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Name Suffix:Emperor Of Rome
Name Suffix:Emperor Of Rome
{geni:occupation} Roman Emperor
{geni:about_me} '''Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus''', 2nd [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_emperor Emperor] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire Roman Empire] (Latin: Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March 37 AD).
Born ''Tiberius Claudius Nero'' to Roman [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praetor praetor], [http://www.geni.com/people/Tiberius-Claudius-Nero/6000000003051269288 Tiberius Claudius Nero] and [http://www.geni.com/people/Livia-Drusilla-Julia-Augusta/6000000000424886603 Livia Drusilla], the daughter of Roman [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Senate senator], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Livius_Drusus_Claudianus Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus]. Both his parents were from the house of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudius_%28gens%29 Claudia], one of the most prominent [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrician_%28ancient_Rome%29 patrician] houses in Rome. He was also the brother of the politician and famous military commander [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudius-Nero-Drusus-Germanicus/6000000007774655553 Claudius Nero Drusus Germanicus], who received the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_title victory title] Germanicus ("the German"), which was awarded posthumously to honour his victories in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germania Germania].
His mother Livia Drusilla divorced his father Tiberius Claudius Nero and married [http://www.geni.com/people/Augustus-Roman-Emperor/6000000001336717255 Octavian] (Later known as Emperor Augustus) in 39 BC. Tiberius would later marry his step-father Octavian's daughter, [http://www.geni.com/people/Julia-Caesaris-Major/6000000007234813810 Julia the Elder] (from his marriage to [http://www.geni.com/people/Scribonia/6000000000700912476 Scribonia]). Octavian would also adopt him later, by which he officially became a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_%28gens%29 Julian], bearing the name ''Tiberius Julius Caesar''. The subsequent emperors after Tiberius would continue this blended dynasty of both families for the next forty years; historians have named it the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio-Claudian_dynasty Julio-Claudian dynasty]. In relations to the other emperors of this dynasty, Tiberius was the stepson of Emperor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus Augustus], great-uncle of Emperor [http://www.geni.com/people/Caligula-Emperor-of-the-Roman-Empire/6000000006101240586 Caligula], paternal uncle of Emperor [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudius-I-Roman-Emperor/6000000002119140027 Claudius], and great-great uncle of Emperor [http://www.geni.com/people/Nero-Roman-Emperor/6000000000424698537 Nero].
Tiberius was one of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome Rome's] greatest generals, conquering [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pannonia_%28Roman_province%29 Pannonia], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalmatia_%28Roman_province%29 Dalmatia], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raetia Raetia], and temporarily [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germania Germania]; laying the foundations for the northern frontier. But he came to be remembered as a dark, reclusive, and sombre ruler who never really desired to be emperor; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder Pliny the Elder] called him tristissimus hominum, "the gloomiest of men." After the death of Tiberius’ son [http://www.geni.com/people/Drusus-Julius-Caesar/6000000008713427361 Drusus Julius Caesar] in 23 he became more reclusive and aloof. In 26, against better judgement, Tiberius exiled himself from Rome and left administration largely in the hands of his unscrupulous [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praetorian_Prefect Praetorian prefects], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Aelius_Sejanus Lucius Aelius Sejanus] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintus_Naevius_Sutorius_Macro Quintus Naevius Sutorius Macro]. Tiberius' grand-nephew and adopted grandson [http://www.geni.com/people/Caligula-Emperor-of-the-Roman-Empire/6000000006101240586 Caligula], succeeded the emperor upon his death.
