Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. Infamously his mother divorced his father to marry the future-emperor Augustus when Tiberius was five and she was pregnant with his younger brother Drusus to boot. After the deaths of Augustus' heirs apparent Lucius and Gaius Caesar, Tiberius was designated as Augustus' successor. Prior to this, Tiberius had proved himself a shrewd and capable diplomat with a successful military career in Germania.
One of the great tragedies of his life was being forced to divorce his beloved wife Vipsania, to marry Augustus' daughter Julia. This marriage proved unhappy, childless, and ended with Julia being banished after her scandalous sexual affairs became public knowledge. This affair significantly hardened him. Tiberius succeeded Augustus at the age of fifty-five and came to the throne a bitter man, nursing a great deal of resentment and the knowledge of his inadequacy in the role, compared to the shadow of his great predecessor.
While Tiberius proved a solid administrator and governor of the empire, he frequently clashed with the Senate on many affairs. Paranoid, Tiberius suspected the Senate of plotting against him. He also held a tense relationship with his popular nephew Germanicus. However the twofold deaths of both his potential successors, his son Drusus and Germanicus, caused him to mostly give up on government and he left Rome for the island of Capri.
The Empire would be largely run by Praetorian Prefect Lucius Aelius Sejanus while Tiberius indulged his vices on Capri. Sejanus became widely hated among the people of Rome and in time was executed for treason after plotting to overthrow the emperor. In the aftermath a wounded and paranoid Tiberius launched a spree of treason trials that cut a swath through the Senatorial class, targeting anyone with the slightest connection to Sejanus. These vicious measures ensured his negative reputation as a tyrant by later Roman writers. Tiberius continued his brooding on Capri until his death. Roman sources suspected that he was murdered by his infamous successor, Germanicus' son Caligula.
Tropes as portrayed in fiction:
- Dirty Old Man: Considering the debauched activities Roman writers reported him engaging in at Capri, he's frequently a candidate for this especially in I, Claudius
- Expy: George R. R. Martin has acknowledged that Stannis Baratheon was inspired by Tiberius especially George Baker's portrayal in I, Claudius. Both are gloomy men who were reluctant to rule, resented the lack of respect for their work, and spent a lot of time sulking on an island.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Tiberius is this for the local representatives of the Roman Empire in several Biblical films and books since Jesus' career occurred during his reign.
- Historical Domain Character: Makes a habit of showing up in Biblical epics like Ben Hur or The Robe. Perhaps his best known appearance is in I, Claudius played by George Baker.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Oddly he's a Reasonable Authority Figure in both Ben Hur and The Robe played by the witty Ernest Theisinger in the latter.
