Caligula (37 AD to 41 AD)

The Roman emperor Gaius ,better known to history as Caligula,is one of the famous figures that ever lived.His numerous debaucheries and insane acts are stories that have been told and retold throughout the many centuries since his violent and bloody death.Caligula ,however,has the bad luck of being the least doccumented Julio Claudian emperor and what we do know about him comes mainly from the unreliable stories of Roman writers like Seutonius and Tactius.

Gaius was born on August 31 in the year 12 AD.All sources indicate that he was probably born at the Julio Claudian resort of Antium.He was the third of six children born to Germanicus and Agrippina the Younger.He was the grandson of the emperor Augstus on his mother's side and of Livia on his fathers.As a baby he accompanied his mother and father on millitary expeditions in the north and became the love of the troops.The soldiers used to dress him in a minniture army uniform and little army boots (or Caliga) and paraded him around the camp.Young Gaius was over spoiled by the troops and ,as a result,became quite demanding and overbearing.

His childhood was far from happy and the young Gaius spent most of his young life "amid an atmosphere of paranoia, suspicion and murder."A number of personal tragedies befell Gaius when he was very young.In 19 AD his father died of mysterious circumstances which led to a strained relationship between his mother and the emperor Tiberius.As a result of this trouble between Agrippina and Tiberius, Gaius who was now a teenager was sent to live with his great grandmother Livia in 27 AD until she died two years later.After the death of Livia,Caligula then lived with his grandmother Antonia.Just before the fall of Sujanus,Caligula was summoned to Capri where he would live with the ailing emperor until his death a few years later.

Caligula was already quite corrupted when he arrived at Capri due to the tragedies that he had lived through.The old and debauched Tiberius saw this in the young Gaius and is reported to have said "I am rearing a viper for the Roman people" upon making him his heir.During his time on Capri with the emperor,Agrippina and Gaius's two brothers suffered imprisonment and later death by Tiberius.During his time on Capri,Caligula held no major office except an honorary quastorship in 33 AD.

In the year 37 AD Tiberius fell ill and subsequencely lapsed into a coma.There is a story that says that after the emperor had supposedly died and Caligula was being congratulated on his new position when Tiberius awoke.The story goes that Caligula had his chamberlain ,Macro,smoother him with a pillow.This story is most likely a piece of propoganda however and never really occoured.

To complicate things for Caligula, Tiberius had made him joint heir with his grandson, Tiberius Gemmellus.To solve this problem ,Caligula has Tiberius's will declared null and void on grounds of insanity.The people had welcomed Caligula with open arms being that he was a son of the legendary Germanicus whom everybody loved.Also,to the people,Caligula represented a fresh new outlook because for the past 22 years they had suffered under the antisocial Tiberius.Along with this great popularity, Caligula had enherited a huge treasurey from Tiberius due to his stingy spending (which he totally wiped out in a matter of months).Caligula seemed to have everything going for him but in less than four years he would lie dead in a palace corridor.

Upon his entrance into Rome,the new emperor was greeted to scenes of wild rejoicing as it looked like the dark times of Tiberius were over forever.In fact,his first few months of rule showed great promise as he showed some good political judgement and ruled well.Among his early acts,he paid Tiberius's debts and gave the Praetorian guard a large bonus.Caligula ,by doing this, gave the first "donativum" to the soldiers in the history of Rome.Also,he paid honour to his dead family who had suffered under Tiberius.He even went to the islands where his mother and brothers died in exile and retreived their remains which he brought to Rome for a proper burial.He also destroyed Tiberius's personal papers which implicated the Roman upper class in the destruction of Gaius's family.His last good act is that he recalled all exiles and compensated those who had been wronged by the tax system of Tiberius.

After about six months stable rule something inside of Caligula went strangely wrong and he became the tyrant that he is today. According to legend,Caligula came down with a horrible disease which put him in a coma and when he woke up he was not the same.There are many theorie as to why Caligula lost control and they range from a real illness to corruption by power but at any rate he became feared and hated almost overnigh and became the epitome of the ancient tyrant.

He immediately had Tiberius Gemmellus killed to get rid of any possible rival to the throne.As well,he had always had a passion for his sisters and had incestous sex with them.He had a special interest in his sister ,Drusilla, whom he actually married and got pregnant.Drusilla however died early on in his reign was consequently diefied as a goddess.After the death of his sister,Caligula married Julia Claudilla who died young and after her death he attended a wedding where he ran off with with the bride, Livia Orestilla,whom he divorced after a few days.Soon after ,he married the rich Lollia Pollina before divorcing her and finally marrying a woman named Milonia Caeconia in 38 AD.Caeconia was pregnant at the time of the marriage and Caligula took the child as his own because he believed it must be his because she was so mean with the other kids.Also,Caligula often engaged in homosexual sex with men, most notably the Greek actor Mnster and his brother inlaw Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.

Also,he once built a giant bridge across the Bay of Napels and he rode across it in his chariot wearing the breastplate of Alexandar the Great.As well ,he made his favourite race horse ,Incatitus, a senator and furnished the horse with every possible luxury that could be afforded a nobelmen.It is said that Caligula did this solely to insult the senate whom he hated deeply.He also believed that he was a god and had statues of himself put in temples all over the empire,including the Temple of Jupitor in Rome.

He thought of himself as the equals to the Olympian gods and even conversed with them.

Unfortunately these crazy actions were not Caligula's worst acts and he did much to oppress the Roman people.After a few months Caligula had spent all of the treasury that Tiberius had left on extravagent and wasteful things and acts and ,as a result, had to find other forms of income to support his wild spending.One way he did this was to raise the taxes and to introduce more to the people.He also revived the treason trials of Tiberius and he had anyone accused of blasphemy put to death and took all of their wealth.Also,he made it manditory that all nobels must bequeth their whole estate to him upon their deaths so these men of ten died under quick and unexplained circumstances.It is said that when a supposedly rich man died without having no money, Caligula said "Oh dear,he died in vain."Caligula had spent in a few months what it took Tiberius 22 years to collect.

Due to the shortness of his reign,it is difficult to really examine Caligula's policies in great deteal but his reign is noted for a few accomplishments.It was during his reign that Mauretiana was annexed and made into two provinces.Also,Herod Agrippa (the grandson of Herod the Great) was made the king of Palestine.More famous ,however, are his activities on he northern frontier of the empire.It is believed that he had planned an invasion of the island of Britain and even started construction of a lighthouse to help in the invasion.However,the story goes that Caligula got the soldiers to march all the way into the water and collect seashells which were "spoils of the sea."He then had Gauls dressed up as Romans at his triumph over this "great" event.

After many cospiracies on his life ,Gaius was finally brought down on January 24 in the year 41 AD.This plot to assinate him was hatched between officers of the Praetorian Guard over personal reasons as they were probably insulted by the emperor in some way.This conspiracy was lead by the Praetorian Prefect ,Cassius Chaerea, whom Caligula had offended deeply on many occasions.It is believed that this conspiracy had the support of some prominent senators and freedmen within the palace.Also,there is the unlikely story that Caligula's uncle and successor Claudius had something to do with the conspiracy.

The conspirators struck down the pitiful emperor in a secluded hallway in the palace and it is said the job was very poorly done and that he died a miserable death.Caeconia and the infant child were murdered as well.