Caligula.

Caligula was the son of Germanicus and Agrippina.

Caligula became very popular very quick.

He stopped the use of paid informers, and he introduced great public games and shows.

Unfortunately he became ill in 38. He almost died, but unfortunately he survived. When he recovered he was no longer a

human.

He thought, that his illness had made him a god.

Now Caligula started to use the paid informers, he had surpressed before his illness.

Caligula murdered many people and forced even more to commit suicide, and he gave the Palace Guard passwords

like "I love you" or "Kiss me sweetie".

He also made his horse a senator.

At last Caligula had gone too far. He had turned the palace into a brothel, and he had used senators’ wives to fill it.

I can very much recommend you to see the BBC series "I, Claudius" by Robert Graves. Beside that Derek Jacobi, Sian

Philips, and Brian Blessed are fantastic in the main parts as Claudius, Livia, and Augustus, John Hurt is masterly insane as

Caligula.

Then in 41 he was killed by some Roman senators, and other important men, when he way on his way out of the circus.

However the Palace Guard knew that without an emperor, there would be no need for them, and therefore they started to

rob the palace..

Then they found an old man behind a curtain. It was Caligula’s old uncle Claudius. Claudius was an old who was known

as an idiot, and generally seen as the family embarresment, was hailed as emperor by the Praetorian Guard.

 

Claudius.

 

Back to the index.