Tiberius Flashcards
Tiberius first came across
as a man of ‘republican’ sentiments
he was reluctant to exercise the opportunities which his power offered.
Tiberius’ opinion of Augustus
held such a high regard,
expressed distaste for the trappings of power but he would not even willingly accept the name Augustus on the grounds of his inability to hold it.
Sign that he as not loved at his death
posthumous deification was denied to him
Gaius and Lucius were
the two eldest sons of Agrippa and Julia (Agrippa Postumus being the last)
Augustus adopted them as his own
Agrippa’s death
Tiberius was asked to marry Julia,
he had to give up the family he loved
he once followed Vipsania in the street, trying to talk to her
The reason Tiberius gave for retiring to Rhodes
did not want to impede on his stepson’s progress
Tiberius’ love for his family
Vipsania
he Followed his dead brother’s cortege all the way to Rome on foot. (Nero Drusus)
Why might Lucius and Gaius died
some saw the involvement of Livia
The family issue when Augustus adopted
acknowledged Livia and Tiberius’ power as the Claudians
His Julian faction would re-emerge with on the death of Tiberius with Germanicus and his children
Tiberius’ great military skill
The empire had been close to disaster in the years leading up to AD9 with Varus’ defeat
it was Tiberius’ military strength which returned stability
Tiberius’ age when he became emperor
56
Germanicus pays the troop
only Augustus’ successor had the right to distribute this
Why did Tiberius not visit the two mutinees
he may have offended each army by visiting the other first
He was criticised for it
Germanicus caused more problems with the mutinees
as the situation deteriorated he sanctioned a campaign on the east bank of the Rhine
contrary to the instructions Augustus had had on his death bed laid down for Tiberius to keep the empire within its present frontiers
but it took the troops into the area in which Varus was annihilated
- Tiberius’ report to the senate could not praise both Drusus and Germanicus equally
Why was Augustus successful
auctoritas and prestige
found meaningful roles for the senate as a body and for the nobles as individuals
his patronage bound large numbers of the nobility to him
he retained the old cursus honorum system
a desire for pece with honour after civil war
Tiberius wanted a good relationship with the senate
he deprecated excessiveness such as erecting temples to eperors and treating them as gods
He treated the consuls with respect
said that he thought of the senators as his masters
he detested their sycophancy
irritated when they referred to him matters which he he felt to be within their own competence
Their respect for him, demonstrated in the senatus consultum passed in Piso’s case after the Germanicus incident confirms Tacitus’ judgement that the first half of his reign was marked by sound administration
HE wanted to sway by virtue of his seniority and prestige but not dominating by his powers.
His hatred of behaviour that stressed an overwhelming superiority on his part
self-prostration
he showed a righteous anger at those senators who attempted to gain wealth or influence by undermining their senatorial colleagues
elections for praetorships and consulships
did not want to be dominant
transferred elections from the people to the senate
Censor
the use of this power to regulate the senate’s membership gave him a dominance which no amount of moderate behaviour could ameliorate
What was the senate like during his reign
had grown use to domination
had forgotten how to initiate
In cases of those accused of disrespecting Augustus
he acted in a clear-headed and fair-minded way
and then later forced the senate into voting for a man’s condemnation
His affect on the praetor’s
his plan to sit in on the praetor’s court
took the trouble to occupy an unobtrusive position on the platform
Tacitus says he induced some good verdicts by his presence
but the integrity and independence of the praetor’s chairmanship was undermined
theatrical rowdyism debate
discussion flowed back and forth in apparent freedom until at a late stage Tiberius intervened to announce the outcome he desired
a feeling that the freedom to debate was purely illusory
Governor for Africa
Tiberius was unable to understand the senate’s difficulty because one was Sejanus’ uncle
Asinius Gallus attempt to prevent the princeps from exercising an ongoing appraisal in the matter of the choice of candidate for office
Tiberius resisted his attempts
this was an encroachment on the senate’s perceived freedom
treason cases
allowing these to be heard could have given a bad impression
seemed tyrannical
He tried not to intervene but this led the senators to try and accommodate his wishes and not offend him.
