Perry, Alex Germanicus

Rome's Unlucky Prince

Among the many epithets associated with a prince, unfortunate does not necessarily come to mind first. Germanicus, nephew of Tiberius and great-nephew of Augustus, seemed to have everything a Roman man could desire: beauty, strength, virtue, education, a faithful and chaste wife, numerous descendants, famous ancestors, a brilliant career and the prospect of inheriting the throne of the most powerful state in the ancient world. Until the blind goddess decided to turn her gaze elsewhere. Germanicus died suddenly in 19 AD at the age of only 33, shocking the Roman world. While his body was still warm, rumours of murder by poison spread like wildfire, whispers of an uncle and a grandmother who, out of fear and jealousy, had ensured that the popular young man was eliminated before he could threaten their position. Alex Perry carefully re-evaluates historical sources and archaeological finds to determine whether this prince was indeed murdered or whether he was simply unlucky. He examines the most important events in Germanicus' short life: the campaigns on the Rhine, his visit to Egypt, his tensions with the governor Piso, and his relationship with his uncle, the emperor. He looks at Germanicus' funerals and follows the trial of those suspected of murder to find out whether Tiberius really ordered the assassination of his nephew. The reader gains insight into the intrigues of his wife Agrippina and ultimately sees how the memory of Germanicus was exploited by his widow and sons for their own political games.