10. Tiberius's rule was so tyrannical that the Roman people rejoiced at his death. Who was his nephew and adopted son, a military commander and popular candidate to succeed his domineering uncle?
From Quiz Emperors of Rome (Part I)
Answer:
Germanicus
Germanicus was the people's choice to succeed or usurp Tiberius, and his army staged a mutiny in Germany, in which they murdered Roman centurions and urged Germanicus to seize the throne from Tiberius. However, he refused, and reportedly he threatened suicide to force his men's loyalty to the emperor, which showed his soldiers that he was perhaps not suited as a commander - apparently, one man offered his own sword for the deed, proclaiming it was sharper than Germanicus's own! Germanicus died suddenly in Syria, and it was suspected that the governor, Piso, had poisoned him on instruction from Tiberius; Piso himself was then found dead, having "committed suicide" following a visit by Sejanus, the commander of the Praetorian Guard.
Germanicus's death devastated the people, for Tiberius severely lacked the desired qualities when it came to interpersonal political relations. He deemed the Senate "men fit to be slaves" (according to historian Tacitus) and invoked the "lex maiestatis", which was a law against treason, for which the guilty were beheaded. Tellingly, whoever accused someone found guilty would gain a share of his estate, and the law was much abused in Tiberius's reign. Tiberius spent his final years as a recluse, having become very paranoid. He died of natural causes, amid rumors that Sejanus's successor had suffocated him.