This book focuses on the problem of succession of the imperial power under the Julio-Claudian dynasty. In the first part of the work, the author analyses the succession policy of the princeps from the first imperial dynasty. On the basis of numerous literary texts, numismatic and epigraphic sources, he tries to establish which roles separate members of the imperial family played in the dynastic plans of Augustus and his successors. The second part of the book concentrates on the mechanisms of taking over the imperial power during the reign of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Among other things, the author tries to find out which factors played a decisive role in electing next princeps from the dynasty and, what is more, what the model of appointing a new emperor looked like.