Caligula, Roman Empire

After the death of Tiberius, a young man named Gaius, son of the fantastically popular general Germanicus, ascends to the position of emperor. He is now better known by a nickname he received on campaign with his father: Caligula, a diminutive form of the latin noun “caliga” (a soldier’s sandal) - a good English translation of his name would be something like ‘Little Boots’. 

All the accounts that we have from later Roman historians stress two main themes with Caligula: tyranny and madness, but in the early part of his reign, Caligula was popular with the Roman people, thanks to his lineage.

However, after recovering from a long illness, during which he suspected poisoning, Caligula quickly shows himself an unpredictable, capricious and malevolent ruler.  He begins passing a series of bizarre and repressive orders, including (according to Suetonius) making references to goats in his presence a capital offence (Caligula was embarrassed about his hairy body apparently).

Romans had traditionally been afraid of the power of kings, but Caligula goes beyond this and presents himself as a god. He stands in front of his own temple, next to a life-size golden figure of himself, he demands that all address him as Jupiter. He has the costliest, most exotic birds sacrificed in his honour: peacocks from India, flamingos from Africa, black grouse from the wilds of Caledonia. He even claims to be able to talk to the gods, carrying on secret conversations with Jupiter in front of awkwardly shuffling senators. 

Beyond these shocking displays of megalomania, Caligula seems to have taken delight in torturing his subjects. He has aristocrats run beside his chariot in their togas, or makes them pretend to be animals. He invites fathers to dine with him the night after he’s ordered the execution of their sons. He treats all below him with contempt and cruelty.

Caligula’s paranoia makes Tiberius seem laid back and carefree. Important men and women are executed on the slightest, flimsiest suspicion of treason. He becomes the first emperor to begin ruinously expensive projects and games. At these games, when there are no more criminals to execute, he has random spectators thrown into the ring, to be eaten by wild beasts. 

He also administrates the empire with shocking incompetence. He antagonises the Jews of Jerusalem with a plan to install a statue of himself in their temple, almost inciting a full scale rebellion. Then, he declares war on the god Neptune, sending a legion to whip the sea and collect seashells as spoils. Caligula’s orders are erratic and confusing, given and rescinded on a whim, taxes are hiked to pay for personal extravagances, whilst the day-to-day administration of the empire is ignored. It becomes clear: Rome is ruled by a madman.

Eventually, Caligula’s antics come back to bite him. One of his favorite targets is the head of his imperial guard (the Praetorians), Cassius Chaerea, whose high-pitched voice he relentlessly mocks. The guards and senators, who are also tired of being humiliated by the young emperor, hatch a plot, and one day, as Caligula leaves the theatre, he is cornered in one of the many long, isolated corridors of the imperial palace and stabbed to death. His body is unceremoniously dumped in the Tiber. Caligula is the first Roman emperor to be assassinated, but he will be far from the last.

The reign of Caligula is presented to us as the embodiment of all the fears the Romans had surrounding unchecked power. He totally disregarded the principles of restraint and respect established by Augustus, he refused to play the game of wielding absolute power whilst allowing the Roman elite to save face by pretending to share it. He seems to have gone out of his way to terrorize and humiliate any who was under his power. If there is anything to rehabilitate young emperor Caligula, it is that the histories of his reign were written under later emperors who had usurped power from the Julio-Claudians and had every incentive to demonise their predecessors.

To avoid chaos, the title of princeps must be passed on quickly. And it is, that very evening, when the Praetorians come across a relative of the late emperor trying to hide from the chaos engulfing the palace. The cowering and terrified man is dragged to his feet and named emperor. And so begins the reign of Claudius, the fourth Julio-Claudian.