it looked as if Drusus , who made no secret of his antipathy towards Sejanus , would succeed Tiberius as emperor . For reasons of self - survival , but also because he may have had designs on the supreme power , Sejanus needed to remove Drusus . Ancient sources ( Tacitus , Suetonius , Cassius Dio ) concur that with Livilla as his accomplice he poisoned her husband . If Drusus was indeed murdered , then it was done so skillfully that his death in 23 gave rise to no suspicion , having as he did a reputation for heavy drinking . Sejanus ( in 25 ) asked for Livilla ’ s hand in marriage but Tiberius forbade it . Sejanus fell in 31 ( October 18 ) . A few days later ( October 26 ) Sejanus ' former wife Apicata committed suicide , but not before addressing a letter to Tiberius claiming that Drusus had been poisoned , with the complicity of Livilla . Drusus ’ cupbearer Lygdus and Livilla ' s physician Eudemus were now tortured , and seemed to confirm Apicata ’ s accusation . By the end of the year Livilla too had perished , supposedly forcibly starved to death by her own mother , Antonia . Legacy and depiction in art . Drusus was an avid enthusiast of gladiator fights . In fact , we hear that the sharpest swords were named " Drusian " after him . Drusus is noted to have once come to blows with Sejanus in an argument . An earlier fight with a praetorian guard ( possibly Sejanus as well ) earned him the ironic nickname " Castor " , after the patron god of the praetorians . He features under this name in the novel " I , Claudius " by Robert Graves , and in its BBC adaptation ( in which he was played by Kevin McNally ) . He is associated with the gourmand Apicius . Under Apicius ' influence he disdained a certain vegetable of the cabbage family , earning a reprimand from Tiberius . Drusus is also recorded as using bitter almonds ( five or six at a time ) as a prophylactic against drunkenness .