===Early life===
Tiberius was born in Rome on November 16, 42 BC, to [http://www.geni.com/people/Tiberius-Claudius-Nero/6000000003051269288 Tiberius Claudius Nero] and [http://www.geni.com/people/Livia-Drusilla-Julia-Augusta/6000000000424886603 Livia Drusilla]. In 39 BC, his mother divorced his biological father and remarried [http://www.geni.com/people/Augustus-Roman-Emperor/6000000001336717255 Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus] (Also known as Octavian and later as Emperor Augustus) shortly thereafter, while still pregnant with Tiberius Nero's son. Shortly thereafter in 38 BC his brother, [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudius-Nero-Drusus-Germanicus/6000000007774655553 Nero Claudius Drusus], was born. Little is recorded of Tiberius's early life. In 32 BC, Tiberius made his first public appearance at the age of nine, delivering the eulogy for his biological father. In 29 BC, both he and his brother Drusus rode in the triumphal chariot along with their adoptive father Octavian in celebration of the defeat of [http://www.geni.com/people/Marcus-Antonius-Mark-Antony/6000000001336650473 Antony] and [http://www.geni.com/people/Cleopatra-VII-Thea-Philopator/6000000001336815278 Cleopatra] at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actium Actium]. In 23 BC, Emperor Augustus became gravely ill, and his possible death threatened to plunge the Roman world into chaos again. Historians generally agree that it is during this time that the question of Augustus's heir became most acute, and while Augustus had seemed to indicate that [http://www.geni.com/people/Marcus-Vipsanius-Agrippa/6000000000701119762 Agrippa] and [http://www.geni.com/people/Marcus-Claudius-Marcellus/6000000003645864674 Marcellus] would carry on his position in the event of his death, the ambiguity of succession became Augustus's chief problem.
In response, a series of potential heirs seem to have been selected, among them Tiberius and his brother, [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudius-Nero-Drusus-Germanicus/6000000007774655553 Drusus]. In 24 BC, at the age of seventeen, Tiberius entered politics under Augustus's direction, receiving the position of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaestor quaestor], and was granted the right to stand for election as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praetor praetor] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_consul consul] five years in advance of the age required by law. Similar provisions were made for Drusus.
===Civil and military career===
Shortly thereafter Tiberius began appearing in court as an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocate advocate], and it is presumably here that his interest in Greek [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric rhetoric] began. In 20 BC, Tiberius was sent East under [http://www.geni.com/people/Marcus-Vipsanius-Agrippa/6000000000701119762 Marcus Agrippa]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthians Parthians] had captured the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquila_%28Roman%29 standards] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_legion legions] under the command of general [http://www.geni.com/people/Marcus-Licinius-Crassus/6000000003645870484 Marcus Licinius Crassus] (53 BC) (at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Carrhae Battle of Carrhae]), Decidius Saxa (40 BC), and [http://www.geni.com/people/Marcus-Antonius-Mark-Antony/6000000001336650473 Marc Antony] (36 BC). After several years of negotiation, Tiberius led a sizable force into [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Armenia_%28antiquity%29 Armenia], presumably with the goal of establishing it as a Roman client-state and as a threat on the Roman-Parthian border, and Emperor [http://www.geni.com/people/Augustus-Roman-Emperor/6000000001336717255 Augustus] was able to reach a compromise whereby these standards were returned, and Armenia remained a neutral territory between the two powers.
After returning from the East in 19 BC, Tiberius was married to [http://www.geni.com/people/Vipsania-Agrippina-Major/6000000000914276572 Vipsania Agrippina], the daughter of Augustus’s close friend and greatest general, [http://www.geni.com/people/Marcus-Vipsanius-Agrippa/6000000000701119762 Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa], appointed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praetor praetor], and sent with his legions to assist his brother Drusus in campaigns in the west. While Drusus focused his forces in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallia_Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis] and along the German frontier, Tiberius combated the tribes in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alps Alps] and within [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transalpine_Gaul Transalpine Gaul], conquering [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland_in_the_Roman_era#Conquest_of_the_Alps Raetia]. In 15 BC he discovered the sources of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube Danube], and soon afterwards the bend of the middle course. Returning to Rome in 13 BC, Tiberius was appointed as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_consul consul], and around this same time his son, [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudius-Nero-Drusus/6000000008713427361 Drusus Julius Caesar], was born.
Agrippa's death in 12 BC elevated Tiberius and Drusus with respect to the succession. At Augustus’ request in 11 BC, Tiberius divorced Vipsania and married [http://www.geni.com/people/Julia-Caesaris-Major/6000000007234813810 Julia the Elder], Augustus' daughter and Agrippa's widow. This event seems to have been the breaking point for Tiberius; his marriage with Julia was never a happy one, and produced only a single child which died in infancy. Reportedly, Tiberius once ran into Vipsania again, and proceeded to follow her home crying and begging forgiveness; soon afterwards, Tiberius met with Augustus, and steps were taken to ensure that Tiberius and Vipsania would never meet again. Tiberius continued to be elevated by Augustus, and after Agrippa's death and his brother Drusus' death in 9 BC, seemed the clear candidate for succession. As such, in 12 BC he received military commissions in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pannonia Pannonia] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germania Germania]; both areas highly volatile and key to Augustan policy.
