Germanicus

-Augustus was dead, and Tiberius had taken his place as Princeps of Rome.
-Immediately, the legions began grumbling because they wanted to get paid and wanted money or something.
      -Began to actually mutiny in 14 AD!
         -Many believed that Tiberius wouldn't be able to fill Augustus' shoes and that the regime would collapse, so this was his trial by fire!  However, it seemed like this idea was mainly held by the older generation who believed that Rome would ultimately return to being a republic.  However, the younger generation had experienced 44 years of Augustan rule.  Living under an absolutist regime was normal to them, and life had been good.
            -Furthermore, Tiberius actually tried to stay out of the limelight and political games and showmanship, and actually wanted to give some of the power back to the Senate.  He even refused the title of "princeps" which had been given to Augustus.
            -He actually expected the Senate to do some shit on their own, but they kept on deferring to him, to his annoyance.  He felt that the Senate had just turned into a social club for rich old men, nothing more.
         -The rebellion began in the province of Pannonia and had begun to run amok in the countryside.
            -Tiberius sent his son Drusus to go and deal with it (along with the Praetorian Lucius Aelius Seianus (or just simply "Sejanus").
               -Drusus tried to reason with them, and finally convinced them to chill the fuck out.
-After the Pannonian mutiny calmed down, another military rebellion broke out along the Lower Rhine.
   -This time, Tiberius sent his adopted son and nephew, Germanicus (originally born .
      -Germanicus was the fucking man!  He was popular, a chill bro, a natural leader, and a badass soldier.
         -Germanicus' family:
            -Agrippina (the Elder), his wife
            -Gaius (Caligula), his son
            -Agrippina
      -The rebellious soldiers tried to get Germanicus to join them, promising to topple Tiberius and enthroning Germanicus in Tiberius' place, but Germanicus refused.
         -Instead, he promised that Rome would pay them, treat them better, etc.  However, when delegates from the Senate arrived to check out the situation, the rebels attacked them!
            -This pissed off Germanicus, but he was able to calm down the rebels again by paying them their salaries out of his own pocket.  He then also allowed those who had served for more than 16 years to be honorably discharged and retire.
               -He also held inspections/investigations for EACH soldier, and expelled any who were deemed to be troublesome or unworthy of service.
-All of this stuff kind of pissed off Tiberius because Germanicus was acting without consulting him, but also maybe he was just jealous because Germanicus was more popular :D
-15 AD- Germanicus decided to have the troops do something to keep them busy, so he sent them on patrols across the Rhine.
   -He promised them that that any plunder would be theirs to keep, since the bonuses they had been promised became nullified when Augustus died.
      -The excuse for the attack, of course, was for the Romans to take revenge for the slaughter they had experienced in Teutoburg Forest.
   -At this time, this particular area of Germania was divided between random tribes friendly to Rome, neutral Bohemian tribes, and the hostile Cherusci and their allies in the center, led by Arminius.
      -The Germans typically would fight until overpowered and then disappear back into the forest.
         -The Romans eventually got sick of this shit and retreated back across the Rhine for the winter after almost being defeated!
-16 AD- the Romans once again tried to have a go at Arminius, and after a couple of battles they actually managed to injure Arminius, but still couldn't capture/kill him.
   -Frustrated, Germanicus ordered the return of his troops back across the Rhine for the winter.  However, this time around he decided to take a different route, sailing the river into the North Sea and then using the North Sea to sail back to Gaul.
-All of Germanicus' actions pissed off Tiberius, but also frightened him.  Germanicus had become too OP and was also disrupting his vision of having the empire's territory end at the west bank of the Rhine.
   -Of course, he was also jealous of Germanicus' popularity with the troops and the general public.
   -Tiberius formed a plan- he would recall Germanicus, promote him, and them keep him close to monitor him.
      -So, Germanicus returned home to a triumph arranged by Tiberius, including a display of 2/3 Roman eagle standards that had been lost during the previous Roman wars with the Germanic hordes.
   -Tiberius then told Germanicus that he was to be promoted to proconsul and would be in charge of overseeing the Eastern provinces.
      -Surprised, Germanicus accepted this promotion.
-Tiberius then appointed an asshole dude named Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, a former consul, as governor of Syria, and gave him four legions (possibly to counterbalance Germanicus and his growing power).
   -Some sources even speculate that it was Piso who eventually would have Germanicus assassinated, but there is no proof of this.
   -It is true though that Piso undermined Germanicus at every turn.
-It's around this time that Tiberius seems to have finally blown a fuse. 
   -He found out that Germanicus had taken a trip to Egypt, which was considered personal property of the Roman princeps and required the princep's approval for a Roman senator to enter (a rule established by Augustus).
      -When Germanicus arrived in Antioch in 19 AD, he suddenly became sick.  There was also alleged evidence of Roman black magic found!
         -Before Germanicus died, he told his family not to pursue justice for his death because Tiberius was dangerous and would probably just have them all killed if they did so. 
            -After dying, Germanicus' body was cremated.
-Agrippina then brought the ashes of Germanicus back to Rome and immediately began to raise hell about the conspiracy theory surrounding her husband's death.
   -Tiberius responded by denying everything and allowing for there to be an investigation. 
      -Piso returned from Syria and was tried before the Senate.  Although he was suspected of being guilty, Piso "committed suicide" before he could confess.
         -Agrippina's conspiracy theory was widely believed by the Roman public, and this was the beginning of public disdain for Tiberius.