The Benefits of Tiberius Principate free essay sample

Assess the benefits that the Principate of Tiberius brought to Rome and the provinces in this period The Principate of Tiberius provided stability and prosperity to Rome and its provinces, consolidating the policies and practices established by Augustus. Tiberius worked cooperatively with the Senate and introduced reforms which benefited rule in the provinces and strengthened administration of the empire. While he provided careful oversight of the administration of the Roman Empire and the army, increasingly he sought to delegate his role.He distanced himself from the people with the introduction of the maiestas trials and from the central control of his government by retiring to Capri and relying on Sejanus for information. As princeps, Tiberius sought to restore the traditional rights of the Senate, consulting it on issues such as national revenue, troop movements, building, military commands and foreign policy. While he maintained control, Tiberius avoided intervening more than necessary and encouraged the senate to be an independent body, which was less dependent on the princeps. We will write a custom essay sample on The Benefits of Tiberius Principate or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This allowed him to be seen less like a dictator and to gain the respect of the people with their interests in mind. Tacitus mentions, â€Å"the consuls and praetors maintained their prestige†¦ the laws duly enforced†. However, Tiberius and the senate grew further apart as the senate struggled to act on its own initiative, Tacitus commenting they were â€Å"men fit to be slaves†. The senate became increasingly subservient to Tiberius, seeing him as hesitant and reserved in comparison to Augusts, which unnerved them.The senators also feared Sejanus, who had influence over Tiberius, and as a result the relationship between Tiberius and the senate was undermined. As Scullard describes, â€Å"Though at first the senate showed some real independence, it soon realised the risk of encroaching too far†. Understanding he wasn’t popular, Tiberius decided to safeguard himself against treachery and re-instituted the law of maiestas for his own security. Under this law, treason became an offense against the princeps who was regarded to represent the state. By these trials, he hoped to control the senators by fear and prevent them from expressing any opposing views.Even though Tiberius lost much of his initial respect for the senate, maintaining a workable relationship with them benefited the stability of the empire. Tiberius continued the policies Augustus had put in place, as well as introducing several beneficial reforms. He transferred the election of magistrates from the Popular Assemblies to the Senate and paid special attention to his choice of governors and civil servants, ensuring there was more control over who was given power and that they were in the position for a longer term, so they would be able to carry out their position successfully.This also allowed him to have control from a distance when he was in Rome dealing with the provinces and later when he retired to Capri. He was concerned with maintaining public order in Rome and Italy, and according to Salmon, despite his retirement to Capri â€Å"he neglected neither Italy nor the Empire. Even Rome, a place for which he entertained obvious dislikes†. Garzetti describes him as â€Å"a shrewd administrator, generous, but also economical†. In keeping the provinces stable, Tiberius aimed not at expanding the territory b ut putting money back into the already existing empire. When cities in the Asian provinces were destroyed by earthquakes, Tiberius made the inhabitants exempt from paying tax for five years, and he lent the treasury money from his own wealth. The provinces saw Rome cared for its subjects, and consequently Tiberius became very popular in the provinces. Tiberius provided large subsidies to lower grain prices, interest free loans to alleviate a financial crisis and reduced sales taxes. As well as this, he protected provinces from extortion by reforming provincial governments. Tiberius controlled finances leaving a large surplus in the treasury when he died.Cassius Dio explains â€Å"While expending extremely little for himself, he laid out very large sums for the common good†. Tiberius’s administrative policies and reforms were very beneficial to the prosperity of Rome and the provinces. One of the great benefits of Tiberius’ principate was that the empire wasn’t expanded but was consolidated. Following Augustus’ advice not to extend the empire beyond its present frontiers, except when necessary for security had meant that less troops were needed to maintain the borders and money wasn’t spent on wars.As a result, Tiberius was able to retain more money in the treasury to spend on Romanising the provinces and tying them closer to Rome. Tiberius strengthened the eastern frontiers of the empire with diplomacy rather than aggression and limited the annexation of client-kingdoms once they were Romanised. The army maintained strong allegiance to Tiberius throughout his reign, and as Tiberius had had a long and successful military career before being princeps was able to keep strict discipline amongst the legions.Scullard comments, â€Å"He was popular with the army†. Tiberius recruited soldiers from the Romanised people in the provinces a s well as the descendants of veterans as he felt the Italians who were enlisting were lazy. He also delegated any military campaigns to able generals though he took away the title of ‘Imperator’ to victorious generals, reserving it for members of the imperial family. Tiberius understood the benefits to the principate of maintaining control of a strong, well-trained army.One reform Tiberius introduced, where a permanent Praetorian Guard camp was established inside the walls of Rome, ended up having a negative impact on the principate. Previously, the guard was stationed in smaller separate camps, and by uniting them, they were much more conscious of their numbers and the power they held. Commander of the united Praetorian Guard, Sejanus, saw how his own position could be strengthened and sought to gain more influence over the princeps and the senate.Tiberius, who had a close relationship with Sejanus, didn’t realise Sejanus’ intentions of succeeding him as princeps, Tacitus mentioning â€Å"to Sejanus alone the otherwise cryptic emperor spoke fre ely and unguardedly†. When Tiberius discovered Sejanus was deceiving him, he had him killed. The influence of Sejanus over the senate and Tiberius effectively undermined the power of the principate and damaged the relationship between the princeps and the senate. Coming to power as an older man, Tiberius sensibly focused on consolidating Augustus’ rule and set about maintaining a peaceful and prosperous Principate.Keeping a cooperative relationship with the senate was crucial in allowing him to establish strong administrative, political and social reforms that ultimately benefited the people of the principate. By not expanding the frontiers Tiberius was able to focus on improving the existing territory and using a smaller army to uphold it. Enhancing the power of the Praetorian Guard and the outcome of the maiestas trials showed the weaknesses in Tiberius’ rule. However, throughout Tiberius’ reign he maintained fairly conservative policies able to benefit the people of Rome and the provinces.