Tiberius - Wikipedia

Thank you my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that November 16 is the anniversary of the birth of the second Roman emperor Tiberius Caesar Divi Augusti filius Augustus; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March 37 AD) reigning from 14 AD to 37 AD, succeeding Augustus.

Rome In The 1st Century - Episode 2: Years Of Trial (ANCIENT HISTORY DOCUMENTARY)
"In 14 AD, Augustus died and the empire stood at a crossroads. Would Rome continue on course or return to chaos?
Much depended on his successor, Tiberius. He knew he had not been Augustus’ first choice as heir, and his position was insecure. He and the Senate did not get along: they disliked his moodiness and unpredictability, and he resented their plotting. He looked for help elsewhere and chose Sejanus.
Sejanus realized this was the chance of a lifetime. He launched a widespread purge, arresting and executing many rivals. The only man who could stop this – Tiberius – had retreated to the island of Capri.
Just when Sejanus seemed unstoppable, everything changed. Tiberius told the Senate that Sejanus was condemned. Sejanus was arrested and executed. The only surviving heir to the throne was now Caligula.
At first, the Emperor Caligula did well. But his behavior soon became strange. He seduced the wives of his guests and murdered people at random. Before long, he too was dead, murdered by his closest advisors.
He was followed by his uncle, Claudius. Disfigured by illness when he was just a child, Claudius had spent his life as the butt of jokes. To everyone’s surprise, he worked hard and did well. He passed laws protecting sick slaves, increased women's privileges and opened the Senate to new talent. Abroad, he conquered Britain – something that not even Julius Caesar had managed to do.
His weakness was his promiscuous wife, Messalina. When she began an affair with a nobleman, it was widely seen as a coup in the making. Claudius ordered her lover to be killed and Messalina was murdered soon afterwards. When he heard, Claudius didn’t blink – instead, he asked for more wine.
This period also witnessed major change in other parts of the empire. In Egypt, attacks on the Jews forced Philo, a Jewish leader, to travel to Rome and ask for help, without success. In Judaea, a charismatic leader named Jesus challenged the religious and political establishment. The local furor barely touched Rome, but the legacy of Jesus would one day engulf the entire empire."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqgFJoB10n8

Images:
1. Statue of Tiberius Claudius Nero.
2. Tiberius Claudius Nero first wife Vipsania Agrippina.
3. Germany Enobarbo and Tiberius Map.
4. Bust of Tiberius Claudius Nero.


Background from sites.psu.edu/cams101tiberius/tiberius-claudius-nero/
Early Age: Tiberius Claudius Nero
"In order for us to better understand Tiberius and the legacy he left behind, it is necessary to review his life from all facets and angles. This includes Tiberius at a young age, and as he was growing up. Tiberius Claudius Nero was born on 16 November 42 B.C. to Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. The exact date that he was born can be attributed to the writing of the historian Suetonius. Due to such massive connections of his parents to wealthy and integrated Roman houses, from birth Tiberius was set on a political life. However when Tiberius was only two years old in the year of 39BC after the old republic system of Rome using the Senate and Magistrates was toppled by the ambitious Octavian (Augustus), and an autocratic rule was established. This led to his mother Livia divorcing his paternal father Tiberius Claudius Nero and marrying Augustus. This made Tiberius the stepson of the future ruler of Rome and the most powerful man around.