In 6 BC, Tiberius launched a pincer movement against the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcomanni Marcomanni]. Setting out northwest from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnuntum Carnuntum] on the Danube with four legions, Tiberius passed through [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadi Quadi] territory in order to invade the Marcomanni from the east. Meanwhile, general Gaius Sentius Saturninus would depart east from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moguntiacum Moguntiacum] on the Rhine with two or three legions, pass through newly annexed [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermunduri Hermunduri] territory, and attack the Marcomanni from the west. The campaign was a resounding success, but Tiberius could not subjugate the Marcomanni because he was soon summoned to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine Rhine] frontier to protect Rome's new conquests in Germania.
He returned to Rome and was consul for a second time in 7 BC, and in 6 BC was granted tribunician power ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribune tribunicia potestas]) and control in the East, all of which mirrored positions that Agrippa had previously held. However, despite these successes and despite his advancement, Tiberius was not happy.
===Retirement to Rhodes===
In 6 BC, on the verge of accepting command in the East and becoming the second most powerful man in Rome, Tiberius suddenly announced his withdrawal from politics and retired to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes Rhodes]. The precise motives for Tiberius's withdrawal are unclear. Historians have speculated a connection with the fact that Augustus had adopted Julia's sons by Agrippa, [http://www.geni.com/people/Gaius-Marcus-Agrippa-Caesar/6000000007511114828 Gaius] and [http://www.geni.com/people/Lucius-Caesar/6000000006858348535 Lucius], and seemed to be moving them along the same political path that both Tiberius and Drusus had trodden. Tiberius thus seemed to be an interim solution: he would hold power only until his stepsons would come of age, and then be swept aside. The promiscuous, and very public, behavior of his unhappily married wife, Julia, may have also played a part. Indeed, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus Tacitus] calls it Tiberius' intima causa, his innermost reason for departing for Rhodes, and seems to ascribe the entire move to a hatred of Julia and a longing for Vipsania. Tiberius had found himself married to a woman he loathed, who publicly humiliated him with nighttime escapades in the Forum, and forbidden to see the woman he had loved.
Whatever Tiberius's motives, the withdrawal was almost disastrous for Augustus's succession plans. Gaius and Lucius were still in their early teens, and Augustus, now 57 years old, had no immediate successor. There was no longer a guarantee of a peaceful transfer of power after Augustus's death, nor a guarantee that his family, and therefore his family's allies, would continue to hold power should the position of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeps princeps] survive. Somewhat apocryphal stories tell of Augustus pleading with Tiberius to stay, even going so far as to stage a serious illness. Tiberius's response was to anchor off the shore of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostia_Antica Ostia] until word came that Augustus had survived, then sailing straightway for Rhodes. Tiberius reportedly discovered the error of his ways and requested to return to Rome several times, but each time Augustus refused his requests.
===Heir to Augustus===
With Tiberius's departure, succession rested solely on Augustus' two young grandsons, [http://www.geni.com/people/Lucius-Caesar/6000000006858348535 Lucius] and [http://www.geni.com/people/Gaius-Marcus-Agrippa-Caesar/6000000007511114828 Gaius Caesar]. The situation became more precarious in AD 2 with the death of Lucius. Augustus, with perhaps some pressure from Livia, allowed Tiberius to return to Rome as a private citizen and nothing more. In AD 4, Gaius was killed in Armenia, and Augustus had no other choice but to turn to Tiberius.
