The Death of Augustus and the Succession of Tiberius Flashcards
When did Augustus die? How old was he?
- 19th August 14 AD
- 76 years old
In what year did Augustus adopt Tiberius?
- 4 AD
What power was Tiberius given when he was adopted?
- Tribunician power
According to Tacitus, what problems did Tiberius face upon becoming princeps? (2, give a quote for each)
- Ruling was a difficult job - “only the genius of an Augustus, now deified, was equal to such a mighty task”
- The ambitions of others - Gallus married Tiberius’ former wife Vispania “thereby revealing a degree of ambition inappropriate to an ordinary citizen”
What does Tacitus tell us that Augustus advised Tiberius just before he died? (quote)
- Who “had the capacity to fill the office but would refuse it, those who desired it but lacked the capacity, and those who had both the capacity and the desire”
According to Tacitus, what did Tiberius do with Augustus’ advice on who to watch out for? (quote)
- he “disposed” of them “under varying criminal charges”
What does Suetonius tell us of Agrippa Postumus’ death? (3)
- It was suspicious as he was the only other person with a claim
- The man who killed Agrippa Postumus came to Tiberius and told him his orders had been fulfilled (which he obviously denied)
- Tiberius “was, it seems, trying to avoid immediate unpopularity, for he soon allowed the incident to be forgotten”
What did Augustus’ will say (according to Suetonius) that undermined Tiberius? How?
- “since fate has cruelly carried off my sons Gaius and Lucius, Tiberius Caesar is to inherit two thirds of my property”
- This shows Tiberius to be the last resort and as the will was read in public, it could have caused people to question Tiberius’ ability to rule
What type of behaviour did Tiberius hate?
- Sycophantic behaviour
What does Tacitus tell us of Tiberius’ attitude to ruling? (2 - give a quote for each)
- He was reluctant to have sole power and says “the task of government would be more readily discharged through the co-operative efforts of a greater number”
- he was reluctant to rule full stop “his preference was for total exemption”
Explain why Tiberius may have feigned reluctance to rule
- others wanted his position and would kill him for it, so reluctance would work in his favour
What does Tiberius’ disposal of threats reveal about his reluctance to rule?
- It could have been a facade
What does Tiberius’ disposal of Lucius Arruntius reveal?
- Augustus said that Lucius was capable of ruling, so Tiberius could have simply transferred the principate to him, rather than disposing him (shows that maybe Tiberius wasn’t so reluctant to rule as he made out)
According to Suetonius, Tiberius’ attitude to ruling was one of fake reluctance. Why is this? Quote?
- He wouldn’t have cared for public opinion if he didn’t want the principate, but soon allowed “the incident to be forgotten” (the death of Agrippa Postumus)
Which quote from Tacitus shows Tiberius to only accept the principate after being worn down?
- “he began to give way, little by little… without acknowledging that he had now accepted the principate”
What does Suetonius refer to Tiberius’ response to the senate urging him to accept the principate as?
- A farce
According to Suetonius, what scathing remark did a senator give Tiberius regarding his acceptance of the principate?
- “Some people are slow to do what they promise,; you are slow to promise what you have already done”
According to Suetonius, what honours did Tiberius accept? (quote)
- “none but a few unimportant ones”
What title does Suetonius tell us Tiberius declined?
- Imperator
Give two quotes from Suetonius that illustrate Tiberius; hatred of sycophants
- “Such was his hatred of flatterers that he refused to let senators approach his litter”
- “Once, when addresses as “my lord” - “he gave warning that no such insult must ever again be thrown at him”
Why might Tiberius have hated sycophants? (2)
- As a 55 year old man, he had had a long time to be worshipped, but as he was Augustus’ last choice for an heir, it is doubtful that he would have been - he probably noticed a drastic change
- By acting with humility and constantly correcting people, he stopped people thinking of him as a dictator
What are the three theories as to why Tiberius appears so reluctant to accept power?
- Completely novel event- Tiberius may have been giving the senate the freedom to create a precedent for transferring power
- he may have been following Augustus’ aexample
- Maybe he genuinely didn’t want to rule
