Caligula was not really necessary and, to someone with his upbringing, ‘unnecessary’ meant ‘disposable’. [137], All surviving sources, except Pliny the Elder, characterize Caligula as insane. [32][33] Philo describes the first seven months of Caligula's reign as completely blissful. In Roman political culture, insanity and sexual perversity were often presented hand-in-hand with poor government. Caption: C. CAESAR AVG. Morgan, "Caligula's Illness Again", CW 66(1973), 327–29. Then there was Nero, whose orgies and tyrannical excesses were notorious. Suetonius’s account of Caligula was written decades after the emperor’s death during the reign of Hadrian, and some of its details do seem to have been deliberately shaped to suit Suetonius’s picture of Caligula as a deranged lunatic. IMP. [113], Caligula's actions as emperor were described as being especially harsh to the Senate, to the nobility and to the equestrian order. An experienced officer in the Praetorian Guard, he had served on the Rhine and prided himself on his sense of honour. At one point, Caligula declared to the Senate that he would be leaving Rome and moving to Egypt, where he would be worshipped as a living god. IMP. A few of the contemporaneous historians are known by name. Agrippina was banished by Caligula for her connection to Marcus Lepidus, who conspired against him. Alexander Thomson. While the reliability of these sources is questionable, it is known that during his brief reign, Caligula worked to increase the unconstrained personal power of the emperor, as opposed to countervailing powers within the principate. The historian Tacitus was born 15 years after Caligula died. Suetonius. It is not the action of an utterly insane man, but of a despot who was telling his government, that really, they were no more effective than a pampered pet. [13][14] Suetonius writes that after the banishment of his mother and brothers, Caligula and his sisters were nothing more than prisoners of Tiberius under the close watch of soldiers. After this, the sources focus upon his cruelty, sadism, extravagance, and sexual perversion, presenting him as an insane tyrant. But like many other veteran figures in Rome’s political classes, Chaerea was increasingly disturbed by the tone of life under the nihilistic young Caligula. [18] Suetonius claims that Caligula was already cruel and vicious: he writes that, when Tiberius brought Caligula to Capri, his purpose was to allow Caligula to live in order that he "prove the ruin of himself and of all men, and that he was rearing a viper for the Roman people and a Phaethon for the world. The ships were among the largest vessels in the ancient world. (probably Res Civium Conservatae, i.e. Additionally, the historians who wrote them are described as biased, either overly critical or praising of Caligula. [67] He ordered a new set of investigations and trials. [24], In 35, Caligula was named joint heir to Tiberius's estate along with Tiberius Gemellus. [70] A conspiracy involving his brother-in-law was foiled in late 39. [31] Suetonius said that over 160,000 animals were sacrificed during three months of public rejoicing to usher in the new reign. Some modern historians think that Caligula suffered from hyperthyroidism. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Archaeologists unearth place where Emperor Caligula met his end", "The True Colours Of Greek and Roman Statues By Archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann", "Caligula's tomb found after police arrest man trying to smuggle statue", "Roman Empire Caligula The Mad Emperor Netflix release date, cast, trailer, plot", "The Smiths – Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now", The portrait of Caligula in the Digital Sculpture Project, Caligula Attempts to Conquer Britain in AD 40, Entdeckung der blauen Grotte auf der Insel Capri, Capri Hollywood International Film Festival, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caligula&oldid=990875908, Roman emperors murdered by the Praetorian Guard, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2008, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Articles needing additional references from September 2020, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Caligula is a character in the 2015 NBC series, "It's Just My Little Tribute to Caligula, Darling!" One coin of Caligula (AD 37–41), and two coins of Nero (AD 54–68). [7] Gaius, though, reportedly grew to dislike this nickname. Caligula had the heads removed from various statues of gods located across Rome and replaced them with his own. [100] Once, at some games at which he was presiding, he was said to have ordered his guards to throw an entire section of the audience into the arena during the intermission to be eaten by the wild beasts because there were no prisoners to be used and he was bored. and actually appointed him a priest. Tacitus provides some information on Caligula's life under Tiberius. [79] "Seashells", or conchae in Latin, may be a metaphor for something else such as female genitalia (perhaps the troops visited brothels) or boats (perhaps they captured several small British boats). According to historian Aloys Winterling, author of “Caligula: A Biography” (2011), insanity isn’t the only logical explanation for such behavior. [94] As a result, riots broke out in the city. [119] Caligula considered Chaerea effeminate because of a weak voice and for not being firm with tax collection. For Gaius Caesar became  “Little Boots” or Caligula. Caligula’s divinity was mutable. Caligula was a childhood nickname that stuck – much to his chagrin. When even he repeats something as hearsay, it is time to be very wary. And, of course, he was stark, raving mad. [67] He replaced the consul and had several senators put to death. Additionally, there are only limited details on later significant events, such as the annexation of Mauretania, Caligula's military actions in Britannia, and his feud with the Roman Senate. A centurion was sent to kill Caligula’s wife, Caesonia, while his infant daughter, Julia Drusilla, was murdered by having her “brains knocked out against a wall”. Istanbul Museum. Fabius Rusticus and Cluvius Rufus both wrote condemning histories on Caligula that are now lost. [101] In this context, Philo wrote that Caligula "regarded the Jews with most especial suspicion, as if they were the only persons who cherished wishes opposed to his". [43], During the same year, though, Caligula was criticized for executing people without full trials and for forcing the Praetorian prefect, Macro, to commit suicide. [70] Soon afterwards, the Governor of Germany, Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Gaetulicus, was executed for connections to a conspiracy.[70]. [61] He had planned to rebuild the palace of Polycrates at Samos, to finish the temple of Didymaean Apollo at Ephesus and to found a city high up in the Alps. During his reign, the empire annexed the client kingdom of Mauretania as a province. [94] As a result, riots broke out in the city. [134] Nonetheless, these lost primary sources, along with the works of Seneca and Philo, were the basis of surviving secondary and tertiary histories on Caligula written by the next generations of historians. Caligula even donned a woman’s gown and slippers when he became Venus. This indicates a certain intelligence, self-restraint and a well-developed survival instinct. [154], Quadrans celebrating the abolition of a tax in AD 38 by Caligula. He installed extreme fear amongst the senate, as he was able to use these laws against individual members. [70] Soon afterwards, the Governor of Germany, Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Gaetulicus, was executed for connections to a conspiracy.[70]. "[53] Furthermore, Alston points out that Caligula's successor, Claudius, was able to donate 15,000 sesterces to each member of the praetorian guard in 41,[26] suggesting the Roman treasury was solvent. [87] It is said that he wished to be worshipped as Neos Helios, the "New Sun". He would also reportedly force senators to run alongside his chariot dressed in their full robes.

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