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Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (/ t aɪ ˈ b ɪər i ə s /, ty-BEER-ee-əs; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Claudius Nero and his wife, Livia Drusilla. In 38 BC, Tiberius ...
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- Overview
- Background and youth
- Years in the shadow of Augustus
Before becoming emperor, Augustus forced Tiberius’s father to give up his wife, Livia. Tiberius and his younger brother, Drusus, lived with their father in Rome. After their father’s death, when Tiberius was nine years old, the boys lived with Augustus and their mother, along with Augustus’s daughter, Julia, who was from Augustus’s previous marriage.
What was Tiberius’s childhood like?
Tiberius’s early life was spent in exile in Sicily, but he returned to Rome with his family at age three. Tiberius and his brother, Drusus, came to live in Emperor Augustus’s household, where they and their cousin Marcellus were instructed in rhetoric, literature, diplomacy, and military skills—in preparation for succeeding Augustus as emperor.
How did Tiberius become famous?
His first military command, at age 22, in which lost Roman legion standards were recovered in Parthia, brought him great acclaim. He was then assigned to pacify Pannonia on the Adriatic. Tiberius conquered the enemy and so distinguished himself by his care for his men that he found himself popular and even loved.
What was Tiberius famous for?
Tiberius’s father, also named Tiberius Claudius Nero, a high priest and magistrate, was a former fleet captain for Julius Caesar. His mother, the beautiful Livia Drusilla, was her husband’s cousin and may have been only 13 years old when Tiberius was born. In the civil wars following the assassination of Julius Caesar, the elder Tiberius gave his allegiance to Mark Antony, Caesar’s protégé. When Augustus, Caesar’s grandnephew and heir, fell out with Antony and defeated him in the ensuing power struggle, the elder Tiberius and his family became fugitives. They fled first to Sicily and then to Greece, but by the time Tiberius was three years old an amnesty was granted and the family was able to return to Rome.
In 39 bce Augustus had the power, if not yet the title, of emperor. Attracted by the beauty of Livia, who was at that time pregnant with a second son, Augustus divorced his own wife, who was also pregnant, and, forcing the elder Tiberius to give up Livia, married her. The infant Tiberius remained with his father, and, when the younger brother, Drusus, was born a few months later, he was sent to join them. At the death of his father, Tiberius was nine years old, and, with Drusus, he went to live with Livia and the emperor. The two boys and the emperor’s daughter, Julia, between them in age, studied together, played together, and took part in the obligatory ceremonials of temple dedication and celebration of victories. They were joined by their cousin Marcellus, the son of Augustus’s sister, Octavia.
In the absence of a clear law designating Augustus’s successor as emperor, all three boys were trained accordingly. They were instructed in rhetoric, literature, diplomacy, and military skills, and soon they also began taking a ceremonial role in the affairs of state. As oldest, Tiberius was the first to do so. In the triumph following Augustus’s victory over Cleopatra and Antony at Actium, the 13-year-old Tiberius rode the right-hand horse of Augustus’s chariot in the procession. Though not a striking figure, he conducted himself well.
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Serious by nature, he had become a shy youth, though he was sometimes called sullen. His great talent was application. With the best teachers in the empire at his disposal and, above all, as a participant in life at the palace, the centre of the civilized Western world, he learned rapidly. By age 14 Tiberius was used to dining with kings of the empire, to conducting religious services over the heads of powerful men five times his age, and even to seeing his own form in marble statues.
Tiberius was not handsome. As a teenager, he was tall and broad-shouldered, but his complexion was bad. His nose had a pronounced hook, but that was typically Roman. His manner was disconcerting. He had a slow, methodical way of speaking that seemed intended to conceal his meaning rather than make it plain. But he was diligent. He may not have known he would be emperor, but he cannot have doubted that he would be at least a general at a rather early age and thereafter a high official in the government of Rome. In 27 bce, when Tiberius was 15 years old, Augustus took him and Marcellus to Gaul to inspect outposts. They experienced no fighting, but they learned a great deal about how to rule the marches, keep fortifications intact, and keep garrisons alert. When they returned, Augustus gave Marcellus his daughter Julia as wife.