The death of Gaius in AD 4 initiated a flurry of activity in the household of Augustus. Tiberius was adopted as full son and heir and in turn, he was required to adopt his nephew, [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudius-Germanicus-Caesar/6000000003645753332 Germanicus], the son of his brother [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudius-Nero-Drusus-Germanicus/6000000007774655553 Drusus] and Augustus' niece [http://www.geni.com/people/Antonia-Minor-Augusta-Germanicus/6000000005778447793 Antonia Minor]. Along with his adoption, Tiberius received tribunician power as well as a share of Augustus's maius imperium, something that even Marcus Agrippa may never have had. In AD 7, [http://www.geni.com/people/Marcus-Postumus/6000000007150951000 Agrippa Postumus], a younger brother of Gaius and Lucius, was disowned by Emperor Augustus and banned to the island of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pianosa Pianosa], to live in solitary confinement. Thus, when in AD 13, the powers held by Tiberius were made equal, rather than second, to Augustus's own powers, he was for all intents and purposes a "co-princeps" with Augustus, and in the event of the latter's passing, would simply continue to rule without an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interregnum interregnum] or possible upheaval. However, according to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suetonius Suetonius], after a two-year stint in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germania Germania], which lasted from 10 AD -12 AD, “Tiberius returned and celebrated the triumph which he had postponed, accompanied also by his generals, for whom he had obtained the triumphal regalia. And before turning to enter the Capitol, he dismounted from his chariot and fell at the knees of his father, who was presiding over the ceremonies.” "Since the consuls caused a law to be passed soon after this that he should govern the provinces jointly with Augustus and hold the census with him, he set out for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illyricum_%28Roman_province%29 Illyricum] on the conclusion of the lustral ceremonies." Thus according to Suetonius, these ceremonies and the declaration of his "co-princeps" took place in the year 12 AD, after Tiberius return from Germania. "But he was at once recalled, and finding Emperor Augustus in his last illness but still alive, he spent an entire day with him in private." Augustus died in AD 14, at the age of 75. He was buried with all due ceremony and, as had been arranged beforehand, deified, his will read, and Tiberius confirmed as his sole surviving heir.
===Tiberius as Emperor===
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Senate Senate] convened on September 18, to validate Tiberius's position as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeps Princeps] and, as it had done with Augustus before, extend the powers of the position to him. These proceedings are fully accounted by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus Tacitus]. Tiberius already had the administrative and political powers of the Princeps, all he lacked were the titles; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_%28honorific%29 Augustus], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pater_Patriae Pater Patriae], and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_Crown Civic Crown] (a crown made from laurel and oak, in honor of Augustus having saved the lives of Roman citizens).
Tiberius, however, attempted to play the same role as Augustus: that of the reluctant public servant who wants nothing more than to serve the state. This ended up throwing the entire affair into confusion, and rather than humble, he came across as derisive; rather than seeming to want to serve the state, he seemed obstructive. He cited his age as a reason why he could not act as Princeps, stated he did not wish the position, and then proceeded to ask for only a section of the state. Tiberius finally relented and accepted the powers voted to him, though according to Tacitus and Suetonius he refused to bear the titles Pater Patriae, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperator Imperator], and Augustus, and declined the most solid emblem of the Princeps, the Civic Crown and laurels.
This meeting seems to have set the tone for Tiberius's entire rule. He seems to have wished for the Senate and the state to simply act without him and his direct orders were rather vague, inspiring debate more on what he actually meant than on passing his legislation. In his first few years, Tiberius seemed to have wanted the Senate to act on its own, rather than as a servant to his will as it had been under Augustus. According to Tacitus, Tiberius derided the Senate as "men fit to be slaves."
===Rise and fall of Germanicus===
Problems arose quickly for the new [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeps Princeps]. The legions posted in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pannonia_%28Roman_province%29 Pannonia] and in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germania Germania] had not been paid the bonuses promised them by Emperor Augustus, and after a short period of time, when it was clear that a response from Tiberius was not forthcoming, they mutinied. [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudius-Germanicus-Caesar/6000000003645753332 Germanicus] and Tiberius's son, [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudius-Nero-Drusus/6000000008713427361 Drusus Julius Caesar], were dispatched with a small force to quell the uprising and bring the legions back in line. Rather than simply quell the mutiny however, Germanicus rallied the mutineers and led them on a short campaign across the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine Rhine] into Germanic territory, stating that whatever treasure they could grab would count as their bonus. Germanicus's forces smashed across the Rhine and quickly occupied all of the territory between the Rhine and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbe Elbe]. Additionally, Tacitus records the capture of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teutoburg_forest Teutoburg forest] and the reclaiming of standards lost years before by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publius_Quinctilius_Varus Publius Quinctilius Varus], when three Roman legions and its auxiliary cohorts had been ambushed by a band of Germans. Germanicus had managed to deal a significant blow to Rome's enemies, quell an uprising of troops, and once again return lost standards to Rome, actions that increased the fame and legend of the already very popular Germanicus with the Roman people.
