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Bold textThe Fall of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty: Augustus built the one of the greatest empire that has ever existed in recored history however it seems with his death his dream died with him for the heir that he chose to succeed him was nothing like him and cycle seem to continue on until all that remains of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty was a memory that most would rather not relived.Three names stands out when attributing to the fall of the Julio-Claudian they are Tiberius Caesar Augustus born Tiberius Claudius Nero with Augustus adoption of him he became a Julian, after him was Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus better known as Caligula, and finally Tiberius Claudius Nero the last Julio-Claudian to be on the throne of the Empire of Rome. These three turn what was possibly the greatest empire in ancient time in to a house of bloodbath, orgies, lies, and deceit.

Tiberius

With the death of Augustus began the fall of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty. Of the five emperors that reign under the name Julio-Claudian three names stood out when contributed to its downfall, Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero. Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero all share common attributes in that their reign were relatively peaceful and successful at the beginning, they were at one point or another paranoid about conspiracies that lead to the deaths of countless victims, and finally they all directly contributed to the demise of the Julio-Claudian reign in Rome. Tiberius Caesar Augustus, born Tiberius Claudius Nero November 16, 42 BC was the second Roman Emperor, succeeding the popular and successful Caesar Augustus. Tiberius was also the continuation of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling for 23 years, from 14 AD until his death in 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian - son of Tiberius Nero and Livia, but through the marriage of his mother to Augustus and Augustus's adoption of him, he became a Julian. Despite his difficult relationship with the Senate, Tiberius's first years were generally good. He stayed true to Augustus’s plans for the succession and clearly favored his adopted son Germanicus over his natural son, Drusus, as did the Roman populace. On Tiberius's request, Germanicus was granted proconsular power and assumed command in the prime military zone of Germania, where he suppressed the mutiny there and led the formerly restless legions on campaigns against Germanic tribes from 14 to 16 AD. Unfortunately for Tiberius, Germanicus died at Syria in 19 AD and, on his deathbed, accused the governor of Syria, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, of murdering him at Tiberius’s orders. Piso was a long-time friend of Tiberius and his appointee to the Syrian governorship, so suspicion for Germanicus’s death ultimately came to rest at Tiberius’ doors. With Germanicus dead, Tiberius began elevating his own son Drusus to replace him as the Imperial successor. Relations with Germanicus’s family were strained, but they were to reach a breaking point when Tiberius allowed a trusted advisor to get too close and gain a tremendous influence over him. That adviser was the Praetorian prefect, Lucius Aelius Sejanus, who would disrupt Tiberius's plans for the succession and drive the emperor farther into isolation, depression, and paranoia.

Tiberius, whom historians depict by this stage as an old, bitter, and tired man, left more of the day-to-day running of the Empire to Sejanus. Sejanus created an atmosphere of fear in Rome, controlling a network of informers and spies whose incentive to accuse others of treason was a share in the accused's property after their conviction and death. Treason trials became commonplace; few members of the Roman aristocracy were completely safe. The trials played up to Tiberius' growing paronoia, which made him more reliant on Sejanus, as well as satisfying his greed since the emperor could confiscate the majority of the accused's property after their execution or suicide; they also allowed Sejanus to eliminate potential rivals.

Sejanus’s attacks against Agrippina and his proposal to marry Drusus's widow, Livilla, who was also Tiberius' niece suggest that he was attempting to follow the precedent of Agrippa, that is, to have an outsider who became the emperor's successor through a combination of overt loyalty, necessity, and a family alliance forged by marriage. Tiberius, perhaps sensitive to this ambition, rejected Sejanus's initial proposal to marry Livilla in 25 AD, but later put it about that he had withdrawn his objections so that, in 30 AD, Sejanus was betrothed to Livilla's daughter Tiberius' granddaughter. Sejanus’ family connection to the Imperial house was now imminent, and in 31 AD Sejanus held the Consulship with the emperor as his colleague, an honor Tiberius reserved only for heirs to the throne. Furthermore, when Sejanus surrendered the consulship early in the year, he was granted a share of the emperor's proconsular power. When he was summoned to a meeting of the Senate on 18 October in that year he probably expected to receive a share of the tribunician power; with that he would, after all, have become Tiberius's Agrippa. Instead, however, Tiberius' letter to the Senate completely unexpectedly requested the destruction of Sejanus and his faction. A purge followed, in which Sejanus and his most prominent supporters were killed.

