Tiberius - Claudius similarities

by Damien F. Mackey For Tiberius: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberius For Claudius: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudius Following an emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Tiberius succeeded Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus. Claudius succeeded Gaius Julius Caesar Caligula. Named Tiberius Caesar Augustus Tiberius was Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus Claudius was Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus Dependent upon Praetorian Guard, Princeps As Tiberius became more embittered with the position of Princeps, he began to depend more and more upon the limited secretariat left to him by Augustus, and specifically upon Sejanus and the Praetorians. According to tradition, a Praetorian named Gratus found [Claudius] him hiding behind a curtain and suddenly declared him princeps. …. Claudius was spirited away to the Praetorian camp and put under their protection. Claudius declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard. Difficulty with the Senate, Plots From the outset, Tiberius had a difficult, resentful relationship with the Senate and suspected many plots against him. Nevertheless, he proved to be an effective and efficient administrator. …. According to Tacitus, Tiberius derided the Senate as "men fit to be slaves". …. Antagonism between Tiberius and his senate seems to have been a feature of his rule. …. Claudius set about remodeling the Senate into a more efficient, representative body. …. Nevertheless, many in the Senate remained hostile to Claudius, and many plots were made on his life. This hostility carried over into the historical accounts. As a result, Claudius reduced the Senate's power for the sake of efficiency. Divorce After Agrippa died, Augustus insisted that Tiberius divorce Vipsania and marry Agrippa's widow, Augustus' own daughter (Tiberius's step-sister) Julia. Tiberius reluctantly gave in. This second marriage proved scandalous, deeply unhappy, and childless; ultimately, Julia was sent into exile by her father. Suetonius and the other ancient authors accused Claudius of being dominated by women and wives, and of being a womanizer…. Claudius married four times, after two failed betrothals. The first betrothal was to his distant cousin Aemilia Lepida, but was broken for political reasons. The second was to Livia Medullina Camilla, which ended with Medullina's sudden death on their wedding day. …. Claudius later divorced Urgulanilla for adultery and on suspicion of murdering her sister-in-law Apronia. Soon after … Claudius married Aelia Paetina, a relative of Sejanus, if not Sejanus's adoptive sister. During their marriage, Claudius and Paetina had a daughter, Claudia Antonia. He later divorced her after the marriage became a political liability. Rhodes In 6 BC, while on the verge of accepting command in the East and becoming the second-most powerful man in Rome, Tiberius announced his withdrawal from politics and retired to Rhodes. …. Claudius also settled disputes in the provinces. He freed the island of Rhodes from Roman rule for their good faith …. Law Court …. thereafter Tiberius began appearing in court as an advocate, and it was presumably at this time that his interest in Greek rhetoric began. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9780203165133-18/tiberius-law-development-maiestas-barbara-levick Tiberius prided himself on his knowledge of Roman law, both sacral and secular, and on his respect for it. …. The ius auxilii inherent in the tribunician power and his imperium gave him the right to come to the aid of a citizen who appealed to him against magisterial injustice and to take cognizance of cases from all over the Empire, in Italy, and at Rome. …. They were already his before AD 14, although he is not likely to have used them when Augustus was available. His return to Rome and his accession to sole power, together with his election to the supreme pontificate on 10 March AD 15 … gave full scope to his auctoritas (prestige and influence), and at least one senator argued that Senate and equites could not carry on their business without his supervision. …. Tiberius intended to use his influence well, and eight years after his accession could still proclaim the supremacy of law. …. Claudius personally judged many of the legal cases tried during his reign. Ancient historians have many complaints about this, stating that his judgments were variable and sometimes did not follow the law. …. He was also easily swayed. Nevertheless, Claudius paid detailed attention to the operation of the judicial system. He extended the summer court session, as well as the winter term, by shortening the traditional breaks. Claudius also made a law requiring plaintiffs to remain in the city while their cases were pending, as defendants had previously been required to do. These measures had the effect of clearing out the docket. The Jews In AD 19 Tiberius ordered Jews of military age to join the Roman Army. …. He banished the rest of Rome’s Jewish population, on pain of enslavement for life. (Acts 18:2): “… Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome”. Triumphal procession Tiberius returned and celebrated the triumph which he had postponed, accompanied also by his generals, for whom he had obtained the triumphal regalia. [Claudius] left Britain [sic] after 16 days, but remained in the provinces for some time. The Senate granted him a triumph for his efforts. Sickly, also strong and tall Suetonius describes Tiberius as being pale skinned, broad shouldered, left-handed, and exceptionally strong and tall for a Roman, although he had poor posture. …. Suetonius and Paterculus both write that, as a young man, he was considered attractive by Roman beauty standards. …. Even in adulthood, he was prone to severe acne outbreaks. According to Cassius Dio, Claudius became sickly and thin by the end of Caligula's reign, most likely due to stress. …. A possible surviving portrait of Claudius from this period may support this. …. However, he showed no physical deformity, as Suetonius notes that when calm and seated he was a tall, well-built figure of dignitas. … When angered or stressed, his symptoms became worse. Historians agree that this condition improved upon his accession to the throne. …. Claudius himself claimed that he had exaggerated his ailments to save his life. …. Gloomy, unpleasant [Tiberius] came to be remembered as a dark, reclusive and sombre ruler who never really wanted to be emperor; Pliny the Elder called him "the gloomiest of men". …. Seneca's Apocolocyntosis mocks the deification of Claudius and reinforces the view of Claudius as an unpleasant fool …. Suspicious death Tiberius died in Misenum on 16 March AD 37, months before his 78th birthday …. While ancient sources agree on the date and location of his death, contradictory accounts exist of the precise circumstances. Tacitus relates that the emperor appeared to have stopped breathing, and that Caligula, who was at Tiberius's villa, was being congratulated on his succession to the empire, when news arrived that the emperor had revived and was recovering his faculties. He goes on to report that those who had moments before recognized Caligula as Augustus fled in fear of the emperor's wrath, while Macro took advantage of the chaos to have Tiberius smothered with his own bedclothes. Ancient historians agree that Claudius was murdered by poison – possibly contained in mushrooms or on a feather (ostensibly put down his throat to induce vomiting) – and died in the early hours of 13 October 54. …. Nearly all implicate his final and powerful wife, Agrippina, as the instigator. Agrippina and Claudius had become more combative in the months leading up to his death. This carried on to the point where Claudius openly lamented his bad wives …. Funeral When Tiberius died, he was given a sumptuous funeral befitting his office, but no divine honours. Claudius's ashes were interred in the Mausoleum of Augustus … after a funeral similar to that of his great-uncle Augustus …..