After being recalled from Germania, Germanicus celebrated a triumph in Rome in AD 17, the first full triumph that the city had seen since Augustus's own in 29 BC. As a result, in AD 18 Germanicus was granted control over the eastern part of the empire, just as both Agrippa and Tiberius had received before, and was clearly the successor to Tiberius. Germanicus survived a little over a year before dying, accusing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnaeus_Calpurnius_Piso Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso], the governor of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria_%28Roman_province%29 Syria], of poisoning him. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calpurnia_%28gens%29 Pisones] had been longtime supporters of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio-Claudian_dynasty Claudians], and had allied themselves with the young [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus Octavian] (Emperor Augustus) after his marriage to [http://www.geni.com/people/Livia-Drusilla-Julia-Augusta/6000000000424886603 Livia], the mother of Tiberius; Germanicus's death and accusations indicted the new Princeps. Piso was placed on trial and, according to Tacitus, threatened to implicate Tiberius. Whether the governor actually could connect the Princeps to the death of Germanicus is unknown; rather than continuing to stand trial when it became evident that the Senate was against him, Piso committed suicide. Tiberius seems to have tired of politics at this point. In AD 22, he shared his tribunician authority with his son Drusus, and began making yearly excursions to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campania Campania] that reportedly became longer and longer every year. In AD 23, Drusus mysteriously died, and Tiberius seems to have made no effort to elevate a replacement. Finally, in AD 26, Tiberius retired from Rome altogether to the island of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capri Capri].
===Tiberius in Capri, with Sejanus in Rome===
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejanus Lucius Aelius Sejanus] had served the imperial family for almost twenty years when he became [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praetorian_Prefect Praetorian Prefect] in AD 15. As Tiberius became more embittered with the position of Princeps, he began to depend more and more upon the limited secretariat left to him by Augustus, and specifically upon Sejanus and the Praetorians. In AD 17 or 18, Tiberius had trimmed the ranks of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praetorian_guard Praetorian guard] responsible for the defense of the city, and had moved it from encampments outside of the city walls into the city itself, giving Sejanus access to somewhere between 6000 and 9000 troops. The death of Drusus elevated Sejanus, at least in Tiberius's eyes, who thereafter refers to him as his 'Socius Laborum' (Partner of my labours). Tiberius had statues of Sejanus erected throughout the city, and Sejanus became more and more visible as Tiberius began to withdraw from Rome altogether. Finally, with Tiberius's withdrawal in AD 26, Sejanus was left in charge of the entire state mechanism and the city of Rome.
Sejanus's position was not quite that of successor; he had requested marriage in AD 25 to Tiberius's niece, [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudia-Livia-Julia/6000000007892332453 Livilla], though under pressure quickly withdrew the request. While Sejanus's Praetorians controlled the imperial post, and therefore the information that Tiberius received from Rome and the information Rome received from Tiberius, the presence of Livia seems to have checked his overt power for a time. Her death in AD 29 changed all that. Sejanus began a series of purge trials of Senators and wealthy equestrians in the city of Rome, removing those capable of opposing his power as well as extending the imperial (and his own) treasury. Germanicus's widow Agrippina the Elder and two of her sons, Nero Caesar and Drusus Caesar were arrested and exiled in AD 30 and later all died in suspicious circumstances. In Sejanus's purge of [http://www.geni.com/people/Vipsania-Agrippina-Major/6000000000914276572 Agrippina the Elder] and her family, [http://www.geni.com/people/Caligula-Emperor-of-the-Roman-Empire/6000000006101240586 Caligula], [http://www.geni.com/people/Julia-Agrippina-Minor-of-Rome/4994272588560101934 Agrippina the Younger], [http://www.geni.com/people/Julia-Drusilla/6000000007530513562 Julia Drusilla], and [http://www.geni.com/people/Julia-Livilla/6000000015918053431 Julia Livilla] were the only survivors.