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Then Tiberius himself married. Love matches were infrequent in imperial Rome, but Tiberius’s marriage to Vipsania Agrippina was one. She was the daughter of Marcus Agrippa, Augustus’s son-in-law and lieutenant. Besides his love for his wife—and for his brother, Drusus, now growing into manhood—he was occupied with important work. His first military command, at age 22, resulting in the recovery of standards of some Roman legions that had been lost decades before in Parthia, brought him great acclaim. As a reward, he asked for another active command and was given the assignment of pacifying the province of Pannonia on the Adriatic Sea. Tiberius not only conquered the enemy but so distinguished himself by his care for his men that he found himself popular and even loved. When he returned to Rome, he was awarded a triumph.
Tiberius’s happy years were coming to an end, however. His beloved brother, Drusus, broke his leg in falling from a horse while campaigning in Germany. Tiberius was at Ticinum (Pavia)—on the Po River, south of what is now Milan—400 miles away. He rode day and night to be with his brother and arrived just in time to see Drusus die. Tiberius escorted the body back to Rome, walking in front of it on foot all the way. He also had to give up his wife, Vipsania, the other person he loved. Augustus’s daughter Julia had become a widow for the second time. Her first husband, Marcellus, had died, and the emperor had married her to Agrippa (who, as Vipsania’s father, was Tiberius’s father-in-law). When Agrippa died in 12 bce, Augustus wanted her suitably married at once and chose Tiberius as her third husband. Tiberius had no more choice than his father had had when Augustus decided to marry Livia. Tiberius was as obedient as his father. He divorced Vipsania and married Julia.
Tiberius’s new wife has come down in history with a reputation for licentiousness. It is not certain how much of the reputation she deserved. Roman historians often dealt in gossip, inventing scandal when there was none; but in Julia’s case they had good reason for their opinion. When Julia married Tiberius, he was 30. She was 27, twice a widow, the mother of five children (not all surviving). She was pretty and light-minded and liked the society of men. She did not get along with her mother-in-law (who was also her stepmother), Livia, and after the first few months she tired of Tiberius. It is certain that she committed adultery, and this presented Tiberius with an immense problem, not only personal but also political. A law of Augustus himself required a husband to denounce a wife who committed adultery. But Julia was the emperor’s beloved child, and, as Augustus knew nothing of her vices, to denounce her would be to wound him, and that was dangerous.
Tiberius (Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, 16 November 42 BC – 16 March 37 AD) was the second Roman Emperor. He ruled from 14 to 37 AD. He was the step-son of Caesar Augustus. Tiberius was one of Ancient Rome's greatest generals, whose campaigns protected the northern frontier.
Jul 19, 2012 · Tiberius was Roman emperor from 14 to 37 CE. Tiberius, the adopted son of Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus, never aspired to follow in his stepfather's footsteps...
- Donald L. Wasson
- What was Tiberius best known for?Roman emperor Tiberius was best known for being the successor of Augustus and for becoming a recluse when his heir Germanicus died.
- Who were Tiberius' mother and step-father?Tiberius’ mother was named Livia Drusilla while his step-father was Emperor Augustus. His real father was Tiberius Claudius Nero.
- How did Tiberius become emperor?Tiberius became emperor after the death of Emperor Augustus in 14 CE. Augustus had groomed his two grandsons, Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar, by hi...
- What caused the change in Tiberius’ personality?The death of Germanicus, who was threatening the emperor's throne, caused a change in Tiberius' personality, and he became increasingly cruel towar...
- What happened to Tiberius in the last years of his reign?In the last year of his reign, Tiberius moved to Capri in 26 CE, as the rigors of running an empire were too much for him, leaving his daily routin...
Jul 9, 2019 · The Roman emperor Tiberius (November 16, 42 BCE–March 16, 37 CE) was a very capable military leader and a sensible civic leader who tried to restrain Rome's out-of-control budget. But he was also dour and unpopular.
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History. Tiberius (42 BC - 37 AD) a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. m. n. o. p. q. r. s. t. u. v. w. x. y. z. A bust of Tiberius © Tiberius was the second emperor of Rome and a...
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus ( c. 163 – 133 BC) was a Roman politician best known for his agrarian reform law entailing the transfer of land from the Roman state and wealthy landowners to poorer citizens. He had also served in the Roman army, fighting in Africa during the Third Punic War and in Spain during the Numantine War.