HE was intimidating especially since he usually sat silent
The delatores
played against his fears of people conspiring against him
defendants
wished to appear as the saviour of defendants
he should have showed his clemency earlier on
Agrippina was the daughter
of Julia, her marriage to Germanicus show Augustus’ affection for Germanicus as he was especially fond of Agrippina
Germanicus seeing Varus’ remains
led Tiberius to doubt his judgement
How did Tiberius stop the German campaigning
The Armenian situation
he gave GErmanicus an imperium superior to that of al the proconsuls in that region
His behaviour at Alexandria
oblivious of protocol
in a speech at Alexandria he appear to have compared himself to Alexander the great (papyrus)
Piso by committing suicide before his case was over
malicious hand of Tiberius which had removed the great hope that was Germanicus Caesar
Tiberius refused to release relevant documents pertaining to Piso’s appointment
Tiberius’ apparent heirs
conferred Tribunician power on Drusus and gave his son a guardianship over Germanicus’ two eldest sons
Who murdered Drusus
Sejanus’ estranged wife Apicata revealed that Drusus had been murdered by Livilla and Sejanus
After Drusus’ death waht happened To Germanicus’ children
Tiberius conferred them to the care of the senate
So they weren’t under the control of Agrippina
Tiberius’ treatment of the PRaetorian commanders
the nine cohorts of 1000 men each were under the command of two commanders (prefects) or equestrian status
Strabo was offered the most prestigious position opent to equestrians- the prefecture of Egypt
His son Sejanus was thus left in sole command of the praetorian guard
Tiberius’ isolation
being in hi sixties during the middle of his reign, many of his contemporaries and friends were dying
- led him to trust in the hardworking and seemingly loyal Sejanus who did not descend into sycophancy
Sejanus’ influence is obvious
he persuaded Tiberius that in the interest of efficiency te guard’s cohorts should be brought together in one foretress in the city of Rome itself
Sejanus against Agrippina
didn’t want their reconciliation
he engineered judicial attacks on those friends of Agrippina
persuaded Tiberius that her friends were treacherous towards him
and that to Agrippina that Tiberius was sanctioning them
If Sejanus married Livilla
he would marry into the family of the princeps
and control over Tiberius’ grandson Tiberius Gemellus
Sejanus’ ower after Tiberius’ retirement to Capreae
he was forced to listen to a witness most likely handpicked by Sejanus
Sejanus could censor what Tiberius heard
Did Tiberius really support Sejanus
AD 31 opened with his and Sejanus’ consulship
Tiberius resigned his consulship having given no indication of new favour
Sejanus’ death would have caused Tiberius
not only did he find out he murdered Drusus
but he would have felt disillusioned with no support
Why had Tiberius allied himself with Sejanus
isolation through age, his character, his unpopularity, his poor relationship with members of his family.
Tiberius was never again able to return from Capreae after Sejanus
Tiberius careful handling of the empire
he secured secure effective solutions without recourse to major military intervention
taxation
he was fair
“my sheep should be clipped, not shaved”
roads
road construction and public building were vigorously pursued
Capreae bad relationship with senate
imperial orders were delivered by letters
this was highly intimidating
His treatment of Germanicus’ daughters
he settled them in respectable marriages
Generosity
he showed generosity during the collapse of the ampitheater at Fidenae and the disastrous fire on the Aventine Hill in Rom and established a commission to investigate the losses
Tacitus’ description of Tiberius’ life
a deterioration of personality, his true character was gradually revealed
Two possibilities for Augustus choosing Tiberius
no satisfactory alternative
a poor successor would shed a particularly favourable light on his own memory
Augustus’ rule
calimed to restore Republican government
persuaded the Roman political elite that they were involved in the running of the satethe senate commanded his armies governed the provinces, made the administration work
Tiberius and Domitian
both reigns saw a deterioration in the relationship between senate and emperor
Domitian admired Tiberius
But Tiberius wished to present himself as the senate’s servant and not the other way around
Germanicus’ funeral
ashes laid in the mausoleum of Augustus
neither Tiberius or Livia appeared
games
he sponsored very few sets of games during his reign
Why was Agrippina central
Germanicus’ ceremonial centered on her, she dominated the event
grandchild of Augustus and mother of is great-grandchildren
central political figure
THEATER OF POMPEY FIRE
Sejanus was praised for his prompt action
a bronze statue was erected to him in the theatre
The promotion of Sejanus would have meant the death of
Gaius
PRosecutions int the senators was bad because
they were a close-knit group
prosecution based on the flimsiest of evidence would ahve created a sense of paranoia
The senate was not independant
so could not utilise the independence Tiberius offered it
Tiberius and prosecutions
he did not intervene decisively to prevent these prosecutions of maiestas (trying to show that he wasn’t autocratic)
The prosecutions were demonstrations of loyalty to him
by not blockingALL prosecutions, he gave senators the means of pursuing their competition
These very freedoms made him seem more autocratic
Corn supply
wrote to the senate, asking them to issue a stern proclamation agaisnt the people who had been rioting because of a threatened failure of the corn supply
financial crisis
he stabilised by prompt and generous action
what did the death of king Archelaus enable Tiberius to do
to halve the 1% revenue sales tax
why was Piso prosecuted for treason
Germanicus formally renounced the friendship between Piso and the family of the Caesars
Piso had no choice but to abandon his province
he then tried to return by force when he heard Germanicus was ill
illegal and tantamount to civil war
The husband of Agrippina or Livilla would
be in a position to replace Tiberius
Who did Sejanus have arrested
Agrippina and her eldest son Nero for plotting Tiberius’ death
Were senators executed
no, Sejanus was the first, several had had to commit suicide
