Editing Sejanus (section)

=== Consolidation of power ===
[[File:Tiberius NyCarlsberg01.jpg|thumb|upright|Bust of Emperor [[Tiberius]] ([[Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek]], [[Copenhagen]]). During the twenties Tiberius became increasingly disillusioned with Roman politics, and eventually withdrew to the island of [[Capri]], leaving the administration largely in the hands of Sejanus.]]

The loss of his son was a major blow to Tiberius, personally and politically. Over the years he had grown increasingly disillusioned with the position of princeps, and by sharing the [[Tribune of the plebs|tribunician powers]] with Drusus in AD 22 he had prepared to relinquish some of his responsibilities in favour of his son.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 3#56|III.56]]</ref> With these hopes now dashed, Tiberius left his administration more than ever in the care of Sejanus and looked toward the sons of Germanicus ([[Nero (son of Germanicus)|Nero Caesar]], [[Drusus Caesar]], and [[Caligula]]) as possible heirs.<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-8"/>

Germanicus had died in AD 19, in somewhat suspicious circumstances in [[Roman Syria|Syria]].<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 2#72|II.72]]</ref> Following his death, his wife [[Agrippina the Elder]] returned to Rome with their six children and became increasingly involved with a group of senators who opposed the growing power of Sejanus. Her relations with Tiberius became increasingly fraught, as she made it clear that she believed that he was responsible for the death of Germanicus.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#52|IV.52]], [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#53|IV.53]], [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#54|IV.54]]</ref> The climate was further poisoned by the hatred that Tiberius's mother [[Livia Drusilla]] (the widow of Augustus) felt for her, since Agrippina's ambition, to be the mother of emperors and thus Rome's first woman, was an open secret.<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-12">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#12|IV.12]]</ref> Sejanus saw Agrippina's sons Nero, Drusus, and Caligula as a threat to his power.<ref name="tacitus-annals-iv-12"/>

Sejanus again attempted to marry into the [[Julio-Claudian dynasty|Julio-Claudian]] family. Having divorced Apicata two years earlier, in AD 25 he asked to marry Drusus' widow Livilla, possibly with an eye towards placing himself, as an adopted [[Julian (Rome)|Julian]], in the position of a potential successor.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#39|IV.39]]</ref> The emperor denied this request, warning Sejanus that he was in danger of overstepping his rank.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#40|IV.40]]</ref> Alarmed by this sudden denigration, Sejanus changed his plans and began to isolate Tiberius from Rome. By fueling his [[paranoia]] towards Agrippina and the Senate, he induced the emperor to withdraw to the countryside of [[Campania]], which he did in AD 26, and finally to the island of [[Capri]], where he lived until his death in AD 37.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#57|IV.57]], [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#67|IV.67]]</ref>  Sejanus easily controlled all information that passed between Tiberius (guarded by the Praetorians) and the capital.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 4#41|IV.41]]</ref>

Despite the withdrawal of Tiberius from Rome's political scene, the presence of Livia seems to have checked Sejanus's overt power for a time. According to Tacitus, her death in AD 29 changed all that.<ref name="tacitus-annals-v-3">Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 5#3|V.3]]</ref> Sejanus began a series of purge trials of [[Roman Senator|senators]] and wealthy equestrians in the city, removing those capable of opposing his power as well as extending the imperial (and his own) treasury. Networks of spies and informers brought the victims to trial with false accusations of [[treason]], and many chose suicide over the disgrace of being condemned and executed.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-4">Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#4 LVIII.4]</ref> Among those who perished were [[Gaius Asinius Gallus]], a prominent senator and opponent of Tiberius who was linked to Agrippina's faction.<ref name="dio-history-lviii-3">Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/58*.html#3 LVIII.3]</ref> Agrippina and her sons Nero and Drusus were arrested and exiled in AD 30, and later starved to death in suspicious circumstances.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'', [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#23|VI.23]] – [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#25|VI.25]]</ref> Only Caligula, the youngest son of Germanicus and Agrippina, survived the purges of Sejanus by moving to Capri with Tiberius in AD 31. His three younger sisters, [[Agrippina the Younger]], [[Julia Drusilla|Drusilla]], and [[Julia Livilla|Livilla]], also all survived the purges of Sejanus.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[wikisource:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 6#3|VI.3]]</ref>