Caligula was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 37 to 41. He was initially popular but became a dangerous and possibly insane despot after falling ill. He was criticized for his unsuccessful military campaigns and attempts to present himself as a deity. He was assassinated in 41 by a centurion of the Praetorian Guard. Stories of his cruelty and madness have contributed to his infamous reputation.
Caligula is the nickname of the third Roman emperor, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, who reigned from AD 37 until his death by assassination in 41. Although popular early in his reign, Caligula would undergo a change in personality after a serious illness just a few months after gaining the throne, becoming a dangerous and possibly insane despot.
The emperor and the Senate were in the midst of a protracted political dispute of unclear origin by the year 39, and he became hugely unpopular. Outlandish stories of his excesses, including incest, bestiality and the appointment of his horse to Consul, abounded, and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction in the early accounts of his reign.
Caligula was the great-grandson of the first Roman emperor, Augustus. His father, Germanicus, was the commander of the Roman forces in Germany, today’s Germany, and the army adopted the young Caligula as its mascot. His nickname means “boots” and refers to the miniature military uniform he was often dressed in. Although Germanicus was poised to succeed Tiberius as emperor, he died in 19. Twelve years later, after spending his childhood in the care of various relatives, the 19-year-old Caligula went to live with his adoptive grandfather Tiberius on the island of Capri.
Tiberius was fond of Caligula and made him an honorary quaestor in 33. When Tiberius died in 37, Caligula became the new emperor to the delight of the Roman people. He was almost universally loved during the first few months of his reign, and when he fell ill in October, widespread mourning ensued. The emperor made a full recovery, although illness may have led to later insanity. It is unclear when or how gradually the change in Caligula’s governing style occurred, but by the year 39, public opinion regarding the emperor had reversed.
Caligula and the Senate became rivals. The emperor was criticized for his unsuccessful military campaigns in the north and his attempt to tax things like marriage. His attempts to present himself as a deity were also unpopular.
Augustus had instituted the imperial cult, in which the Roman emperor was deified, during his reign, but Tiberius did not promote it heavily. Under Caligula, the Imperial Cult was revived, but modified to make Caligula himself divine, while Augustus had denied such power, specifying rather that divine spirits surrounded him because he was the emperor. Caligula required personal worship and had the faces on statues of gods and goddesses throughout the empire replaced with his own likeness. This policy caused problems especially on the eastern fringes of the empire, as it conflicted with the monotheism of the Jews.
Cassius Chaerea, a centurion of the Praetorian Guard, led a group of guards in assassinating the emperor in 41. It was not the first attempt on Caligula’s life. According to various Roman accounts, Chaerea’s motives were either personal or political, perhaps a combination of both. Caligula would regularly humiliate Cherea by calling him demeaning names and referring to a wound Cherea sustained in his groin. The assassins shot Caligula while he was giving a speech to a group of actors, and his wife and infant daughter were also killed.
Outrageous stories of Caligula’s cruelty, depravity, and madness made their way into the works of Roman historians such as Suetonius, and have contributed to the popular view of the emperor ever since. In modern popular culture, his name is synonymous with sadism and excess. While some of the stories regarding Caligula’s insane behavior are nothing more than gossip, most historians agree that he was, at best, inept as a ruler.
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