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Emperor Tiberius is not one of the better-known emperors(42 BCE-37AD). He was not as influential as Augustus, as great a commander as Caesar or as grotesquely cruel as Nero. However, he was a very important figure in the development of the Roman Empire. He was the second Roman Emperor and safeguarded the legacy of Augustus and did much to define the role of the emperor and especially the Imperial cult. Tiberius was also a talented administrator and did much to stabilize the empire and give it a good government. The heir of Augustus was also a brilliant military commander who expanded the empire and provided it with a defensible border. However, in his later years, he set precedents for future emperor’s that were to have negative consequences for Roman society and its politics. Tiberius helped to turn the Imperial system into an autocracy, by his treatment of the Senate and through his expansion of the treason laws.

Tiberius was emperor from 14 BCE to 36 BCE37 AD. He was a reluctant emperor and never really wanted the role. He followed the advice of Augustus and did not try to expand the borders of the Empire. His heir was Germanicus his nephew. Tiberius had none of the charm or the authority of his predecessor and he had a poor relationship with the Senate <ref> Shotter, David. Tiberius Caesar. (London: Routledge, 1992), p. 115 </ref>. Soon he was very unpopular but his position was secure. He was a dedicated administrator and in the early years of his reign, he was a conscientious ruler. The popularity of Germanicus apparently troubled him and many believe that he had a hand in the suspicious death of his nephew in 19 AD <ref> Tacitus, Annals, iii</ref>. As a result, Tiberius could appoint his own son from his first marriage as his heir. However, Drusus died in 23 AD and after this many believe that Tiberius became even gloomier and began to hate the intrigues that he saw everywhere in Rome. He became even more haughty and he referred to the Senators as ‘men fit to be slaves’ <ref> Tacitus, Annals, iv</ref>. In 27 BC Tiberius retired to Capri to his private villa. Some believe that he spent his time in perverse sexual orgies, while others maintain that he spent his days with a few friends discussing philosophy <ref> Suetonius, iii</ref>. In his absence, he appointed Sejanus the Praetorian Guard (the Imperial bodyguard) as head of the Roman administration. Sejanus came to dominate the Roman government and he acted in a tyrannical manner, even having members of the elite murdered on trumped up charges <ref> Tacitus, Annals, iv</ref>. He restricted access to the Emperor and Tiberius was unaware of the nature of Sejanus’ rule. The Praetorians commander was widely believed be having an extramarital affair with the son of Tiberius who died, it was alleged he was poisoned by Sejanus. It seemed that Sejanus plotted to have himself made Emperor and to kill Tiberius. When he heard this the old emperor left Capri and had Sejanus arrested and executed <ref> Shotter, p. 213</ref>. Tiberius appointed Gaius Caeser, the son of Germanicus as his heir. It was widely believed that Caligula had the elderly Tiberius murdered to ensure his own succession. His ashes were interred in the same Mausoleum as Augustus<ref> Suetonius, iv</ref>.