After this bit of action, Tiberius’ childhood was relatively uneventful until the death of his paternal father in 32BC. At this point he made his first public appearance at the funeral of his father and read his eulogy for all to hear. After this is when Tiberius really started stepping into the limelight. In 31BC after the battle of Actium, Augustus had shown himself to be the ruler of the Roman Empire. This made Tiberius the son to the head of state. Therefore in 29BC he took part in Augustus’ triumph for the Actium campaign and sat next to Augustus in his triumphal chariot. Two years after this Tiberius was considered a man and Augustus led him into the forum as he donned the gown of manhood. Three years after that, at the age of 17, he became a quaestor and was given the option of standing for a praetorship or consulship five years before legally allowed by the law. Now that he was in the political game, he was sent by Augustus east to the Parthians in 20BC. These were the same Parthians who had captured several of the Roman eagles, and Tiberius oversaw their journey back to Rome. Upon arriving in Rome from the East, he was granted praetorian rank and in 13 BC he was named consul. It was around this time also that we was happily married to Vipsania Agrippina the daughter of Augustus’s right-hand man, Vipsanius Agrippa. With Vipsania, Tiberius produced a son named Drusus.

In 12BC Augustus’s right hand man Agrippa died and Augustus forced an unwilling Tiberius to marry his widow Julia, and divorce his current wife Vipsania. This marriage was not a happy one, for Tiberius’ heart belonged to Vipsania and he was completely banned from seeing her. Never the less, Tiberius’ life kept marching forward and so did his duties and place in the state. He became an important general for the state and was elected consul again in 7BC and was granted tribunician power in 6BC. In principle he was the new heir to the Augustian throne after Agrippa died. However without warning in 6BC he announced a complete withdrawal from public life and decided to self exile himself to Rhodes.

This came as a huge shock to Augustus and he did a complete about face against Tiberius. He no longer considered him the heir and instead turned to others below him. Eventually Tiberius realized the folly of this journey to Rhodes and requested passage back to Rome. Augustus denied this passage every time. When Tiberius’ powers ran out in 1 BC they were not renewed. However in AD 2 a ship came to Rhodes with news for Tiberius. The next successor Lucius Caesar had passed away by an illness. Thus Tiberius returned to Rome as a back up option in the list of heirs.

Following this however the next heir in line Gaius Caesar died of a wound sustained at a siege. Augustus was devastated, as his perfectly laid out plan of succession was ruined. Henceforth he called Tiberius out of private life and adopted him fully as his son, with the stipulation that he adopt Germanicus, his nephew, as his son. This was another attempt by Augustus to have a new line of heirs in case of disaster, and one that would have his own blood flowing through them. Now with Tiberius as the clear successor, he also received grants of proconsular power and tribunician power, and in AD 13 his proconsular power was made co-extensive with Augustus. This made them in effect co-rulers so that when Augustus finally died on 19 August A.D. 14, no one could question Tiberius’ ascension to sole ruler.

Early Age: Contributions as General
While many historians and scholars concentrate the bulk of their studies on Tiberius after he was Emperor, let us not forget the amount of fighting he undertook before this occurred. Before Tiberius was Emperor he engaged in several conflicts that cemented him as a sturdy leader and a worthy general in the eye of the Roman State. This stared in about 22BC where Tiberius was a legionary tribune in a war to try to bring peace to the Spanish peninsula through the decimation of the local peoples. After this was accomplished Tiberius was sent in 20BC into Armenia to try to seat a Roman vessel to the throne and balance out power in the region with the Parthians. After a year of negotiation, Tiberius finally grew weary and marched on the capital in Armenia and established his vassal as King. However a compromise was made with the Parthians that the power in the region would remain steady with Armenia as a neutrality, if they got the Roman eagles that had been taken by the Parthians back. The Parthians eagerly agreed to this, and Tiberius went back to Rome a hero, the three eagles in tow.
After this life settled for a bit until Tiberius was called back into action a bit before 15BC. He was chosen for the position of praetor,and went to assist his brother Drusus in campaigns in the west. While Drusus had his forces in Gallia Narbonensis and in Germany, Tiberius concentrated on tribes in the Alps and Gaul conquering Raetia in the process. Moving from here he went to assist Drusus further by fighting near the Rhine and Danube, slowly subjugating people from one way, while Drusus fought closer from another. Eventually the mountain were completely under control and could no longer interupt Roman traders or communications in this part of the Empire. Departing victoriously he took his leave for Rome. Following this Tiberius undertook a hugely successful campaign against the Pannonians. He was able to move forward for three whole summers and in the end had taken over a large part of the Danube area. For this he was awarded a large triumph in Rome, while around the same time his brother Drusus had died, leaving him as the number one solider of Rome. If we are to believe the historian Velleius “he(Tiberius) reduced Germany almost to the position of a tributary province.” He also went on to state that the troops entertained a loyal confidence in Tiberius as their leader.

