He ruled briefly from March of 37 AD to January of 41 AD, but in that four year period developed a reputation as the most depraved, ruthless, ambitious, corrupt monarch the empire ever saw.
Many historians consider him just mad; others point the finger at his inexperience in world affairs. In both cases the authorities point to his upbringing as the cause.
Early Life of the Future Emperor
Caligula, whose full name was Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, was born on August 12 AD near today’s Anzio. He was the third child of Augustus’ granddaughter Agrippina and Germanicus, Augustus’ adopted grandson. He was the first direct descendant of Augustus to take the throne. As a child, young Gaius went along with his father in military operations to Germany. He was dressed in a little Roman soldier uniform, which included a small armor and boot, the caliga. The soldiers nicknamed him Caligula or small boot. He developed a strong dislike for the moniker.
He was seven when his father died under mysterious circumstances and then his mother’s relationship with the emperor Tiberius, his grand uncle, deteriorated for the ruler, fearing a possible rival, repudiated all attempts by Agrippina to remarry. Eventually Agrippina and Caligula’s brother Nero, were accused of treason and exiled. Gaius, by then a teenager, was taken in by his grandmother, Livia, who was also Tiberius’ mother. When Livia died in 29 AD, Caligula was sent to live with his grandmother Antonia. The following year, Nero either committed suicide or was starved to death and Caligula’s other brother, Drusus Caesar, was accused of treason and jailed.
Tiberius Shows Mercy to Caligula
It is not understood why Tiberius did not only spare the boy, but took him under his wing on 31 AD and appointed him to a minor, honorary financial affairs supervisor position. Caligula lived at Capri for the next six years.
In that time, Caligula learned that his life was in Tiberius’ hands and served him well while befriending the head of the powerful Praetorian Guard. Caligula was also married, but his wife died during childbirth. In 33 AD Tiberius selected his grandson Tiberius Gemellus and Caligula as his coheirs. When the emperor died four years later, Caligula promptly had Tiberius Gemellus declared insane and had himself named emperor.
Caligula Becomes Emperor
There was great rejoicing in Rome, for Caligula’s father, Germanicus, had been widely admired and, simply, because he was not Tiberius. The young emperor responded in kind putting on spectacular gladiatorial games, ending Tiberius’ treason tribunals, granting bonuses to the military, allowing exiles to return and helping the poor.
The cheerfulness didn’t last long. On October of his first year of reign, 37 AD, Caligula fell ill and almost died. The philosopher and historian Philo of Alexandria contends that the cause of the illness were Caligula’s excesses: too much alcohol, food, sex and warm baths, but it is not clear what was the ailment.
No sooner had Caligula’s health improved that he forced Tiberius Gemellus to kill himself, cast out his wife and murdered numerous of his most loyal followers. His initial largesse had contributed to a financial crisis that became full blown in 39 AD. Caligula began levying new taxes including a tariff in the prostitution trade; arresting and even killing prominent Romans in order to confiscate their assets; asking the public for loans and even auctioning the lives of gladiators during the games.
Although he embarked on many public works that pleased the Romans and extended the empire to Mauretania (today’s western Algeria and northern Morocco), his private construction projects and Caligula’s increasing authoritarianism deteriorated his rapport with the Senate to the point where various plots to assassinate him were planned.
The conspiracies fed the emperor’s mistrust and he began executing anybody remotely opposed to his wishes. In addition he began to represent himself as a deity appearing in public on various occasions as Mercury, Apollo, Hercules and even Venus. He demanded to be worshiped as a living god and caused public disorders in Palestine when he tried to have a statue of himself set up in the Temple of Jerusalem.
Furthermore, historians of the time, accuse Caligula of incest with his three sisters as well as prostituting them; killing for entertainment; orgies, and trying to appoint Inciatus, his horse, a consul a n a priest.
By the end of 40 AD there were numerous conspiracies at different levels of the Roman power structure – from the Senate to the local constabulary – to murder the emperor. However, it was the group lead by Cassius Chaerea, a former centurion under Tiberius and now an officer of the Praetorian Guard - that got to Caligula. With two other guards, Cassius Chaerea, felt upon Caligula at the palace and stabbed him to death. The praetorians also killed the emperor’s fourth wife and his infant daughter. Caligula was buried in the mausoleum of Augustus.
To this day, the reasons for Caligula’s behavior, whether physical or mental remain unknown.
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Ivan Castro - Ivan Castro, a former reporter for The Miami Herald, is a free lance writer specializing in History and Archeology.
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