TIBERIUS, CLAUDIUS NERO CESAR, a Roman emperor; born Nov. 16, 42 B. C.; was the son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla, who became the wife of Octavianus Caesar in 38 B. C. Tiberius and his brother Drusus were brought up in the household of their stepfather, who from the year 27 B. C. was the Emperor Augustus. They were early initiated into public affairs, and in 16-15 B. C., at the head of a Roman army, subdued the Rhti and Vindelici. Tiberius now returned to Rome to cele brate his first triumph, and in 13 B. c. was appointed consul together with P. Quintilius Varus. Meanwhile, Drusus carried on the war in Germany with great success, but died in 9 B. C., in conse quence of a fall from his horse. Ti berius hastened to Germany, and, after having carried his brother's body to Rome, returned and prosecuted the war with great vigor. In 7 B. C., having led his army across the Rhine into the coun try already half conquered by Drusus, he returned to Rome, becoming consul for the second time, and celebrating his tri umph in the same year. In 12 B. C. he had been compelled by Augustus to di vorce his wife, Vipsania Agrippina, and become the third husband of his in famous daughter Julia; but, disgusted by her profligacy, and by having appointed as his successors Cams and Lucius Caesar, her two sons by her sec ond husband, Marcus Vispanius Agrippa, he voluntarily retired to Rhodes in 6 B. c., where he passed seven years in seclusion.
He returned to Rome A. D. 2, in which year Lucius Cwsar died in Massilia, on his way to Spain, while his brother Caius died a year and a half later in the East from a wound which he had received in the Parthian war. Tiberius was accord ingly adopted by Augustus as his suc cessor in A. D. 4. In the same year he led an army into Germany, marched to the Elbe, and defeated the Sigambri, Bruc teri, and Cherusci. The suppression of a revolt in Pannonia and Dalmatia pro cured for him the honor of a third tri umph. He was now sent once more against the Germans, who, under their great chief Arminius, had cut off Quin tilius Varus, with three legions. Accom
panied by the young Germanicus, he crossed the Rhine, and during the years A. D. 11 and 12 traversed the countries E. of that river. On the death of Au gustus, in 14, Tiberius became emperor. He was much respected for the dignity of his demeanor and reputed virtue. For some years he affected to take no active part in public affairs, while he gradually destroyed the last remnants of the an cient republic, abolishing the "comitia," and transferring the election of public officers to the subservient senate. After the death of Germanicus in 19, not with out suspicion of poisoning, Tiberius was much plotted against, which caused him to become gloomy and depressed in mind.
In his 67th year he retired to the Is land of Caprem to enjoy seclusion, leav ing to JElius Sejanus, commander of the Prmtorian guards, the direction of public affairs, and a long and uniform series of cruelties followed. Awakened at last to the ambitious schemes of his favorite, Tiberius ordered the senate to condemn Sejanus, and the latter, with his family and friends, was put to death in 31. Some time after this, Tiberius took up his resi dence at Misenum, where, as at Caprew, he plunged himself into the most dis gusting debauchery. On March 16, A. D. 37, he fell into a lethargy, and being be lieved to be dead, Caligula was proclaim ed emperor. Tiberius, however, recov ered, but he was suffocated in his bed by Macro, to save himself and the young emperor. The elaborate picture of the emperor given in the first six books of the "Annals of Tacitus" can hardly be considered a fair representation of his character. That Tiberius was a brave and skillful soldier and a careful financier cannot be doubted; while however, un popular at Rome, he was regarded by the provincials as a wise and beneficent ruler. Perhaps a taint of the insanity which was characteristic of the Claudian house, and a vein of superstition and fatalism, go far to explain the disgrace ful acts of his later years.