Accordingly with Tiberius’s standings he was given control in the volatile areas of Pannonia and Germania which were both areas of great importance to Augustan policy. Following this in around 6BC Tiberius launched another military maneuver against the Marcomanni in Germany. He moved from the Danube while general Gaius Sentius Saturninus would depart east from Moguntiacum, a stronghold founded by the late Drusus,with three legions and attack the Marcomanni from the west. The result was an amazing success, however Tiberius could not fully subjugate these peoples as he was called to the Rhine to protect Roman holdings there.
Now it was at this time that Tiberius took off for Rhodes without as much as a look back at Rome. This came at quite a bad time, as he was the number one solider and general in the Roman army. By doing this he was essentially relinquishing this role to a new candidate and becoming a private citizen again, even after all his successes. After a few years had passed and Tiberius had realized his follies, he requested permission to return to Rome. Augustus denied these several times until it was imperative that he was allowed to return to Rome. At this time Tiberius’s military career had crashed to the bottom and was still a private citizen. Not until more tragedy struck would Augustus allow him to lead once more.

With imperium once more bestowed upon Tiberius at this point it became necessary for the Romans to attack the Maroboduus confederacy near Bohemia. Tiberius led an army into this area and proceeded to try to conquer the area. However at this time the provinces of Pannonia and Dalmatia broke out in insurrection and Tiberius had his hands completely tied. Then when all seemed like it was going downhill even faster, Maroboduus accepted a peace treaty with Rome and the fighting there ceased. Feeling like a weight was removed from his chest, Tiberius was about to go back to Rome and celebrate his well earned triumph when three Roman legions led by a fellow general Varus were completely decimated in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. This forever changed the Roman policy toward Germany. The Romans never again seriously contemplated a expansion into Germany, but only smaller attacks. For the most part the Romans now stuck to the Rhine river. After another two year stint in Germania from 10 to 12 AD Tiberius returned to Rome and celebrated his well earned triumph. It was after this that Augustus finally passed away, and Tiberius accepted the role as sole leader of the Roman Empire.

Tiberius’s Rule: Tyrannical Acts of Tiberius – Destroying Augustus’s Principate
The start to Tiberius’ reign in 14 AD was fairly awkward given his inexperience and need to distinguish himself from Augustus. There were rumors that Augustus had either chosen Tiberius because there were no longer better alternatives available, or because he was attempting to establish a hereditary monarchy which is visible through the adoptions of both Tiberius and Germanicus (Shotter, 16). Tiberius not only needed to differentiate himself from Augustus, but also needed to prove himself to the people, as he was only known for his militia experiences as this point in time.

One of Tiberius’ main goals was to encourage a senate that could think separately from and become a strong partner to the Roman government (Shotter, 25). This became evident in the use of the Law of Treason. Cases were typically heard by praetors, however Tiberius allowed these cases to be heard by the senate. Even though Tiberius would sit silently through the cases, the senate would attempt to act in a way Tiberius would feel was appropriate, as he would monitor the cases. A serious issue with this change arose as informants were rewarded in proportion to the amount of land the victim owned. This caused informants to attack wealthier and more powerful Roman members, which was rumored to be Tiberius’ intention (Shotter, 31). At this point, Tiberius was not a bad man, but failed to be a great leader as he rarely realized the potential consequences of his actions. He began to frustrate members of the senate, as he would randomly intervene in cases (PBS). This became a great annoyance, as senate members would then feel that they needed to properly guess how Tiberius would act in all cases. Tiberius’ goal was to act in favor of the people at all times as fairly and rapidly as possible (Levick, 121). Not only did he politically impact the people, but he also focused on their well-being in terms of grain supply, road construction, and building improvements, making him extremely popular in the provinces (Shotter, 58).

