Tiberius Nero
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with his son Tiberius
or his grandson Germanicus
, who both had the name 'Tiberius Claudius Nero' at one time or another.
Tiberius Claudius Nero (ca. 85 – 33 BC) was a member of the Claudian Family
of ancient Rome
. He was a descendant of the original Tiberius Claudius Nero a consul, son of Appius Claudius Caecus
the censor. His father Drusus Claudius Nero
served under Pompey
in 67 BC, battling the pirate menace, and was famous for recommending that the members of the Catiline Conspiracy be confined. His mother was a descendant of the Claudian Family. His family was republican
.
He was the father of the Roman Emperor
Tiberius
and Nero Claudius Drusus
, father-in-law to Antonia Minor
, grandfather to the Emperor Claudius
, Germanicus
, and Livilla
, great-grandfather to the Emperor Caligula
and Empress Agrippina the Younger
, and great-great-grandfather to the Emperor Nero
.
He served as quaestor
to Julius Caesar
in 48 BC, commanding his fleet in the Alexandrian War. He achieved victory over the Egyptian navy, and was rewarded with a priesthood. Caesar further charged him with Roman colonies in Gaul and in other provinces.
Despite his service with Caesar, he was a republican and optimate at heart. After Caesar's murder in 44 BC, when it seemed that the assassins were triumphant, he suggested that they be rewarded for their services to the state. But because of his previous alliance with the dictator, he was allowed to be elected praetor
in 42 BC.
Around this time, he married his relative Livia Drusilla, whose father Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus
was from the same gens. His son of the same name
was born 16 November 42 BC, at Fondi, Italy
. Shortly afterwards, the second triumvirate began to break down, causing a dangerous situation in Rome as the triumvirs went to battle with each other. Tiberius Nero was forced to choose sides, and in his distrust of Octavian
, he cast his lot with Mark Antony
. In 41 BC, he fled Rome with Livia and Tiberius in tow, joining Antony's brother Lucius in Perusia. Perusia was besieged by Octavian's men by the time Tiberius Nero arrived, and when the town fell in 40 BC, he was forced to flee first to Praeneste, and then Naples.
In Naples, Tiberius Nero tried in vain to raise a slave battalion against Octavian, and then took refuge with Sextus Pompey, who was then acting as a pirate leader in Sicily. Nero and family joined Mark Antony soon after in Achaea
.
In 40 BC, Octavian and Mark Antony finally reconciled. After 3 years of fleeing from Octavian, Tiberius Nero returned to Rome with his wife and the younger Tiberius, aged 3.
Legend says that Octavian, immediately after catching sight of Tiberius' wife, Livia, fell in love with her, despite the fact that he was still married to Scribonia. Octavian divorced Scribonia in 39, on the very day that she gave birth to his daughter Julia the Elder ( Dio Cassius 48.34.3). Seemingly around that time, when Livia was six months pregnant, Tiberius Claudius Nero was persuaded or forced by Octavian to divorce Livia. On 14 January the child was born, and was named Decimus Claudius Drusus, which was later changed to Nero Claudius Drusus
. Octavian and Livia got married on 17 January, waiving the traditional waiting period. Tiberius Claudius Nero was present at the wedding, giving her in marriage "just as a father would" (Dio Cassius 48.44.1-3).
As agreed, Drusus was taken to his father's home. Tiberius Nero raised and educated his sons. When he died in 33 BC, his sons went to live with their mother and stepfather. The younger Tiberius delivered his funeral eulogy.
In the future emperor Tiberius' coming of age, he staged 2 gladiator
ial contests, one at the Forum
and other at the amphitheatre, in memory of his father and grandfather.
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
or his grandson Germanicus
Germanicus
Germanicus Julius Caesar , commonly known as Germanicus, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a prominent general of the early Roman Empire. He was born in Rome, Italia, and was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle...
, who both had the name 'Tiberius Claudius Nero' at one time or another.
Tiberius Claudius Nero (ca. 85 – 33 BC) was a member of the Claudian Family
Claudius (gens)
The gens Claudia, sometimes written Clodia, was one of the most prominent patrician houses at Rome. The gens traced its origin to the earliest days of the Roman Republic...
of ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. He was a descendant of the original Tiberius Claudius Nero a consul, son of Appius Claudius Caecus
Appius Claudius Caecus
Appius Claudius Caecus was a Roman politician from a wealthy patrician family. He was dictator himself and the son of Gaius Claudius Crassus, dictator in 337 BC.-Life:...
the censor. His father Drusus Claudius Nero
Drusus Claudius Nero
Drusus Claudius Nero is the name of two prominent Roman citizens.* Drusus Claudius Nero I was a member of the Claudian Family of ancient Rome. He was a descendant of the original Tiberius Claudius Nero a consul, son of Appius Claudius Caecus the censor...
served under Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
in 67 BC, battling the pirate menace, and was famous for recommending that the members of the Catiline Conspiracy be confined. His mother was a descendant of the Claudian Family. His family was republican
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
.
