Tiberius, who was emperor from 14 to 37 AD, began his reign after the death of his father-in-law, Augustus. Tiberius was a weak ruler and he understood that ruling Rome was like “holding a wolf by the ears.” When conflict broke out in Europe, Tiberius sent his nephew, Germanicus, to deal with it. Germanicus did his job, causing Tiberius to fear the new war hero. To avoid this problem, Germanicus was appointed governor of the remote eastern provinces by his uncle. After Germanicus' sudden death, it was believed that Tiberius had poisoned him. He denied this, but the accusations never stopped. When he needed advice, Tiberius sought help from Sejanus, a cavalry officer and city cheat. Tiberius sought help from Sejanus, a cavalry officer. Sejanus abused the trust placed in him and began pursuing potential threats. Germanicus' family was rumored to be plotting against Tiberius, and Sejanus had them all killed, sparing only his youngest son, Caligula. Tiberius does nothing, moving around and cutting himself off from social contacts. In Capri. Tiberius, who was now safe from danger, only allowed Sejanus to visit him regularly. While most believed that Sejanus would turn against him, Tiberius did the unexpected. He turned against Sejanus and chose Caligula, Germanicus' only surviving son, as heir to the throne. Taking care of Sejanus, Tiberius sent a letter to the Senate condemning the cavalry officer. They captured him, strangled him and threw his body into the Tiber. Tiberius died in 37 AD. After the death of Tiberius, Caligula, who reigned from 37 to 41 AD, ascended the throne. Caligula kept his promises when he began to rule. Not only did he allow those who had been exiled... middle of paper ... to carry out their duties. During his reign, Elagabalus' grandmother conspired against him, promoting her cousin Alexianus. Elegabalus adopted his cousin and continued to remarry, hoping to have a child who would become his heir. As a last resort, Elagabalus attempted to have Alexianus, who was now Alexander, murdered. His attempts failed and ultimately, Elagabalus and his ally, his mother, were murdered, their bodies thrown into the Tiber and their memories forgotten. www.luc.edu/roman-emperors/commod.htm#N_6_ http://www.roman-empire.net/highpoint/commodus.html http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04166a.htm http:/ /www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/titus_domitian.html http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/nero.html http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire /caligula.html http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/tiberius.html