Soldier and successor
Tiberius took part in the diplomatic recovery of Roman standards from Parthia and campaigned in Raetia, Pannonia, and Germania. He withdrew to Rhodes in 6 BCE and returned to Rome before his adoption by Augustus in 4 CE. Renewed military commands and shared authority prepared him for the succession in 14 CE.
Family duty and imperial isolation
In 11 BCE, dynastic policy required Tiberius to divorce Vipsania Agrippina and marry Julia the Elder. The marriage proved unhappy. When Augustus adopted him, Tiberius was required to adopt his nephew Germanicus, although he already had a biological son, Drusus the Younger. The deaths of both men disrupted succession. Tiberius later withdrew to Capri; the rise and fall of the prefect Sejanus intensified the atmosphere of fear. Caligula succeeded him in 37 CE.
Historical sources
Tacitus, Annals 1–6
A sustained, critical account of the reign and its treason trials.
Suetonius, Tiberius 21–25; 43–45
Accession and the stories surrounding his life on Capri; sensational claims require caution.
Cassius Dio, Roman History 57–58
Imperial administration and Sejanus’s fall in 31 CE.