Gaius "Caligula" Germanicus
12 AD- 41 AD
Early LIfe
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was born on August 31, 12 AD in Antium(now Anzio,Italy). He was the child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder and the nephew of Tiberius. He spent much of his early years with his father on the German frontier where he was given the name "Caligula" which means "little sandal" because of the miniature army sandals he wore.
Rise To Power
When Caligula was in his late teens his parents were arrested and killed by a praetorian named Sejanus, which made Caligula one of the main successors to emperor Tiberius. In 32 AD Caligula moved to the island of Capreae to live in the emperors residence. During his time in Capreae he was assigned as joint heir to the throne along with Tiberius Gemellus but with Caligula being older and more fit to rule it was clear who would be the new emperor upon the death of Tiberius. Eventually Tiberius, in his age, became unhealthy and was thought to have died. However he recovered very soon after Caligula was crowned emperor at which point Caligula had Tiberius smothered to death.
Reign
In thirty seven AD Caligula was coronated in Rome in front of a massive crowd of Roman citizens. During the first six months of Caligula's reign he was considered to be a great emperor almost universally due to the generous amounts of money he would give out and his political prowess. However Caligula fell ill less than a year into his rule and after recovering was almost a completely different person. He would execute anyone who disobeyed him or even questioned his rule and he forced his closest friends and family members to kill themselves. Also due to his excessive donations he eventually caused the government to go bankrupt. At which point he decided that instead of toning down his spending he would just kill wealthy praetorian's and take their money.
Facts
-He spent a lot of the empires money on construction projects like the Temple of Augustus(shown above)
- Before he died he launched Rome's invasion of the British isles
-He was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
Quotes
"Let them hate me, so long as they fear me"
"Would the people of Rome had but one neck, I would slit it"
"I live" his dying words.