Tiberius

Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (November 16, 42 BC – March 16, AD 37), better known as Tiberius, was the second Emperor of the Roman Empire. He reigned from 14 to 37 AD.

Ancient writers such as Tacitus and Suetonius recount the Emperor's cruelty towards citizens of the Empire, without regard to age, sex, or station in life. Suetonius in particular recounted the Emperor's sexual perversions during his final years on the island of Capri. Tiberius ordered minors of both sexes be bought before him on Capri to provide sexual services for him and guests to the isle. In addition to his multiple perversions Tiberius also frequently accepted bribes from various interest groups to alter imperial policy in their favor. Tiberius left the head of his Praetorian Guard, Lucius Aelius Sejanus, in charge of Rome. Though there were numerous accusations of corruption, bribery and assults against Sejanus Tiberius left the empire in his hands while he retreated from puplic life and lived on Capri as a recluse. Sejanus ordered more treason trials in Tiberius's name than Julius and August Caesar combined in their entire terms and the burdens of proof at such trials were virtually non-existent.

For years Tiberius's rule was refered to as a reign of terror, one supervised by a corrupt Praetor whose malice Tiberius ether did not know, or did not care to know of. Tiberius eventually did remove Sejanus from power by having him executed in 31 AD. Sejanus was invited to the Roman senate where a letter was read revealing Tiberius had proof that Sejanus was planning to have him killed. Though Tiberius took a rather liberal standard of what consituted his attention to Sejanus's authority in Rome Sejanus's possible attempts against his life seemed to be the line and with Tiberius finally denouncing Sejanus the sentate did not hesitate to approve his execution. Tiberius also ordered that all images of Sejanus be destroyed for his attempted treason against his life and so even today we have few to no credible images of the Sejanus. Shortly after the execution Tiberius held trials to purge the city of anyone and everyone possibly within Sejanus's network of contacts and officals, including senators, guards, merchants and the entire families of such suspects. No one was safe, the sentence for suspicion of complicity in Sejanus's network was death. Even after the purge of Tiberius's worst example of corruption Tiberius took little to any responsiblity for the empire. It is said that Tiberius was eventually killed in is bed by Sejanus's second in command Naevius Sutorius Macro who was under orders from Tiberius's nephew Caligula, who was Tiberius's heir. When Tiberius was killed outright the people of Rome and the Senate were so elated that they were more than willing to over look the murder and greet Caligula as a new Caesar of a golden age...things didn't quite work out that way though...