The name of Caligula, who lived from 12 to 41 CE, has traditionally been associated with self-indulgence, cruelty, and madness. His reign as emperor of Rome lasted less than four years.
Hopeful Beginnings
Caligula’s real name was Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. Caligula was a nickname, meaning "little boot." It was given to him by Roman soldiers when he was a child because he wore shoes that were similar to a legionary’s caliga, a sandal or boot.
Caligula was the great-nephew of the emperor Tiberius, who named him as his heir. Caligula became emperor in the spring of 37 CE, two days after the death of Tiberius. Romans were at first delighted to have a new, young emperor. Tiberius, despite having kept the empire stable over a reign of twenty-three years, had been seen as a miser and was very unpopular among the common people. Caligula made a promising start, abolishing taxes and vowing to cooperate with the Roman senate.
Illness
Six months into his reign Caligula fell seriously ill. He may have suffered a nervous breakdown or been afflicted by epilepsy, no one can be sure. Whatever the cause, when he recovered in November 37, he was a changed man. He became increasingly afraid of plots against him and began ordering the execution of anyone he suspected of disloyalty. His fondness for lavish living increased, and he began to raise money by confiscating land and property.
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THE ANCIENT ROMAN WRITER SUETONIUS DESCRIBES CALIGULA IN HIS BOOK LIFE OF CALIGULA: He was very tall and extremely pale with an unshapely body, but very thin neck and legs. His eyes were hollow, his forehead broad, his hair thin and entirely gone on the top of his head, though his body was hairy. Because of this, to look upon him from a higher place as he passed by… was treated as a capital offense.
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Caligula left Rome in September 39. His intention was to conquer Britain. The expedition failed owing to poor discipline and organization in the army. The army never left the coast of northern France.
End Game
In the final months of his brief reign, Caligula apparently believed himself to be a god and talked to statues of Roman gods as if he were their equal. Whether this was true madness or an example of his dark sense of humor will never be known. However, a plot was hatched to murder him, and he was stabbed to death in January 41. His wife and daughter were killed later the same day. Caligula’s name was then removed from official records, and his statues were pulled down.
Fairly Remembered?
Caligula’s reign is full of contradictions. Was he mad, or was his odd sense of humor distorted by his enemies to make him appear mad? He certainly spent a great deal of money on lavish living, but he cannot have drained the state funds dry, because Claudius, his successor, found them quite healthy when he became emperor. Although Caligula had lost the support of the senate by the end of his reign, the common people were angry at his murder. The truth is that Caligula was probably far too young and inexperienced to cope with the pressures of being emperor. Perhaps history’s judgment of him has been too harsh.