He was the father of the Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
and Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus , born Decimus Claudius Drusus also called Drusus, Drusus I, Nero Drusus, or Drusus the Elder was a Roman politician and military commander. He was a fully patrician Claudian on his father's side but his maternal grandmother was from a plebeian family...
, father-in-law to Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor , also known as Antonia the Younger or simply Antonia was the younger of two daughters of Roman politician Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. Tacitus Ann. 4.44.2 and 12.54.2 may have confused the two Antonia sisters...
, grandfather to the Emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
, Germanicus
Germanicus
Germanicus Julius Caesar , commonly known as Germanicus, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a prominent general of the early Roman Empire. He was born in Rome, Italia, and was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle...
, and Livilla
Livilla
Livia Julia was the only daughter of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia Minor and sister of the Roman Emperor Claudius and Germanicus...
, great-grandfather to the Emperor Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
and Empress Agrippina the Younger
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
, and great-great-grandfather to the Emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
.
He served as quaestor
Quaestor
A Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
to Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
in 48 BC, commanding his fleet in the Alexandrian War. He achieved victory over the Egyptian navy, and was rewarded with a priesthood. Caesar further charged him with Roman colonies in Gaul and in other provinces.
Despite his service with Caesar, he was a republican and optimate at heart. After Caesar's murder in 44 BC, when it seemed that the assassins were triumphant, he suggested that they be rewarded for their services to the state. But because of his previous alliance with the dictator, he was allowed to be elected praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
in 42 BC.
Around this time, he married his relative Livia Drusilla, whose father Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus
Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus
Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus was a senator of the Roman Republic. He was born with the name Appius Claudius Pulcher, into the patrician family of the Claudii. According to Suetonius, Drusus was a direct descendant of the consul and censor Appius Claudius Caecus...
was from the same gens. His son of the same name
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
was born 16 November 42 BC, at Fondi, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Shortly afterwards, the second triumvirate began to break down, causing a dangerous situation in Rome as the triumvirs went to battle with each other. Tiberius Nero was forced to choose sides, and in his distrust of Octavian
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
, he cast his lot with Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
. In 41 BC, he fled Rome with Livia and Tiberius in tow, joining Antony's brother Lucius in Perusia. Perusia was besieged by Octavian's men by the time Tiberius Nero arrived, and when the town fell in 40 BC, he was forced to flee first to Praeneste, and then Naples.
In Naples, Tiberius Nero tried in vain to raise a slave battalion against Octavian, and then took refuge with Sextus Pompey, who was then acting as a pirate leader in Sicily. Nero and family joined Mark Antony soon after in Achaea
Achaea
Achaea is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is situated in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. The capital is Patras. The population exceeds 300,000 since 2001.-Geography:...
.
In 40 BC, Octavian and Mark Antony finally reconciled. After 3 years of fleeing from Octavian, Tiberius Nero returned to Rome with his wife and the younger Tiberius, aged 3.
Legend says that Octavian, immediately after catching sight of Tiberius' wife, Livia, fell in love with her, despite the fact that he was still married to Scribonia. Octavian divorced Scribonia in 39, on the very day that she gave birth to his daughter Julia the Elder ( Dio Cassius 48.34.3). Seemingly around that time, when Livia was six months pregnant, Tiberius Claudius Nero was persuaded or forced by Octavian to divorce Livia. On 14 January the child was born, and was named Decimus Claudius Drusus, which was later changed to Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus , born Decimus Claudius Drusus also called Drusus, Drusus I, Nero Drusus, or Drusus the Elder was a Roman politician and military commander. He was a fully patrician Claudian on his father's side but his maternal grandmother was from a plebeian family...
. Octavian and Livia got married on 17 January, waiving the traditional waiting period. Tiberius Claudius Nero was present at the wedding, giving her in marriage "just as a father would" (Dio Cassius 48.44.1-3).
As agreed, Drusus was taken to his father's home. Tiberius Nero raised and educated his sons. When he died in 33 BC, his sons went to live with their mother and stepfather. The younger Tiberius delivered his funeral eulogy.
In the future emperor Tiberius' coming of age, he staged 2 gladiator
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...
ial contests, one at the Forum
Roman Forum
The Roman Forum is a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum...
and other at the amphitheatre, in memory of his father and grandfather.