Countless leaders took over the Roman Empire, one of the greatest civilizations ever seen in human history, but none of them could go down in history as indelibly as Caligula. Caligula is one of the first emperors of Rome and ruled for a very short time, but he managed to write his name in history in a terrible way because he was a complete psychopath.
Caligula was actually an ordinary boy, and after he became emperor, he achieved successful business. But during the first years of his reign, he fell ill and, according to historians, went truly insane from that day forward. He did not love anyone around him, except for the horse he even tried to make consul, and he tortured them greatly. Let’s take a closer look at Caligula and see his strange behavior that made him history.
Who is Caligula? Younger son of a Roman commander:
Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, with his birth name, was born on August 31, 12 AD, in the city of Antium, within the borders of the Roman Empire. His father is the famous Roman general Germanicus. They lived in an outpost area near the Rhine where his father was stationed, and at an early age he was given the nickname Caligula, which means little boot in Latin, as he dressed as a soldier and walked among the soldiers like a mascot.
Even when the Roman Emperor Augustus was alive, the heir to the throne was being discussed, and the Germanicus family was among the heirs. Tiberius took the throne, and Caligula was sent to live with his grandmother. But this was not an exile, Caligula was loved. After the intrigues, Tiberius died on March 16, 37, and the Roman throne was emptied.
Caligula ascends the throne as Rome’s third emperor:
When Tiberius died, he left Caligula as heir and his own grandson, Tiberius Gemellus. It is said that the head of the guard corps smothered Tiberius Gemellus with a pillow so that Caligula, who was loved by all, could ascend to the throne. Caligula ascended the throne as the third emperor of the Roman Empire on 28 March 37 AD. He was announced as the people’s favorite emperor.
Caligula; He increased the guard’s salaries, abolished treason cases, summoned deportees, pardoned those who were victims of the tax system, expelled sex offenders, found gladiator fights barbaric, started many important construction services, i.e. he did many works that were pleasing to the public. He became an emperor loved by everyone because he was already related to Julius Caesar by blood.
The emperor, beloved of the people, went completely insane because of his illness:
Caligula, such a great leader, suddenly fell ill in October 37. It is said that because Caligula drank a lot, bathed a lot, and had a lot of sex, he caught some kind of virus and got sick because of it. According to historical records, this disease was so severe that for almost two years, Caligula did not even leave his room.
It is not known exactly what happened in those two years, but in 39, our baby, our star, Caligula, who the people call our star, began to exhibit strange behavior. He fired anyone around him, forcing senators to run alongside the carriage in parades. The things he did became not even cruel, but utterly insane.
The Gallic expedition was the ultimate proof of Caligula’s insanity:
It is not known whether there was still a sane side in Caligula or the commanders of the time were good, but even when he was sick, many turmoil in the region was suppressed, ports were developed and maritime trade was improved, Egyptian imports were increased, countless public works were successfully completed. Despite everything, Caligula seemed to be doing well.
Then the Gallic campaign began. Caligula humiliated the Gallic soldiers he had taken prisoner, in defiance of the Roman morality of war. As if that wasn’t enough, he took his own soldiers to the beach and collected shells as trophies. The details of the incident and why he did it are unknown, but according to historians, this was the biggest proof that he was truly insane.
Some of Caligula’s misdeeds are black marks of history:
It is said that he was sexually insane and had many heterosexual as well as homosexual relationships. Let’s say these are his private life, the disgusting incest with his three sisters. Not only did he take the wives of the members of the Senate by force, and worse still, the wives of the members of the Senate were literally auctioned off and sold to the highest bidder.
It is said that he walked around the corridors of the palace at night, wearing clothes that contradicted even the Roman morals of the period, and ordered the sun to rise. It is said that he opened a brothel in the palace, kept the wives of the members of the senate here, had intercourse with their husbands so that they could see them, and told those who did not see them for a long time. Let’s just talk about what else there is, for now.
A god trying to make his horse consul:
We’re sure none of you will be surprised, Caligula has declared himself a god. He even declared his sister, with whom he had an incestuous relationship, to be a goddess and ordered all Roman women to pray to him. Caligula often said he could do whatever he wanted and shouted that he didn’t care if people hated him as long as they were afraid of him.
His horse, Incitatus, was perhaps the only thing Caligula loved. He had a special barn made of marble and a manger made of gold for him. Caligula, who also wore a necklace full of ornate jewels, unique in Rome, said that he would make him consul to the Senate. Its details are unknown, but there are some who say that his relationship with his horse has more perverted details.
Finally someone is killing this maniac:
Of course, there is no democracy, no elections; The only way to get rid of a maniacal emperor is to kill him. Caligula survived numerous assassinations. It is thought that the God complex has already emerged after these salvations. Finally, on January 24, 41, Caligula was killed on the spot by 30 stab wounds by his own guards.
Was Caligula really a bad person?
Those who know Caligula’s childhood and early teenage years say that his insane behavior was due to his illness. There are different theories, such as he had brain fever, had meningitis, had epilepsy, and had inflammation in his brain. However, the common belief is that he behaved this way because of his illness. So if there was a can of antibiotics at that time, Caligula might not have been such a person.
Answering the question of who is the Roman Emperor Caligula, one of the greatest mental patients in history, we talked about extraordinary details about his life. Let Caligula be an example to all of us, so that we can appreciate modern medicine.
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