Caligula

Caligula Murder Was the Case . . . From Hero to Zero in Four Short Years

What We Know About His Reign  Tacitus’ account of Caligula’s rule is missing  Historian Suetonius has an account  Writers agree that his downfall was caused by insanity

Early Years  Born on 31st of August in AD 12  Nicknamed Caligula = “little boot”  Soldier’s footware = caliga  Spent time on military campaigns  Soldiers are calmed by the sight of him after Augustus dies

Family Ties  Nephew of Tiberius  His father was Germanicus (Augustus’ adopted grandson), who died of mysterious circumstances in AD 9  Mother was Agrippina (Augustus’ granddaughter) 

Exiled on an island by Tiberius and died of starvation

 His brothers Nero and Drusus were killed at Tiberius’ order (starvation/suicide/poison…?)

Ascent to Power  Joined Tiberius on Capri in AD 31  Tiberius dies in AD 37  Gaius becomes emperor 

Orders the bones of his mother and brothers back to the Mausoleum of Augustus

Kind and Generous  Recalls those exiled from Rome

 Drove perverts from the city

 Dismissal of criminal charges

 Honored Tiberius’ will

 Cash bonus to Praetorian Guard (1st time)

 Fantastic spectacles for entertainment

 Reimbursed those overcharged by tax system

 People were happy . . . At first

Madness Follows  Caligula begins to behave as though he is insane  Demands divine honors for himself and Druscilla  Roman troops ordered to collect sea-shells  Wants a statue of himself in the temple at Jerusalem

More Madness  Treats Druscilla as if she is his wife (favorite sister)  Made senators run for miles alongside his chariot 

Resentment: they were not used to an emperor in Rome anymore

 Spent 27 million gold pieces  Britain invaded? (Julius Caesar had invaded 90 years before, but left) Seashells?

Even more…  Ordered a pontoon bridge built across a Bay at Baiae and rode his favorite horse across it, wearing the breastplate of Alexander the Great.   

Like Xerxes crossing the Hellespont He couldn’t swim A soothsayer of Tiberius had said that Caligula had as much chance of being emperor as swimming across that bay.

Planned to make his horse a consul

Brought an obelisk back from Egypt

Assassination  Praetorian Guard decides to kill Caligula  24 January AD 41 he is killed along with his wife and daughter  Claudius found behind a curtain and is proclaimed emperor by the Praetorian Guard

Conclusion  The fact that Caligula was murdered underscores the fact that this was a fullblown monarchy  Giving up your power = death