Download Miranda Allen Presentation Handout Tiberius

Miranda Allen
Presentation Handout
Tiberius; Livia
Name: Tiberius Claudius Nero
o Son of Tiberius Claudius Nero (senior) and Livia Drusilla
o Emperor from 14- 37 AD
o Second Emperor of Julio-Claudian dynasty of Roman Empire
Background
o 39 BC: His mother divorces his father and marries Octavian, who later becomes
Augustus
o 32 BC: Civil wars break out between Mark Antony and Octavian
o 31 BC: Octavian secures position as head of state under the title Augustus
o 27 BC: Beginning of the Roman Empire
Younger Days
o 13 BC: Tiberius marries Vispania Agrippina, daughter of Augustus’s friend and army
general Marcus Agrippa
o Augustus tries to make Agrippa emperor by marrying him to his daughter Julia, but
Agrippa dies in 12 BC
- Agrippa has two children with Julia, Gaius and Lucius Caesar, to add to the
succession line that Augustus tries to create
o Augustus forces Tiberius to divorce Vispania and marry the widowed Julia
- Not a happy marriage: Tiberius and Julia do not produce children, but
Tiberius does move up in the succession line as a result of the marriage
o 6 BC: Tiberius becomes consul for second time, prominent in the military in Pannonia
and Germany, and becomes leading general in the state
- seen as Augustus’ heir as a result of new status as Julia’s husband and military
success
o Also in 6 BC: Tiberius leaves Rome and goes to Rhodes for speculative reasons
- Augustus is offended and upset by it and refuses to allow Tiberius to return to
Rome
o 2 AD: Lucius Caesar dies of illness, leaving only remaining heir Gaius
- Livia persuades Augustus to allow Tiberius back to Rome
o Gaius Cesar dies during a siege in Armania, leaving Tiberius as last resort for an heir
o 14 AD: Augustus dies
Early Reign
o Tiberius appears to not wish to take on the powers voted to him by the Senate, but
eventually accepts the position of emperor, while refusing the title of Augustus
- he maintained a difficult relationship with the Senate throughout reign
o 19 AD: Tiberius’ adopted son, Germanicus, is killed by the governor of Syria, leaving his
other son Drusus as heir
Sejanus (Seianus)
o Tiberius’s closest friend, prefect of the Praetorian Guard
- Praetorian Guard: the Roman imperial bodyguard, which Augustus
established
- Sejanus evolved guard into a sector of government dealing with public safety
- He controlled an estimated 9000 troops within Rome
o 23 AD: Sejanus poisons Drusus, Tiberius’ son, and tries to marry his wife Livilla—
Tiberius refuses to allow it
o 26 AD: Tiberius goes from Rome to live in Capri
- Sejanus essentially removed all obstacles in Tiberius’ absence: removing
Agrippina (Germanicus’s widowed wife) and her family from the picture
through a series of imprisonments
o 30 AD Sejanus was betrothed to Livilla’s daughter
- He successfully marries himself into the royal family
o
By 31 AD Sejanus was very powerful, holding consulship with the emperor
- In the same year, Tiberius pronounced Sejanus a traitor and demanded his
arrest
o Sejanus is arrested and executed, along with his friends and family
-
Sources claim that Tiberius did this either because he knew of Sejanus’
persecution of Germanicus’ family, or learned of the poisoning of his son,
Drusus
Later Years
o Tiberius withdraws from Rome out of depression and paranoia, keeping in touch with
letters.
- Sources say that he spent most of the remainder of his life in Capri.
o He had gained such unpopularity that the Senate refused to give him divine honors upon
his death in 37 AD
Lasting Effects
o What was said to be one of the biggest impacts of his rule was his military inertia and his
lack of attempt to expand the empire as Augustus did
o The Sejanus Affair with the Praetorian Guard set a precedence for a phenomenon seen
later in the Roman Empire
- The strong presence of the Guard within the city made them heavy political
influencers
- whoever had the support of the Guard, has the power of an emperor