In 31, Sejanus held the consulship with Tiberius [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_absentia in absentia], and began his play for power in earnest. Precisely what happened is difficult to determine, but Sejanus seems to have covertly attempted to court those families who were tied to the Julians, and attempted to ingratiate himself with the Julian family line with an eye towards placing himself, as an adopted Julian, in the position of Princeps, or as a possible regent. Livilla was later implicated in this plot, and was revealed to have been Sejanus's lover for a number of years. The plot seems to have involved the two of them overthrowing Tiberius, with the support of the Julians, and either assuming the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principate Principate] themselves, or serving as regent to the young [http://www.geni.com/people/Tiberius-Gemellus/6000000006856508748 Tiberius Gemellus] or possibly even Gaius Caligula. Those who stood in his way were tried for treason and swiftly dealt with.
In AD 31 Sejanus was summoned to a meeting of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Senate Senate], where a letter from Tiberius was read condemning Sejanus and ordering his immediate execution. Sejanus was tried, and he and several of his colleagues were executed within the week. As commander of the Praetorian Guard, he was replaced by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naevius_Sutorius_Macro Naevius Sutorius Macro].
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiber Tacitus] claims that more treason trials followed and that whereas Tiberius had been hesitant to act at the outset of his reign, now, towards the end of his life, he seemed to do so without compunction. Hardest hit were those families with political ties to the Julians. Even the imperial magistracy was hit, as any and all who had associated with Sejanus or could in some way be tied to his schemes were summarily tried and executed, their properties seized by the state (in a similar way, in the few years after [http://www.geni.com/people/Valeria-Messalina-Empress-Consort-of-Rome/4994184628330134042 Valeria Messalina's] death, [http://www.geni.com/people/Julia-Agrippina-Minor-of-Rome/4994272588560101934 Agrippina the Younger] removed anyone she considered loyal to Messalina's memory, much in the same way that Sejanus's followers were executed). As Tacitus vividly describes,
''Executions were now a stimulus to his fury, and he ordered the death of all who were lying in prison under accusation of complicity with Sejanus. There lay, singly or in heaps, the unnumbered dead, of every age and sex, the illustrious with the obscure. Kinsfolk and friends were not allowed to be near them, to weep over them, or even to gaze on them too long. Spies were set round them, who noted the sorrow of each mourner and followed the rotting corpses, till they were dragged to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiber Tiber], where, floating or driven on the bank, no one dared to burn or to touch them.''
However, Tacitus' portrayal of a tyrannical, vengeful emperor has been challenged by several modern historians. The prominent ancient historian Edward Togo Salmon notes in his work, A history of the Roman world from 30 B.C. to A.D. 138:
''In the whole twenty two years of Tiberius' reign, not more than fifty-two persons were accused of treason, of whom almost half escaped conviction, while the four innocent people to be condemned fell victims to the excessive zeal of the Senate, not to the Emperor's tyranny.''
While Tiberius was in Capri, rumours abounded as to what exactly he was doing there. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suetonius Suetonius] records lurid tales of sexual perversity and cruelty, and most of all his paranoia. While heavily sensationalized, Suetonius' stories at least paint a picture of how Tiberius was perceived by the Roman people, and what his impact on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principate Principate] was during his 23 years of rule.
===Final years===
The affair with Sejanus and the final years of treason trials permanently damaged Tiberius' image and reputation. After Sejanus's fall, Tiberius' withdrawal from Rome was complete; the empire continued to run under the inertia of the bureaucracy established by Augustus, rather than through the leadership of the Princeps. Suetonius records that he became paranoid, and spent a great deal of time brooding over the death of his son. Meanwhile, during this period a short invasion by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthia Parthia], incursions by tribes from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacia Dacia] and from across the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine Rhine] by several Germanic tribes occurred.
Little was done to either secure or indicate how his succession was to take place; the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_%28gens%29 Julians] and their supporters had fallen to the wrath of Sejanus, and his own sons and immediate family were dead. Two of the candidates were either [http://www.geni.com/people/Caligula-Emperor-of-the-Roman-Empire/6000000006101240586 Caligula], the sole surviving son of Germanicus, or his own grandson, [http://www.geni.com/people/Tiberius-Gemellus/6000000006856508748 Tiberius Gemellus]. However, only a half-hearted attempt at the end of his Tiberius' life was made to make Caligula a quaestor, and thus give him some credibility as a possible successor, while Gemellus himself was still only a teenager and thus completely unsuitable for some years to come.
