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Julia Drusilla
 
 
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For the identically named daughter of Germanicus
Germanicus

Germanicus Julius Caesar Claudianus . Born in Lugdunum, Gaul , was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty of the early Roman Empire. At birth he was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle and received the agnomen Germanicus, by which he is principally known, in 9 BC, when...
, see Drusilla (sister of Caligula).

Julia Drusilla (Classical Latin
Classical Latin

Classical Latin is the form of the Latin used by the ancient Rome in what is usually regarded as "classical" Latin literature. Its use spanned the Golden Age of Latin literature—broadly the 1st century BC and the early 1st century AD—possibly extending to the Silver Age—broadly the 1st and 2nd centuries....
: IVLIA•DRVSILLA) (39-41) was the only child and daughter of Roman Emperor
Emperor

An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the female equivalent. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor or a woman who rules in her own right ....
 Gaius (Caligula
Caligula

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus , more commonly known by his nickname Caligula , was the third Roman Emperor, reigning from 16 March 37 until his assassination on 24 January 41....
) and his fourth and last wife Caesonia
Caesonia

Milonia Caesonia was a Roman Empress. She rose from modest origins to become the fourth and last wife of the Roman Emperor Caligula. She was a daughter of a Roman woman called Vistilia, who came from a family who held the praetorship and her father is unknown....
.

Named after her late aunt and her father's favorite sister, Drusilla, Julia was born not long after Caligula married Caesonia (some sources have her being born on the same day as the marriage).






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For the identically named daughter of Germanicus
Germanicus

Germanicus Julius Caesar Claudianus . Born in Lugdunum, Gaul , was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty of the early Roman Empire. At birth he was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle and received the agnomen Germanicus, by which he is principally known, in 9 BC, when...
, see Drusilla (sister of Caligula).

Julia Drusilla (Classical Latin
Classical Latin

Classical Latin is the form of the Latin used by the ancient Rome in what is usually regarded as "classical" Latin literature. Its use spanned the Golden Age of Latin literature—broadly the 1st century BC and the early 1st century AD—possibly extending to the Silver Age—broadly the 1st and 2nd centuries....
: IVLIA•DRVSILLA) (39-41) was the only child and daughter of Roman Emperor
Emperor

An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the female equivalent. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor or a woman who rules in her own right ....
 Gaius (Caligula
Caligula

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus , more commonly known by his nickname Caligula , was the third Roman Emperor, reigning from 16 March 37 until his assassination on 24 January 41....
) and his fourth and last wife Caesonia
Caesonia

Milonia Caesonia was a Roman Empress. She rose from modest origins to become the fourth and last wife of the Roman Emperor Caligula. She was a daughter of a Roman woman called Vistilia, who came from a family who held the praetorship and her father is unknown....
.

Named after her late aunt and her father's favorite sister, Drusilla, Julia was born not long after Caligula married Caesonia (some sources have her being born on the same day as the marriage). Caesonia already had 3 daughters from her first marriage. When Drusilla was born, Caligula took her to a temple that housed statues of goddesses and placed her on the lap of Minerva
Minerva

Minerva was the Roman mythology name of Greek goddess Athena. She was considered to be the virgin goddess of warriors, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving,crafts, and the inventor of music....
, instructing the goddess to nurse and train his new daughter. Soon after her birth, Caligula set up donation boxes around Rome marked "Julia's Drink" or "Julia's Food". According to the ancient historian Suetonius
Suetonius

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was an equestrian and a historian during the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies on the battles of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar until Domitian, entitled On the Life of the Caesars....
, Caligula believed that Minerva would supervise his daughter's growth and education.

Suetonius
Suetonius

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was an equestrian and a historian during the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies on the battles of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar until Domitian, entitled On the Life of the Caesars....
 further claims that when playing with other children, she would attack them and try to claw out their eyes. This violence caused Caligula to state proudly that there was no disputing the girl's paternity. She was definitely his child.

Julia Drusilla's birth gave Caligula
Caligula

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus , more commonly known by his nickname Caligula , was the third Roman Emperor, reigning from 16 March 37 until his assassination on 24 January 41....
 an additional excuse to bear heavier taxes on the empire for the burden of parenthood. Suetonius quotes him to have complained, 'In addition to the burden of sovereignty, I must now shoulder that of fatherhood.' He promptly took up a collection for her education and dowry. He also announced that New Year presents would be welcome on the first of January, and then sat on the palace porch and grabbed the handfuls and cupfuls of coins which a mixed crowd of all classes pressed on him. At last he had developed a passion for the feel of money and, spilling heaps of gold pieces on an open space, would walk over them barefoot, or else lie down and wallow.

On January 24, 41
41

Year 41 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar....
 Caligula was assassinated by a conspiracy involving the Praetorian Guard
Praetorian Guard

The Praetorian Guard was a special force of guards used by Roman empire List of Roman Emperorss. Before being appropriated for the use of the Emperors' personal guards, the title was used for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC....
 led by Cassius Chaerea
Cassius Chaerea

Cassia Chaerea was a centurion in the army of Germanicus and served in the Praetorian Guard under the emperor Caligula, whom he eventually assassinated....
. Caesonia and Drusilla survived Caligula by only a few hours. Although there is no accurate historical record, legend says that the 2-year-old Drusilla had her head smashed against a wall after attacking her mother's assassin by kicking and biting him.