Caligula (Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus) was a Roman emperor of the dynasty of Julius Claudius. He was the son of Germanicus and succeeded to Emperor Tiberius on the throne, ruling Rome between 37 AD and 41 AD. He was born 12 AD in Antium to Agrippina the Elder and 'Germanicus' Julius Caesar, who was a famous Roman General known for his military campaigns in the territories beyond the Rhine River. Caligula had spent his later teenage years living with his grandmother Antonia the Younger, daughter of Antony and Octavia, until he joined Tiberius in 32 AD on Capreae. In his grandmother’s home, with its eastern affiliations, he had associated with princes such as young Julius Agrippa of Palestine.
Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus received the sobriquet of 'Caligula' (Latin for “little boot”) because of the little boots of the soldier type he wore in his childhood. He strove to make his power unlimited and demanded that godly honors be bestowed on him. Caligula’s squandering of the state’s resources on triumphal ceremonies, games, and spectacles and on awards to the praetorian guard led to an exorbitant increase in taxes and to the confiscation of wealth, especially that of the senators. Caligula’s morbid suspiciousness, cruelty, and wild behavior aroused dissatisfaction in the Senate and in the praetorian command. He was murdered in the palace by the praetorian commander. Effectively, he was assassinated in the palace by the praetorian tribune Cassius Chaerea.
Government
Caligula began to become unpopular when he made the decision to launch grandiose public building activity, thereby rapidly emptying the treasury that frugal Tiberius had so carefully filled. The restraining influence of Antonia ended with her death at the beginning of May 37 AD, not two months after the accession. Then in October Caligula fell seriously ill, emerging from his recovery, many believed, with a deranged and diabolical mind. Although his brief reign reverberated with melodramatic unreality, perhaps too much has been made of a sudden change of character. More likely the illness reminded Caligula of his own mortality and suggested to him that others desired to step into his place. Caligula had focused his brief reign on personal amusements rather than laborious duties, though his huge expenditures did spur the sluggish economy; however, he should be credited also with starting two copious and useful aqueducts and other important construction projects.
As he immersed himself in the affairs of state, Caligula spread suspicion, fear, and discord in Rome's patrician population. The most famous story about the reign involves his beloved horse Incitatus. Identifying Incitatus as a reincarnation of Alexander’s celebrated horse Bucephalus, Caligula provided his steed with a luxurious stable and jeweled collar and toasted him from gold goblets, though we can discount the famous rumor that the emperor wished to give him a consulship. In 39 Caligula spent a fortune spanning the Bay of Naples with a two-mile-long bridge built on top of ships, across which the emperor paraded resplendent in the breastplate of Alexander, whose conquests he envisioned emulating.
Foreign Policy
Caligula gradually abandoned the policies of Augustus and Tiberius in foreign and provincial affairs. Thus the emperor allowed Parthia to dominate Armenia in exchange for acknowledging Roman interests in the east. Preferring client rulers to provincial governors in the eastern territories, Caligula gave his friend Marcus Julius Agrippa (Agrippa I) various holdings in Palestine, including Galilee, along with the coveted title of king. In contrast, his policy toward the friendly client kingdom of Mauretania in western North Africa appears bizarre and provocative. Caligula summoned and executed his cousin Ptolemy, king of Mauretania and son of Cleopatra’s daughter Cleopatra Selene. The emperor formally annexed Ptolemy’s realm as a province.
Assassination
Caligula's erratic behavior and increasing brutality engendered deep-rooted discontent. In January 41 AD, not long after returning from the north, Caligula fell to a conspiracy orchestrated by disgruntled army officers and senators. Even members of the Praetorian Guard endorsed the plot. An officer of the Guard, Cassius Chaerea, struck the lethal blow with his sword. The emperor had incensed Chaerea beyond endurance with obscene gestures, demeaning nicknames, and taunts about his high-pitched voice. Caligula's capricious and arbitrary policies had provoked the scorn of the political elite and had laid bare the extraordinary potential for unfettered despotism in the imperial office. In the popular imagination he became the archetype of the mad ruler, matched only by Nero.
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| Above, marble statue of Caligula in the Vatican's museum. |
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