Tiberius died in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misenum Misenum] on March 16, AD 37, at the age of 77. Tacitus records that upon the news of his death the crowd rejoiced, only to become suddenly silent upon hearing that he had recovered, and rejoiced again at the news that Caligula and Macro had smothered him. This is not recorded by other ancient historians and is most likely apocryphal, but it can be taken as an indication of how the senatorial class felt towards the Emperor at the time of his death. In his will, Tiberius had left his powers jointly to Caligula and Tiberius Gemellus; Caligula's first act on becoming Princeps was to void Tiberius' will and have Gemellus executed. The level of unpopularity Tiberius had achieved by the time of his death with both the upper and lower classes is revealed by these facts: the Senate refused to vote him divine honors, and mobs filled the streets yelling "To the Tiber with Tiberius!"—in reference to a method of disposal reserved for the corpses of criminals. Instead the body of the emperor was cremated and his ashes were quietly laid in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Augustus Mausoleum of Augustus].
Tiberius' ashes would be scattered in AD 410 during the Sack of Rome; his heir Caligula not only spent Tiberius' fortune of 2,700,000,000 sesterces but would also begin the chain of events which would bring about the downfall of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in AD 68.
===Legacy===
Were he to have died prior to AD 23, he might have been hailed as an exemplary ruler. Despite the overwhelmingly negative characterization left by Roman historians, Tiberius left the imperial treasury with nearly 3 billion [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesterces sesterces] upon his death. Rather than embark on costly campaigns of conquest, he chose to strengthen the existing empire by building additional bases, using diplomacy as well as military threats, and generally refraining from getting drawn into petty squabbles between competing frontier tyrants. The result was a stronger, more consolidated empire. Of the authors whose texts have survived until the present day, only four describe the reign of Tiberius in considerable detail: Tacitus, Suetonius, Cassius Dio and Velleius Paterculus. Fragmentary evidence also remains from Pliny the Elder, Strabo and Seneca the Elder. Tiberius himself wrote an autobiography which Suetonius describes as "brief and sketchy," but this book has been lost.
===Publius Cornelius Tacitus===
The most detailed account of this period is handed down to us by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus Tacitus], whose [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annals Annals] dedicate the first six books entirely to the reign of Tiberius. Tacitus was a Roman senator, born during the reign of [http://www.geni.com/people/Nero-Roman-Emperor/6000000000424698537 Nero] in 56 AD, and consul suffect in AD 97. His text is largely based on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acta_senatus acta senatus] (the minutes of the session of the Senate) and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acta_diurna_populi_Romani acta diurna populi Romani] (a collection of the acts of the government and news of the court and capital), as well as speeches by Tiberius himself, and the histories of contemporaries such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluvius_Rufus Cluvius Rufus], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabius_Rusticus Fabius Rusticus] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder Pliny the Elder] (all of which are lost). Tacitus' narrative emphasizes both political and psychological motivation. The characterisation of Tiberius throughout the first six books is mostly negative, and gradually worsens as his rule declines, identifying a clear breaking point with the death of [http://www.geni.com/people/Claudius-Nero-Drusus/6000000008713427361 Drusus Julius Caesar] in 23 AD. The rule of [Julio-Claudians] is generally described as unjust and 'criminal' by Tacitus. Even at the outset of his reign, he seems to ascribe many of Tiberius' virtues merely to hypocrisy. Another major recurring theme concerns the balance of power between the Senate and the Emperors, corruption, and the growing tyranny among the governing classes of Rome. A substantial amount of his account on Tiberius is therefore devoted to the treason trials and persecutions following the revival of the maiestas law under Augustus. Ultimately, Tacitus' opinion on Tiberius is best illustrated by his conclusion of the sixth book:
''His character too had its distinct periods. It was a bright time in his life and reputation, while under Augustus he was a private citizen or held high offices; a time of reserve and crafty assumption of virtue, as long as Germanicus and Drusus were alive. Again, while his mother lived, he was a compound of good and evil; he was infamous for his cruelty, though he veiled his debaucheries, while he loved or feared Sejanus. Finally, he plunged into every wickedness and disgrace, when fear and shame being cast off, he simply indulged his own inclinations.''