Rome’s second Emperor died at the port town of Misenum on March 16, 37 AD, at the age of seventy-eight in a reign of 23 years. Later writers suggested that he was smothered at the behest of Caligula who was never really sure if he was the official heir, but such accusations are to be expected in the political climate of the time. His complete unpopularity is proven by the failure of the Senate to vote him divine honors. Caligula never pressed for it, and his successor Claudius, who did force the deification of Tiberius’s mother Livia, certainly wasted no effort on Tiberius’s behalf. He was also known for his cruelty and debauchery through his perversion on the island of Capri where he forced young boys into sexual pleasure and orgies on one account when one of the boy complained Tiberius broke his legs. Suetonius certainly painted a desolate picture of Tiberius and his reign through his last ending statement. "the people were so glad of his death, that at the first news of it some ran about shouting, "To the Tiber with Tiberius!," (a form of punishment reserved for criminals) while others prayed to Mother Earth and the Manes to "allow the dead man no abode except among the damned." P401

Tiberius is remembered as a dark, reclusive, and depressed ruler who never truly desired the right to rule. His reign is marked by terror and mayhem in which the Emperor exiled himself from Rome and left administration in the hands of Lucius Aelius Sejanus, who used his influence over Tiberius and his position in the Praetorian Guard to push his own political agenda and personal revenges.

Caligula

With the death Tiberius open up yet another tragedy for the Julio-Cladian Dynasty with the accession of Caligula. Tiberius Claudius Nero born on August 31, 12 AD most commonly known as Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor ruling from 37AD to 41AD. Caligula represents a turning point in the early history of the Principate, known for his extreme extravagance, eccentricity, depravity and cruelty, he is remembered as a despot. He was assassinated in 41AD by several of his own Praetorian Guards. When Tiberius died on March 16, 37 AD, Caligula was in a perfect position to assume power, despite the obstacle of Tiberius’s will, which named him and his cousin Tiberius Gemellus as joint heirs. Gemellus's life was shortened considerably by this bequest, since Caligula ordered him killed within a matter of months. Suetonius writes that the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard Naevius Sutorius Macro smothered Tiberius with a pillow to hasten Caligula's accession. Backed by Macro, Caligula asserted his dominance. He had Tiberius’s will declared null and void on grounds of insanity, accepted the powers of the Principate as conferred by the Senate, and entered Rome on March 28 amid scenes of wild rejoicing.

His first acts were generous in spirit: he gave cash bonuses to the Praetorian Guards, destroyed Tiberius's treason papers, declared that Treason trials were a thing of the past, recalled exiles, and helped those who had been harmed by the Imperial Tax system. He was loved by many simply by being the beloved son of the popular Germanicus. Moreover, he was, unlike Tiberius, a direct blood descendant of Augustus, and therefore related to Julius Caesar. He was also a great-grandson of Mark Antony. On becoming Emperor, Caligula performed a spectacular stunt. He ordered a temporary floating bridge to be built using ships as pontoons, stretching for over two miles from the resort of Baiae to the neighboring port of Puteoli. He then proceeded to ride his horse across, wearing the breastplate of Alexander the Great. This act was in defiance of an astrologer's prediction that he had "no more chance of becoming Emperor than of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baiae". However, following this auspicious start to his reign, Caligula fell seriously ill in October of 37AD, and "emerged as a monster of lust and diabolical cruelty".

The ancient sources are practically unanimous as to the cause of Caligula's downfall: he was insane. The writers differ as to how this condition came about, but all agree that after his good start Caligula began to behave in an openly autocratic manner, even a crazed one. Outlandish stories cluster about the raving emperor, illustrating his excessive cruelty, immoral sexual escapades, or disrespect toward tradition and the Senate. This goes against how Augustus and Tiberius acted, even though they held supreme power they always acted respectful and dutiful toward the Senate and it’s noble men. As loving as the people was at the beginning of his reign the same goes for their hate and fear near the end of his reign, and in their minds the only way of getting him off the throne was by murder.

The conspiracy that ended Caligula's life was hatched among the officers of the Praetorian Guard, many for purely personal reasons. On January 24, 41 AD, the praetorian tribune Cassius Chaerea and other guardsmen caught Caligula alone in a secluded palace corridor and cut him down. Years of abuse from Caligula over his so-called effeminacy finally took their toll; together with another aggrieved tribune, Cornelius Sabinus, he also killed Caligula's wife Caesonia and their infant daughter, Julia Drusilla by smashing her head against a wall. Caligula was 28 years old when he died and had ruled three years and ten months.

Whatever damage Tiberius’s later years had done to the carefully crafted political structure created by Augustus, Caligula multiplied it a hundred-fold. When he came to power in 37 AD, Caligula had no administrative experience beyond his honorary quaestorship, and had spent an unhappy early life far from the public eye. Once in power, he came to realize the boundless scope of his authority and acted accordingly. For the elite, this situation proved intolerable and ensured the blackening of Caligula's name in the historical record they would dictate. It also gave the Roman a reason to believe that the only means of retiring the wayward Princeps with murder marked an important revelation: Roman emperors could not relinquish their powers without simultaneously relinquishing their lives. Caligula would be the first of many emperors to be brutally executed in the years to come.

