One story claims that he once called his Consuls to his room in the middle of the night and forced them to watch him sing and dance while barely dressed. Only after Caligula suffered a near-fatal illness seven months into his reign did his personality and ruling style change dramatically, Dando-Collins posited. Gaius Caesar Germanicus, better known as Caligula, was 24 years old when he became the third Roman emperor in 37 A.D. Caligula insisted that every Roman take an official oath of allegiance, not just to himself, but also to his sisters (remember some of the rumors about ol Little Boots and his sisters?). Despite his noted cruelty, Caligula did manage to complete some crucial building projects that his predecessor Tiberius had ignored. Caligula apparently also enjoyed performing and liked to show off whenever possible. Caligula lies dead in the foreground after having already been executed, while his wife and daughter are murdered beside him. Early in 40 Caligula marched with an army into Gaul, whose inhabitants he plundered thoroughly. We can thank the Roman historian Suetonius for the eroticism of the 1979 movie. Before he took the throne, the astrologer Thrasyllus made a prediction that Caligula had no more chance of becoming emperor than of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baiae. Caligula set out to prove the man a fooland he went to desperate lengths to do so. The former could still very much be pinned on Caligula, as the tyrannical ruler had a way of intimidating people to death. But if you thought the rumors about Caligula were bad, you should hear the disturbing things we know for sure. This horse had his own home. Gaius and his three sisters survived. Tiberius, Augustus stepson, had little desire to become emperor. Theres Nothing in the Rulebook That Says A Horse Cant Be Consul, Caligula could be utterly monstrous in his dealings with humans, but that doesnt mean he disregarded. Caligula (2) But his insanity, coupled with his power as Emperor of Rome, would secure him a most unusual legacy. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Apart from the early months of his reign and some innovative public infrastructure initiatives, he was a disaster as an administrator and leader., Caligula indeed became cruel, capricious, and, yes, crazy.. Rachel Seigel is an avid reader and book enthusiast with over 15 years of experience writing. Roman Emperor Caligula Incitatus (Latin pronunciation: [ktats], meaning "swift" or "at full gallop") was the favourite horse of Roman Emperor Caligula ( r. 37-41 AD). Caligulas first years in office were a wild ride, but nearly everything he did had one thing in common: they were expensive. She then starved herself to death while in prison, four years before her son Caligula came into power. About halfway through his reign, Caligula broke with the senate and started using every opportunity to humiliate them. Just like that. Aside from the obvious political motivations, Chaerea had a personal vendetta against the emperor as well. Eventually, when the crowds at chariot races supported teams other than his favorite Blues team, he spoke, only half-jokingly, of executing the lot of them.. 7) Creating an Imperial Brothel. Rumors suggested that he talked to the moon at night and invited her to his bed. As one might expect from such Hollywood fare that admittedly is more avant-garde than say, Stanley Kubricks Spartacus, the film is riddled with inaccuracies which Dando-Collins has no qualms in pointing out: The 1979 film was produced and co-written by Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione, who set out with co-writer Gore Vidal to make it as gory and sexually titillating as possible. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. Caligula apparently also enjoyed performing and liked to show off whenever possible. They brutally attacked everyone around, conspirator or otherwise. Tiberius was responsible for wiping out most of Caligulas family, but when the emperor offered to make Caligula his heir, the boy wasnt about to say no! He also had his father-in-law and brother-in-law executed, and his two living sisters exiled. In addition, Caligula maintained sexual relations with her sister's husband Marcus Lepidus and the actor pantomina Mnester. 7. And as you can imagine, his choice wasnt exactly humble. He also apparently suffered from faintness throughout his lifeperiods where he was incapable of almost any effort. According to the ancient historian Suetonius, the Roman emperor known as Caligula loved one of his horses, Incitatus, so much that he gave the steed a marble stall, an ivory manger, a jeweled collar and even a house. As Caligula became more unhinged, the aging emperor commented, I am nursing a viper in Romes bosom He didnt even know the half of it. How did Caligula become emperor? Caligula gave his horse his own multiple-room house, complete with furniture and a crew of slaves who were ordered to follow the horse's every command. By all accounts, Caligula wasnt a particularly formidable figure. The next year, Caligula moved in with the aging Tiberius, who gleefully indulged his great-nephews worst habits, commenting that he was nursing a viper in Romes bosom.. So Caligula, who now had access to absolute power, discovered new ways to secure funds. Others thought that after his illness he was mad; however, much evidence of this is suspect and somee.g., that he made his horse consulis untrue. The second lover was the Emperor's favorite, and also the best dancer of his time. WATCH: Full episodes of Colosseum online now. Believing He Had Extraordinary Powers, He Declared Himself An Immortal God, 11. According to multiple Roman sources, Caligula treated his favorite force, Incitatus, better than most people. Germanicus brought Gaius Caesar Germanicus, as young as three, along with him on his military campaigns. Persichini. How did he get the name of Caligula? Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. He does not know yet hes about to be named the new emperor. As Caligulas tyrannical reign flew wildly out of control, a secret plot was hatched to have him killed. He once declared to the Senate that hed be moving to Egypt because, in Egypt, Caligula asserted, hed be worshipped as a living god. Uncovered during the 1920s and 30s, they had mostly been destroyed during the Second World War, but a lead pipe was found bearing the inscription Property of Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.. Previously she has worked in both curatorial and educational roles, discovering how stories and history can really enrich our experience of art. Although his excessive architectural ambitions ran Rome into debt, he successfully oversaw the completion of important Roman buildings. He was so obsessed that sometimes he even slept in the stables with the horses! Unsurprisingly, insulting the most powerful person on earth had dark consequences. In 38 he executed Naevius Sutorius Macro, prefect of the Praetorian Guard, to whose support he owed his accession, and Tiberius Gemellus, grandson of Tiberius, whom he had supplanted in the succession. He may have fooled around with his favorite sister Drusilla as a teenager, but even that is debatable., Caligula was far from a fair ruler, Dondo-Collins maintained. And while he complained about the rulings of the Senate, he never overturned those rulings, even though he had the power to do so.. The Inspiring Story Of Joe Medicine Crow, The Plains War Chief Who Fought The Nazis During World War II, Robert Hansen: The Alaskan Serial Killer Who Hunted His Victims Like Animals, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. (Some scholars think his wife Agrippina, granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus, chose the getup to emphasize her familys imperial pedigree.) In the final years of his reign, Tiberius let Rome fall apart while he relaxed in his pleasure palace on Capri. Hey, Ive got a ton of junk around thats never been hit by lightning, I wonder if hed be interested in any of it. Simple: they drained the lake! Thin, pale, and covered in large amounts of fine hair, Caligula was not blessed with natural good looks. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. However, evidence of the emperors extravagant lifestyle has surfaced at Lake Nemi, where workers salvaged two massive pleasure bargescomplete with marble dcor, mosaic floors and statuesin the late 1920s and early 1930s. He also rebuilt the walls at the temples of Syracuse and built a city in the Alps. By the time Caligula died, he was so hated that the Senate pushed to have him completely erased from Roman history. She went out on campaigns with his father, the beloved general Germanicus, and served as his advisor. He called himself Jupiter, after the Roman King of the Gods, and made senators refer to him as such. One writer described him as the first emperor who everyone in the Empire lovedif only they had known what was coming. He was succeeded as emperor by his uncle Claudius. After the death of Emperor Caligula (37-41 CE) and his family at the hands of the Praetorian Guard, the future Emperor Claudius was found quivering behind a set of curtains, fearing for his own life, and named emperor.Historian Cassius Dio wrote: "At first the soldiers, supposing that he was someone else or perhaps had something worth taking . Conflict erupted at the highest ranks of Roman societyand the aftermath was absolutely brutal. Strangely enough, the final moments of Caligula (real name Gaius Julius Caesar) looked a whole lot like the final moments of his ancestor, Gaius Julius Caesar. He dissolved pearls in vinegar for sustenance, gave his horse a jewel-encrusted collar, and declared war on the ocean the legends are endless. Stories surrounding the life of Emperor Caligula, Romes third, 1. Caligula was tall, pale and so hairy that he made it a capital offense to mention a goat in his presence. The future emperors famed history of incest is believed to have started during this time. He allegedly liked to spread gold coins all over the ground and walk on them with his bare feetsome stories even say he pulled a Scrooge McDuck and waded in them like water. He soon became one of the most hated people in the entire empire. When asked whether Richard Nixon or Dick Cheney would be apter leaders, the author disagreed and provided some context regarding the two figures. Tiberius agreed, and Augustus diedcompletely unaware that his best-laid plans were about to go down in flames. Indeed, at some point in his reign, Caligula was said to have been plagued with headaches. He made pretensions to divinity and showed extravagant affection for his sisters, especially for Drusilla, who on her death (in 38) was consecrated Diva Drusilla, the first woman in Rome to be so honoured. Caligula. But did you know that one of his most trusted advisors was a horse? His recorded symptoms suggest he did in fact suffer from bipolar disorder, Dando-Collins reported. Caligulas mother and brothers were accused of treason, and all died in prison or exile. Tiberius bolstered Caligulas ego by making him an heir to the throne and exposing him to scenes of torture and brutality, venomously claiming he was nursing a viper in Romes bosom.. He executed his cousin and adopted son, Tiberius Gemellus. His nickname "Caligula" translates to "Little Boot." DeAgostini/Getty ImagesCaligula lies dead in the foreground after having already been executed, while his wife and daughter are murdered beside him. During his short reign, Caligula emerged as one of the most dominant leaders of Rome's early emperors.