One of Tiberius’ biggest mistakes was trusting in Sejanus, whom he put in command as the Praetorian Guard. Sejanus made several attempts to isolate Tiberius and move into power. He politically attacked potential successors on Tiberius’ behalf and attempted to marry into Tiberius’ family. After Tiberius became suspicious of Sejanus’ actions, he turned on him and had him killed.

Tiberius’ time as emperor was fairly militarily inactive, as many of the battles fought were defensive (Shotter, 52). He did not have a strong focus on expansion. He instead followed Augustus’ recommendation “not to tamper unnecessarily with existing arrangements” (Shotter, 56). Tiberius focused on stabilization, using many methods that had been previously in use. Instead, of great change, he attempted to create a fair environment and win the support of the people. Unfortunately, his random actions took away from his ability to run a biased-free senate. He spent his entire time in power attempting to prove himself and differentiate himself from Augustus.

Tiberius died on March 16, 37 AD. He named Caligula, Germanicus’ son, as his successor (PBS). Even though the republic did not think highly of Tiberius at the time of his death, it should still be recognized that Tiberius was honorable and respectable in choosing his adopted son’s descendant as his heir.

“…the emperor became a cruel tyrant, as well as an abettor of cruelty in others. Of this the cause and origin was Aelius Sejanus.” (Tacitus)1

The Fall of Tiberius: Sejanus
The beginning of the end for Tiberius was due to the would be usurper Sejanus’ plot to take the throne. Tiberius was a distrustful and private emperor who held one man in confidence above all others, this man was Aelius Sejanus. Sejanus was the low born Praetorian prefect who had won the emperors favor due to Tiberius’ military background. Sejanus used his position to advance in the world by conspiring against Tiberius son, Drusus. Sejanus and Drusus had long held each other in enmity since their time in Pannonia putting down a rebellion. Sejanus first attempt at the throne was by betrothing his daughter to the son of Claudius, who was Tiberius nephew. This plan was thrown awry when Claudius son accidentally died.

In the year 23 the long feud between Drusus and himself grew to a head when during an argument Drusus struck Sejanus in the head and declared, “A stranger was invited to assist in the government while the emperor’s son was alive.” (Tacitus) This enraged Sejanus enough to plot the death of Drusus through the slow use of poison in the hopes that it would pass as natural causes. Sejanus was able to corrupt Drusus wife, Livilla, and hoped to use their affair, and his plans to marry her in the future, to finally enter into the struggle for the throne. It is curious Livilla would betray her husband and the security of him being guaranteed the position for emperor for the risk of following after Sejanus who may never be emperor and was clearly using her. By September of that year Sejanus plan had come to fruition and Drusus had died by what seemed to be natural causes. This was incredibly damaging to Tiberius already jaded view of the role of the princeps and led to him being even more withdrawn from politics and the people. When Sejanus brought the subject of marriage to Tiberius he was quickly shut down and warned that he was over stepping his bounds.

After this plan failed Sejanus decided to turn Tiberius against the senate by playing off his latent mistrust of others. His constant goading drove Tiberius to leave to city of Rome and spend his days in Campania in the year 26 and eventually the island of Capri where he stayed until his death. With Sejanus alone in Rome he was free to act how he saw fit and remove anyone he say as a threat to his power, killing many people, including all but one of Germanicus sons, the future emperor Claudius. It is believed that Sejanus tried to win the favor of the Julii and over throw Tiberius. When Tiberius found out about Sejanus’ plotting he had to find a way to stop him without alerting Sejanus to his plan and fighting back. He sent many contradictory letters in order to confuse enemy and ally alike, the last of which summoned Sejanus to a senate meeting where the rest was read demanding his immediate arrest and execution.