Nero

With Caligula’s execution, Claudius became emperor by the instigation of the Praetorian Guards. However his reign was short lived as he was murdered by his own wife Aggripina the Younger. Claudias’ death gave way for Nero to succeed him as the next and would also be the last Julio-Claudian to rule the Roman Empire. Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus born on December 15, 37 AD to Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. On February 25, 50 AD Nero became heir to the then-Emperor, his grand-uncle and adoptive father Claudius, as Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus, succeeding to the throne with Claudius' death on October 13, 54 AD.

At the time of his ascension to the throne Nero was to young to be burden with the responsibility of running the empire thus he was the figure head and the matter of state was left to his mother Agrippina the Younger and his advisor and tutor Seneca and head of the Praetorian Guards Burrus. The matters of the Empire were handled effectively and the Senate enjoyed a period of renewed influence in state affairs. However problems would soon arise from Nero's personal life and the increasing competition for influence among Agrippina and the two male advisers. Nero was reportedly unsatisfied with his marriage to Octavia and tended to neglect her, he further enter into an affair with Claudia Acte, a former slave. While this was not uncommon it was frown upon should the relationship exceed sexual gratification. In 55AD Agrippina attempted to intervene in favor of Octavia and demanded that her son dismiss Acte. Burrus and Seneca, on the other hand, chose to support Nero and his decision to ignore his mother.

As Nero grew angrier at Agrippina’s unofficial rule through him, he began to plot his own mother’s murder, justifying his tactics by claiming she was conspiring against him, which was not the case. Nero made many attempts on her life. He tried to poison her three times, rigged the ceiling above her bed to collapse and sent her off on a boat doomed to sink in the Bay of Naples forgetting that she could swim, his mother swam safely to the shore. Finally he hired an assassin to club her to death.

Nero was now twenty-five years old, had reigned for eight years, and had yet to produce an heir. When Poppaea his favorite mistress became pregnant, Nero finally decided to marry her, but his marriage to Octavia had to be dissolved before doing so. At first he resorted to accusing her of adultery: however, Nero had already gained a reputation for this offense while Octavia was reputed to be an example of Roman virtue. Since no evidence of infidelity can be found on her Nero decided to declare the divorce on grounds of infertility, leaving him free to marry Poppaea and wait for her to give birth. However, with the sudden death of Octavia on June 9, 62AD resulted in incidents of public protest.

On the night July 18 to July 19, 64AD the Great Fire of Rome erupted, Nero was reportedly vacationing in his native Anzio but had to return in haste; the fire burned for a week. Rumor circulated that Nero had played his Lyre and sang, on top of Quirinal Hill, while the city burning. The confused population searched for a Scapegoat and soon rumors held Nero responsible. The motivation attributed to him was intending to immortalize his name by renaming Rome to "Neropolis". Nero had to engage in finding a scapegoat of his own and chose for his target a small Eastern sect called Christians. He ordered known Christians to be thrown to the lions in arenas, while others were crucified in large numbers.

Hated by many citizens, with an increasing list of political enemies, Nero started to appreciate his loneliness, when in 65AD he discovered the Pisonian conspiracy named after Gaius Calpurnius Piso, who intended to take his place and the involvement of old friends like Seneca in the plot. Conspirators were forced into suicide: in addition, Nero ordered that Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, a popular and valuable general to commit suicide because of the mere suspicion of new threats. This decision moved military commanders, locally and in the provinces, to start planning a Revolution.

Back in Rome Nero found a rather cold atmosphere; Gaius Julius Vindex, the governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, revolted, and this brought Nero to a paranoid hunt for eventual threats; in this state of mind he ordered the elimination of any Patrician with suspect ideas. His once faithful servant Galba, governor of Iberia, was one of those dangerous nobles, so Nero ordered his death. Galba, lacking an alternative choice, declared his loyalty to the Senate and the People of Rome no longer recognizing Nero's power. Moreover, he started organizing his own campaign for the empire: as a result, Lucius Clodius Macer, legate of the legion III Augusta in Africa, revolted and stopped sending grain to Rome. Nymphidius corrupted the imperial guard, which turned against Nero on the promise of financial reward by Galba. The Senate deposed Nero, who committed suicide on June 9, 68 AD. With his death, the Julio-Claudian dynasty came to an end.

Of the five emperor that ruled the Roman Empire during the reign of the Julio-Claudian dynasty three of them were sadistic, cruel, and are akin to paranoia, a very bad combination. Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero all share these traits and more over specifically contributed to the downfall of a dynasty built by an idealist, altruistic, leader. Tiberius with his stupidity in trusting Sejanus, Caligula with his madness, and Nero with his callousness in running the empire set forth the downfall of Rome built by Augustus and set it on a path of destruction.

By Anh Tran

Sources

Anthony Kamm, The Romans an Introduction

Suetonius, The Lives of the twelve Caesars: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/suetonius-index.html

Content from Wikipedia license under GFDL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio-Claudian