Blood of the Caesars: How the Murder of Germanicus Led to the Fall of Rome - Hardcover

Dando-Collins, Stephen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 047013741X ISBN 13: 9780470137413

Publisher: Trade Paper Press, 2008

Synopsis

Could the killing of Germanicus Julius Caesar—the grandson of Mark Antony, adopted son of the emperor Tiberius, father of Caligula, and grandfather of Nero—while the Roman Empire was still in its infancy have been the root cause of the empire's collapse more than four centuries later? This brilliant investigation of Germanicus Caesar’s death and its aftermath is both a compelling history and first-class murder mystery with a plot twist Agatha Christie would envy.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

It was an unfitting death for any Roman soldier. For the empire's greatest hero—a brilliant thirty-three-year-old general, fierce warrior, and gifted diplomat, beloved by the people and in line to become the third emperor—to die in his bed, after suffering weeks of agony, was more than a shock: it was a crime. Germanicus Julius Caesar died with the names of his presumed murderers on his lips, imploring his friends to bring charges against them. The year was a.d. 19, and, says noted historian and author Stephen Dando-Collins, the seeds of the destruction of the empire had just been sown.

In Blood of the Caesars, the fifth of his stirring histories of Rome, Dando-Collins delves into this ancient murder mystery with a fresh eye, a keen mind, and a host of questions. He lays out the evidence that Germanicus was poisoned, assesses the cases against those accused of the murder, and unearths a raft of new suspects, many of whom were among the most prominent and respected citizens of Rome. Then, he supplies a stunning solution to the mystery.

This provocative account unveils the labyrinthian array of intrigues, plots, counterplots, deceptions, and double-dealing that led up to the death of Germanicus and came into full flower after his murder. Beginning with the killing (not suicide, as many claimed) of one of those accused of poisoning Germanicus and followed by verdicts and sentences in the trial that many believed to be a sham, these sub-rosa doings included both failed and successful attempts on the lives of emperors.

How profound was the impact of Germanicus's death? Huge mobs stormed temples around the city because the gods had ignored their prayers for his life; Rome's bitter enemy King Atarbanus of Parthia declared a period of mourning; barbarians at war with the empire made peace in his honor. More darkly, Dando-Collins shows that the emperor Augustus had picked Germanicus to succeed Augustus's immediate heir, Tiberius, believing that the young general was the only man in Rome who could complete the job of empire-building that the first emperor had begun. With his death, Rome ceased to be a work in progress and became an unfinished edifice that could only crumble with time.

Blood of the Caesars combines a fascinating journey into the ancient world with a compelling real-life murder mystery and a truly astonishing solution that will require the rewriting of Roman history.

From the Back Cover:

Unraveling A Murder Mystery That Changed History

Could the killing of a single great leader while the Roman Empire was still in its infancy have been the root cause of the empire's collapse more than four centuries later? Perhaps, but only if that leader were the grandson of Mark Antony, the adopted son of the emperor Tiberius, handpicked by Augustus to become the third emperor, as well as the father of Caligula and the grandfather of Nero.

Germanicus Julius Caesar was all of the above. He was also a brilliant general, a master politician, and the most beloved man in the empire. This brilliant investigation of his death and its aftermath is both a compelling, thought-provoking history and a first-class murder mystery with a plot twist Agatha Christie would envy.

Praise for CAESAR'S LEGION

"A unique and splendidly researched story, following the trials and triumphs of Julius Caesar's Legio X. . . . More than a mere unit account, it incorporates the history of Rome and the Roman army at the height of their power and gory glory. Many military historians consider Caesar's legion the world's most efficient infantry before the arrival of gunpowder. This book shows why. Written in readable, popular style, Caesar's Legion is a must for military buffs and anyone interested in Roman history at a critical point in European civilization."
—T. R. Fehrenbach, author of This Kind of War, Lone Star, and Comanches

About this edition

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 047013741X
• ISBN 13: 9780470137413
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288