Tiberius: The Reluctant Emperor Quiz

Answer: Julius Caesar

His biological parents were Tiberius Claudius Nero (a Roman senator from an ancient patrician family) and Livia Drusilla (who came from a prominent family). His father, initially an officer of Caesar, later sided with Mark Antony's faction. This allegiance forced the family to flee Rome when Tiberius was an infant.

In 38 BC, his mother divorced his father and married Octavian (the future Augustus). This placed young Tiberius directly into the household of the man who would become the first and very powerful Roman Emperor.

His mother saw this, and was determined to push Tiberius to power.

Answer: Legionary standards

The standards (aquilae or eagles) were not merely flag poles; they were sacred symbols of the legion's honor and the Roman state's power. Shamefully, in 53 BC they had been lost to the Parthian Empire at the Battle of Carrhae.

Augustus sent Tiberius, in 20 BC, with a sizable Roman army to retrieve them. Tiberius was able to get them back with a "bloodless victory". This action was celebrated in Rome as a major diplomatic win, and coins were minted to commemorate the event. This event also established Tiberius's reputation as a capable military and diplomatic leader early in his career and earned him the prestige of praetorian rank, considered very elite.

Answer: False

After Julia was widowed in 12 BC, Augustus was left without a clear adult male heir to support Julia's young sons. Tiberius, Augustus's stepson and an accomplished general, was the next most suitable candidate for the role of the emperor's right-hand man and potential successor. There was one problem, however, in that he was already happily married to Vipsania Agrippina.

Augustus forced Tiberius to divorce Vipsania and marry Julia the Elder. Tiberius was devastated; he reportedly once followed Vipsania home crying after a chance encounter, leading Augustus to take steps to ensure they never met again. The marriage between Tiberius and Julia was a disaster from the start. Julia disdained Tiberius as socially beneath her, while Tiberius, already bitter, disapproved of her character and rumored loose morals.

Answer: Alps

Tiberius and his brother Drusus had successfully campaigned in the Alps in 15 BC, conquering the Raeti and Vindelici tribes and eliminating the threat of their raids into northern Italy and Gaul. After this success, he continued on to the Danube frontier to pacify the Pannonian tribes. His men praised him as a great leader who used wise tactics rather than risky battles.

For his victories in this region, Tiberius was awarded the 'ornamenta triumphalia' (distinctions of a triumph), and received a triumphal entry into Rome in 9 BCE and again in 7 BCE. After his brother died in 9 BCE, Tiberius assumed command of the Roman forces along the Rhine frontier as well. He spent three years consolidating Roman control between the Rhine and the Elbe Rivers.

Answer: Rhodes

This sudden and voluntary exile was due to several key factors which played into the decision. Augustus's two young grandsons (and adopted heirs), Gaius and Lucius Caesar, were coming of age and being fast-tracked for political power. This made Tiberius see himself as being sidelined.

He also cited weariness from years of continuous military campaigns and public office, and claimed he was an introvert who disliked the flattery and political machinations of Roman court life. Finally, many people believed he was very unhappy with things in his personal life and just "needed a break". Tiberius lived a simple life on Rhodes where he studied and exercised.

Answer: Death of Augustus's other heirs

Augustus's two grandsons, Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar, whom he had adopted and groomed as heirs apparent, both died prematurely of illnesses in 2 CE and 4 CE, respectively. This left the experienced and militarily capable Tiberius as the last viable option. Reluctantly, Tiberius left his exile and returned to Rome.

The adoption came with specific conditions. Tiberius had to adopt his own nephew, Germanicus, as his son despite Tiberius having a natural son of his own, Drusus the Younger. Tiberius was given a share of Augustus's supreme command, making him a co-ruler in all but title.

Answer: 22 years

By the time Augustus died, Tiberius held equal military authority and civil authority, meaning he already possessed the legal foundation of imperial rule. After Augustus's funeral, the Senate met to officially confer the remaining imperial titles upon Tiberius. While the outcome was a foregone conclusion, Tiberius engaged in a drawn-out charade of reluctance.

The 22 year reign of Tiberius would be marked by two key "phases". In the early part of his timeline he was a prudent and efficient ruler who sought to maintain the stability of the region. This lasted almost a decade. The latter part of his reign was characterized by paranoia and tyranny.

Answer: Poisoned

In 17 CE, Tiberius sent Germanicus to the eastern provinces with special authority to reorganize Roman influence. He also appointed Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso as governor of Syria, reportedly to act as a check on Germanicus's power and ambition. Germanicus and Piso clashed often. In mid-19 CE, Germanicus fell gravely ill and, on his deathbed, accused Piso of poisoning him.

Piso was recalled to Rome to face trial before the Senate on multiple charges, including misconduct, insubordination, and the murder of Germanicus. Before the trial could reach a formal verdict, Piso was found dead in his house, officially a suicide. Many suspected Tiberius had Piso murdered to prevent him from revealing imperial secrets or implicating the emperor himself in the plot.

Answer: Prefect of the Praetorian Guard

The island of Capri was a natural fortress, easily guarded, offering the physical security Tiberius increasingly craved due to his growing paranoia about people taking his power away. He attempted to manage the vast empire through extensive correspondence and messengers.

Lucius Aelius Sejanus, who held the crucial position of Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, saw Tiberius's departure as an opportunity. Sejanus became the indispensable intermediary for all communication between the emperor and the Roman government, including the Senate. He also began to eliminate members of the royal line and anyone else who stood in the way of his own ambition. Sejanus became so powerful that he was effectively running the Roman Empire.

Answer: Naval base

In 31 CE, Tiberius, from his retreat on Capri, orchestrated the downfall of Sejanus through an elaborate plot. He had the Senate quickly condemn Sejanus to death. After the sentence, Sejanus was taken to prison and strangled where his body was then thrown down the Gemonian Stairs and thrown into a river.

Six years later, Tiberius left his island and went to the mainland to visit the naval base of Misenum. He fell ill there and died on March 16, 37 CE. The Roman people, who generally despised the reclusive emperor, openly rejoiced at his death, with mobs yelling, "To the Tiber with Tiberius!" As a further insult, the Senate refused to grant him divine honors. Caligula, the son of Germanicus, became emperor.