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What effect did the treason trials have on Tiberious' reign? The treason trials form a sinister part of Tacticus' account of the reign of Tiberius, his purpose being to show the gradual degeneration of the
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What effect did the treason trials have on Tiberious' reign? The treason trials form a sinister part of Tacticus' account of the reign of Tiberius, his purpose being to show the gradual degeneration of the reign into tyranny. Treason was one of the earliest crimes subject to Roman law, but the definiton of the crime of treason (maiestas) was never precise. For example, Cicero believed that it was an attack on the dignity, or greatness or power of the people or of those to whom the people had given power. Tacticus defined it as an 'official misconduct damaging the Roman state, such as the betrayal of an army or incitement to sedition'. When Tiberious was asked by a praetor in AD 15 'whether cases under the treason law were to receive attention', he replied that 'the laws must take their course'. Since no precedent had been set up by Augustus, the cases which...
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