Augustus bestowed many honors on his stepsons. In 19 BC, Drusus was granted the ability to hold all public offices five years before the minimum age. When Tiberius left Italy during his term as praetor in 16 BC, Drusus legislated in his place. He became quaestor the following year, fighting against
Raetian bandits in the
Alps. Drusus repelled them, gaining honors, but was unable to smash their forces, and required reinforcement from Tiberius. The brothers easily defeated the local Alpine tribes. Drusus arrived in Gaul in late 15 BC to serve as
legatus Augusti pro praetore (governor on Augustus' behalf with the authority of a praetor) of the three Gaulish provinces. His contribution to the ongoing building and urban development in Gaul can be seen in the establishment of the
pes Drusianus, or ‘Drusian
foot’, of about , which was in use in
Samarobriva (modern
Amiens) and among the
Tungri. From 14 to 13 BC, Augustus himself was also active in Gaul, whether in Lugdunum (modern Lyon) or along the Rhine frontier. As governor of Gaul, Drusus made his headquarters at Lugdunum, where he decided to establish the
concilium Galliarum or ‘council of the Gaulish provinces’ sometime between 14 and 12 BC. This council would elect from its members a priest to celebrate games and venerate
Rome and
Augustus as deities every 1 August at the
altar of the three Gauls that Drusus established at
Condate in 10 BC. Drusus' son Tiberius—the future emperor
Claudius—was born in Lugdunum on the same day that this altar was inaugurated.
Germanic campaigns , 12–9 BC|left Starting in 14 BC, Drusus built a string of military bases along the Rhine—fifty according to
Florus—and established an alliance with the
Batavi in preparation for military action in Germania Libera. He is likely to have had seven legions under his command. In spring of 12 BC, he
embarked an expeditionary force, perhaps consisting of the
Legiones I Germanica and
V Alaudae, by ship from the vicinity of modern
Nijmegen, making use of one or more canals he had built for the purpose. Drusus sailed to the mouth of the
Ems and penetrated into the territory of the
Chauci in present-day
Lower Saxony. The Chauci concluded a treaty acknowledging Roman supremacy, and would remain allies of Rome for years to come. As they continued to ascend the Ems, the Romans were attacked by the
Bructeri in boats. Drusus' forces defeated the Bructeri, but, as it was now late in the campaign season, turned back for their winter quarters in Gaul, taking advantage of their new alliance with the
Frisii to navigate through the difficult conditions on the
North Sea. As a reward for the successes of his campaign in 12 BC, Drusus was made
praetor urbanus for 11 BC when he returned to Rome for the winter. News of Drusus' achievementsnavigating the North Sea, carrying the Roman eagles into new territory, and fixing new peoples into treaty relations with Romecaused considerable excitement in Rome and were commemorated on coins. In the spring of his term as
praetor urbanus, he set out for the German border once more. This time, he assembled a force consisting of all or part of five legions in addition to auxiliaries and, setting out from
Vetera on the Rhine, ascended the
River Lippe. Here he encountered the
Tencteri and
Usipetes, whom he defeated in two separate engagements. He reached the
Werra Valley before deciding to turn back for the season, as winter was coming on, supplies were dwindling, and the omens were unfavorable. While his forces were making their way back through the territory of the
Cherusci, the latter tribe laid an
ambush for them at Arbalo. The Cherusci failed to capitalize on their initial advantage, whereupon the Romans broke through their lines, defeated the Germanic attackers, and acclaimed Drusus as
imperator. To show his continued mastery of the ground, Drusus garrisoned a number of positions within Germania during the winter of 11–10 BC, including one somewhere in
Hesse and one in Cheruscan territory, probably either
the camp at
Haltern or
that at Bergkamen-Oberaden, both in present-day
North Rhine–Westphalia. He rejoined his wife, Antonia, and two children for a time in Lugdunum before the family returned to Rome, where Drusus reported to Augustus. Drusus was given the honor of an
ovation, and for the third time, Augustus closed the doors of the
Temple of Janus, signifying that the whole Roman world was then at peace. Drusus was granted the office of proconsul for the following year. In 10 BC, the
Chatti joined with the
Sicambri and attacked Drusus' camp, but they were driven back. Drusus pursued them, proceeding from the sites of present-day Mainz and
Rödgen, where he set up a base of supply, to
Hedemünden, where a strong new camp was established. Around this time, the canny
Marcomannic king
Maroboduus responded to the Roman incursion by relocating his people
en masse to
Bohemia. In the summer of 10 BC, Drusus left the field to return to
Lugdunum, where he inaugurated the sanctuary of the Three Gaulish provinces at Condate on 1 August. Augustus and Tiberius were in Lugdunum for this occasion (when Drusus' youngest son Claudius was born), and afterwards Drusus accompanied them back to Rome. Drusus easily won election as
consul for the year 9 BC. Once more he left the city before assuming office. His consulship conferred the chance for Drusus to attain Rome's highest and rarest military honor, the
spolia opima, or spoils of an enemy chieftain slain personally by an opposing Roman general who was fighting (as consuls did) under his own auspices. He quickly returned to the field, stopping to confer with his staff at Lugdunum and to dedicate a temple to Caesar Augustus at
Andemantunnum, before rejoining his command at Mainz, from which the year's expedition departed in early spring. Drusus led the army via Rödgen through the territories of the
Marsi and
Cherusci until he even crossed the river
Elbe. Here he is said to have seen an apparition of a Germanic woman who warned him against proceeding farther and that his death was near. Drusus turned back, erecting a trophy to commemorate his reaching the Elbe, perhaps on the site of Dresden or Magdeburg. Drusus had sought out multiple Germanic (at least three) chieftains during his campaigns in Germany (12 BC–9 BC), engaging them in "dazzling displays of single combat". The sources are ambiguous, but suggest that he could have potentially taken the
spolia opima from a Germanic king, thus becoming the fourth and final Roman to gain this honor. Regardless of whether he was actually able to take them in combat, however, Drusus' untimely death would prevent him from ever going through with the official ceremony. Notably, after Drusus' death, Augustus deposited the laurels from his
fasces not in the
Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus as he had done in the past, but in the
Temple of Jupiter Feretrius. J.W. Rich suggests that this action was done as an affirmation to Drusus' memory; had the young commander lived, he would have placed
spolia opima in the temple himself. ==Death and legacy==