Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar was born in Rome
on November 16, 42 BC. Four years after
his birth his mother divorced his father and married Octavian. Tiberius was a descendant of the Claudian
family who moved to Rome shortly after the foundation of the city. The Claudians did not respect others who were
not of noble ancestry.
After Tiberius was four he was raised to be a
loyal servant of Augustus. Tiberius is
associated with Augustus for 22 years.
Augustus had Tiberius carefully educated. Augustus later forced Tiberius to dissolve his happy
marriage to Vipsania Agrippina and marry Augustus' daughter Julia. This was arranged to better the chance of
succession of a descendant of Augustus to take power. The plan did not work because they did not
get along and soon lived separately. For
this reason Tiberius retired to the island of Rhodes where he devoted himself
to study for seven years. When Tiberius
returned to Rome in AD 26, Julia had been banished for adultery. The death of both of Augustus' grandsons
within two years led him to adopt Tiberius as his son and heir.
Tiberius then went into active service in
northern Germany against the Marcomanni.
Tiberius succeeded in securing the northern border with the dangerous
German tribes. Tiberius made two more
marches into the heart of Germany. On
his return to Rome he was awarded a triumph, the highest official tribute that
was given to honor a victorious warrior.
Augustus died in AD 14 and Tuberius assumed
sole power of the whole Roman empire.
Tiberius was a large, strong man, and very tall. He had a fair skin complexion that was
sometimes subjected to outbreaks of skin disease. According to Suetonius, he wore his hair long
in the back. This was an old fashioned
style for the time. Perhaps it was
adopted in memory of his distinguished ancestry. Tiberius remained in excellent health most of
his life. He was formal in manner but it
was reported that he indulged in heavy drinking and sexual activity. He was also well educated in Latin and Greek
literature. He also had a strong
devotion to astrology.
Tiberius took the throne at the age of
fifty-six. This was during the life of
Jesus Christ. Although he assumed actual
power, he did so unwillingly and refused most of the titles that the senate
offered him. Many people believe that
Tiberius was reluctant to become an autocrat.
Tiberius began to take firm steps against foreign beliefs because he
thought they were a threat to traditional Roman values. He expelled followers of the Egyptian and
Jewish religions from Rome and banished astrologers. Tiberius believed in astrology himself but
probably feared a possible conspiracy inspired by horoscopes.
Tiberius established a central camp for the Praetorian
guard in Rome so the military could be quickly called to put down civilian
violence. Civilian riots were common
because of the large population of unemployed that were provided for by the
public dole. Lucius Aelius Sejanus was
in charge of these troops and that gave him an enormous amount of potential
power. He aspired to marry Livia Julia,
Tiberius daughter, and worked to increase the emperor's fear and distrust of
other members of his Tiberius family. In
AD 26 Tiberius left Rome and withdrew to Campania, and the following year went
to the island of Capri. Tiberius left
Rome under the power of Sejanus. Finally
realizing that Sejanus was trying to seize the imperial power he sent a
carefully worded letter to the senate.
The senate read the letter while the unsuspecting Sejanus sat in the
senate chamber. Tiberius bitterly
condemned Sejanus. Quick action was then
taken to execute Sejanus and his family.
Incidents such as this one gave Tiberius a bad name with the people of
Rome and the senate. Tiberius continued
to rule Rome and the empire from the isolation of Capri. Tiberius often confused and baffled the
senate with his letters. The senate was
frequently unable to interpret his mysterious messages.
Tiberius continued to live at Capri. His character was weakened by years of hard
work, worry and intense pressure.
According to Suetonius he engaged in a series of perversions. Tiberius grew into a very paranoid and
suspicious man. Since he had outlived
his son he decided that his nephew Gaius would succeed him. Tiberius died on March 16, AD 37 near
Naples. Some believe he was smothered by
the prefect of the Praetorian Guard.
Instead of mourning there was celebration. His body was not cremated until April 3. Tiberius was not deified during his lifetime
or after his death.
People take different sides when reflecting on
Tiberius rule. Some believe that on the
whole he was a fairly good emperor. He
was able to maintain peace at home and security along the borders. Tiberius seems to have been an able soldier
and administrator who retained the republican form of government as much as
possible. He did improve civil service,
the economy and kept the army highly disciplined. Few doubt the fact that after Sejanus death
Tiberius became suspicious and vengeful.
Others feel that Tiberius was cruel and a
tyrant. Tacitus was one of Tiberius
greatest critics. His writings portrayed
a completely evil ruler who used unlimited power to destroy his enemies. However Tacitus was a believer in the
republic style of rule and hated the empire that replaced it. Tacitus version of history is what most
people remember because of his brilliant writings.
Some maintain more of a middle ground when
reflecting on his reign. They feel
Tiberius had great military and political abilities. He often used these to benefit Rome and
provided effective rule for the empire for many years. However the series of plots against him, the
hostility of the upper classes, and overwork caused drastic changes in his personality. The job of ruling the entire Roman Empire was
too great a job for any one man to handle.
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