Tiberius was Roman emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Being the successor of Augustus, he was the second emperor of the Roman Empire after the demise of the Republic. As a matter of fact, Tiberius was the stepson of Augustus, who adopted him in 4 AD, designating him in his will as his successor. His full birth name was Tiberius Cladius Nero. Before becoming emperor, he was a great General. He had conquered the far-flung eastern territories of Dalmatia, Pannonia, and Raetia in successful military campaigns. Tiberius had held tribunician power and proconsular imperium before he succeeded Augustus. Historical sources assert, he became an aloof and suspicious emperor in his last years of life as he ruled like a tyrant.
Tiberius was born in 42 BC to Livia Drusilla and Tiberius Cladius Nero. Thus, he had been named exactly after his father. Little is known of his early life, except that, in 39 BC, his mother divorced his father to later marry Octavian (Augustus). When he took the throne in 14 AD, Tiberius had already seen fifty-five birthdays and could be described as past his prime by contemporary Roman standards. Military circumstances had compelled him to spend his youth along the frontiers governing provinces, commanding armies, and frequently rushing to vulnerable points of the Empire. He embodied the traditional Roman sense of duty but also exhibited brusqueness of speech as well as the arrogant, stiff pride of many old patrician families.
Government
During the first years of his reign, Tiberius ruled in harmony with the Senate, but he later implemented an autocratic policy, supported by the praetorian guard, whose camp was located in Rome. Much influence was exerted at court by the praetorian prefects Sejanus in the 20’s and Macro in the 30’s AD. In an attempt to regulate the tax system in the provinces, Tiberius prosecuted provincial corrupt governors that abusively taxed farmers. He curtailed expenditures for public construction and entertainment, as well as the distribution of money and bread to the plebs. In 33 he loaned 100 million sesterces to Italian landowners on favorable terms.
Tiberius spent the final years of his reign on the small lush island of Capreae (modern Capri) and never actually entered Rome again. He died in Misenum in 37 AD. He was succeeded by Caligula.
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