===Suetonius Tranquillus===
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suetonius Suetonius] was an equestrian who held administrative posts during the reigns of Emperor [http://www.geni.com/people/Roman-Emperor-Trajan/6000000010016427476 Trajan] and Emperor [http://www.geni.com/people/Publius-Aelius-Hadrianus-adopted-by-Trajanus-Roman-Emperor/6000000009432292659 Hadrian]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Caesars Twelve Caesars] details a biographical history of the principate from the birth of [http://www.geni.com/people/Gaius-Julius-Caesar-Roman-Dictator/6000000001336610897 Julius Caesar] to the death of Emperor [http://www.geni.com/people/Domitian-Roman-Emperor/6000000008059993700 Domitian] in AD 96. Like Tacitus, he drew upon the imperial archives, as well as histories by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aufidius_Bassus Aufidius Bassus], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluvius_Rufus Cluvius Rufus], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabius_Rusticus Fabius Rusticus] and Augustus' own letters, but his account is more sensationalist and anecdotal than that of his contemporary. The most famous sections of his biography delve into the numerous alleged debaucheries Tiberius remitted himself to while at Capri. Nevertheless, Suetonius also reserves praise for Tiberius' actions during his early reign, emphasizing his modesty.
===Velleius Paterculus===
One of the few surviving sources contemporary with the rule of Tiberius comes from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velleius_Paterculus Velleius Paterculus], who served under Tiberius for eight years (from AD 4) in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germania Germania] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pannonia_%28Roman_province%29 Pannonia] as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praefect praefect] of cavalry and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legatus legatus]. Paterculus' Compendium of Roman History spans a period from the fall of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy Troy] to the death of [http://www.geni.com/people/Livia-Drusilla-Julia-Augusta/6000000000424886603 Livia] in AD 29. His text on Tiberius lavishes praise on both the emperor and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejanus Sejanus]. How much of this is due to genuine admiration or prudence remains an open question, but it has been conjectured that he was put to death in AD 31 as a friend of Sejanus.
===Sources===
* English Wikipedia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberius Tiberius]
Luke 3:1
Luke 3:1 Caesar
Luke 3:1
Luke 3:1 Caesar
EMPORER 14 AD- 37 AD; 42 BC-AD 37
On August 19, 14 CE at 3:00 PM, Augustus Caesar dies, 35 days from his76th birthday, at Nola in Campania. Tiberius becomes emperor.
Tiberius Claudius Nero was born in 42 B.C.E., the son of Tiberius Nero,Julius Caesar’s naval commander and hero of the Alexandrian War, and hiswife Livia. Hounded and pursued by Octavian/Augustus and the triumvirs,Nero was constantly "on the run" as a result of his Republicanconvictions. As a result, the first 4 years of Tiberius life was one ofgreat hardships. At the age of 4, Octavian forced his parents to divorceand married Livia. The heirs to Augustus’ throne were his grandsons,Gaius and Lucius, the children of his daughter Julia and Marcus Agrippa.When Agrippa died in 12 B.C.E., Augustus forced his stepson to divorcehis beloved and pregnant wife Vipsania to marry his widowed daughterJulia. By 4 CE, both Gaius and Lucius had died and Augustus adoptedTiberius.
26 CE
Much could be written about the peculiar personality of Tiberius Caesar.New Testament History, however, would be most impacted by the rise topower, under Tiberius, of one of the most machiavellian schemers inhistory, Lucius Aelius Sejanus, prefect of the Praetorian Guard. Early inthe year, the brooding Tiberius secluded himself in the Villa of Jupiterin the Island of Capreae (Capris), never again to set foot on themainland. Sejanus himself, certainly had much to do with the Emperor’sseclusion, feeding his suspicions and paranoia over life in Rome.Tiberius continued to govern from Capris but for all practical purposesthe power hungry Sejanus was running the empire. All access andcorrespondence to the emperor went through Sejanus who was the perfectRoman Svengali to Tiberius’ Trilby. Sejanus’ appointments, probablyrubber-stamped by Tiberius, were drawn from his greedy and corruptassociates. One of these appointments was the 5th prefect of Judea,Samaria, and Idumea, Pontius Pilatus.
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