Tiberius

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Tiberius (/taɪˈbɪəriəs/) was the second Roman emperor, reigning from 14 AD to 37 AD after succeeding Augustus. Born to Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla in a prominent Claudian family, he was given the personal name Tiberius Claudius Nero. His mother divorced Nero and married Octavian—later known as Emperor Augustus—who officially became his stepfather. Tiberius would later marry Augustus' daughter Julia the Elder, and even later be adopted by Augustus, assuming the name Tiberius Julius Caesar. Through the adoption, he officially became a Julian, blending both family names for generations to come. Historians have named this blended dynasty the Julio-Claudian dynasty, where he held a unique relationship with other emperors: as stepson of Augustus, grand-uncle of Caligula, paternal uncle of Claudius, and great-grand uncle of Nero. Tiberius' 22-and-a-half-year reign was one of the longest after that of Augustus until surpassed by Antoninus Pius a few months later. Tiberius was an outstanding Roman general, whose conquests in Pannonia, Dalmatia, Raetia, and parts of Germania laid solid foundations for Rome's northern frontier. Despite his impressive military achievements, Tiberius became known as a dark, reclusive, and somber ruler who never genuinely desired to be emperor; Pliny the Elder called him "the gloomiest of men." After the death of his son Drusus Julius Caesar in 23 AD, Tiberius withdrew from public life and grew increasingly isolated. In 26 AD, he left Rome and handed over administration largely to his unscrupulous Praetorian prefects Lucius Aelius Sejanus and Quintus Naevius Sutorius Macro. When Tiberius passed away, he was succeeded by his grand-nephew and adopted grandson Caligula.