Sejanus was tried and sentenced, his body thrown down the Gemoian Stairs where it was torn to pieces by the mob. Riots ensued where anyone in the streets linked to his tyrannical reign was brutally murdered. For a period of time almost every ally of Sejanus was tried for treason and it is then that the truth of Drusus murder was revealed when Apicata, Sejanus ex-wife, revealed every part of the plot including Livilla who according to Cassius Dio was locked in a room by her mother and starved to death. It is in this time that Tiberius set a precedent of tyranny by trying everyone associated with Sejanus for treason and having them all killed.

Sejanus suffered posthumously for his crimes through the punishment of Damnatio memoriae wherein all of his statues and his name removed from public records.

The Fall of Tiberius: The Provinces Remain Strong
Throughout Tiberius’ tenure as emperor the provinces of Rome were strong; they had a period of relative peace and prosperity.

During his reign Tiberius kept a careful eye on the governance of the provinces and rewarded good governors by extending their time in office, this may have been one of the causes that led to the general dislike of him in Roman political circles because it prevented others from what they believed was their next political step. Due to his restraint when it came to spending the treasury’s money he was able to react quickly when there was an earthquake in Asia in the year 17. He was able to remit taxes and send other aid, potentially even architects to rebuild the cities. Velleius writes that, “For who can doubt that, when he had recovered Armenia, had placed over it a king upon whose head he had with his own hand set the mark of royalty, and had put in order the affairs of the east, he ought to have received an ovation; and that after his conquest of Vindelici and the raeti, he should have entered the city as victor.” (Velleius) This shows that later in time after the Roman city’s general dislike for the way he ran things died down he is looked back on fondly by some.

The Fall of Tiberius: The Fall of Tiberius Caesar
Tiberius died in Misenum on 16 March AD 37, at the age of 77.

Caligula, Tiberius’s Successor
Tacitus writes that when the people of Rome heard the news of his death the crowd rejoiced only to panic after hearing that he had recovered, and rejoiced again at the news that Macro had smothered him. This is most likely just a rumor, 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 estate jointly to Caligula and Tiberius Gemellus. Tiberius passed without expressly appointing a new heir and therefore the duty of deciding succession fell on the senate that chose Caligula.

Here is the biography, in complete, of the pages in this project:
1. Baker, Simon. Ancient Rome: The rise and fall of an empire. London: BBC Books, 2007. Pages 190-191
2. Boatwright, Mary Taliaferro. The Romans: From village to empire. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Pages 312-316
3. Mellor, Ronald. The historians of ancient Rome: An anthology of the major writings. London: Routledge, 2013. Pages 265-268, 335-344
4. Morey, William C. “Outlines of Roman History, Chapter 24.” Outlines of Roman History, Chapter 24. Forum Romanum. 06 Nov. 2013 forumromanum.org/history/morey24.html>.
5. Suetonius. “P291The Life of Tiberius.” Suetonius • Life of Tiberius. University of Chicago. 06 Nov. 2013 penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Tiberius*.html>.
6. Fagan, Garrett G. “Tiberius (A.D. 14-37).” N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.
7. Levick, Barbara. Tiberius the Politician. London Sydney Dover: Croom Helm, 1986. Print.
8. Marsh, Frank Burr. The Reign of Tiberius. Cambridge: Heffer, 1959. Print.
9. “Outlines of Roman History.” Outlines of Roman History. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.
10. Seager, Robin. Tiberius. Malden, Mass. [u.a.: Blackwell Publ., 2005. Print.
11. Shotter, D. C. A. Tiberius Caesar. London: Routledge, 1992. Print.
12. “Tiberius.” Tiberius. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013."

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Excellent bio and history share sir.

Any man who allowed Caligula to be next in line had to be a misanthrope. Gloomy, or evil minded?