Why does the senate hate me so?

I'm playing Julii, normal/normal and happily conquering, Iberia has almost fallen, the greek cities are mostly mine and the germans are down to one besieged city, with the brits kicked off the mainland.

So i play away happily, and my popularity with the senate steadily drops, despite completing every mission, and for the past twenty years or so I got 'do it or else' rather than 'do it and you get...' missions. I was already so popular mwith the people I could takeover if I wanted, and big enough for it aswell. So, they demand the suicide of my faction leader. As I wasn't quite ready for a takeover of rome i decide to comply, he was 63 anyway and not that good a leader, plus I had made my heir a 17 year old up and coming general who's popular with both the people and the senate, or so I thought.

So he comes to the throne and his big brother becomes heir (I wish I could select second in line so I didn't have to disinherit people) and all is fine for a year and a half. Then, in their infinate wisdom, after I blockade ports, take rebelling cities and generally suck up the senate as much as possible, they demand my NEW faction leader commit suicide!

He was only 19 and I wasn't about to lose him as a general, let alone as a faction leader so I decline, and the brutii set about kicking me out of Nicea, the senate march on my home cities and the scipii try (and thankfully fail) to sink half my navy.

How do I avoid the senate outlawing me or making outrageous demands? i was hoping to finish off the spanish, germans and clear out a few rebels before marching on rome...

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Why does the senate hate me so?

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I was already so popular mwith the people I could takeover if I wanted

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You just answered your own question ^^

The Senate dislikes popular people.
So when you're too popular with the people, they hate you. I don't know any way to prevent that ^^

Once your too powerful, the senate turns on you.