How did the Roman tyrant Caligula die

Speaking of the ancient Roman emperor Caligula, whether tyrannical or not, compared to Tiberius, Claudius, and even Nero, Caligula can be said to be completely useless. At least the first three of them have some extraordinary qualities. And Caligula’s incest, cruelty, abnormality, and incompetence, among others, only took three years to squander his father’s glory and become notorious. Tracing back to the roots, Caligula, who had an unhappy family and grew up in obscurity, was actually a little brat. Being in the center of power turned the brat’s stubbornness into a disaster.
If a person gains the world but loses their soul, what else can they have
Those who have watched ‘Romance of the Roman Empire’ are probably familiar with Caligula. This movie has been banned for a long time, and you can probably guess the reason, so I won’t go into too much detail.
However, it should be emphasized that “Caligula” is not the real name of the third emperor of the Roman Empire. His real name is Gaius Caesar Augustus, the youngest son of Octavian’s adopted grandson Germanicus and Octavian’s granddaughter Agrippina.
Before the death of Germanicus, Gaius’ childhood was happy. His father was unanimously loved by the Roman military and civilians, and was regarded as the most suitable candidate to inherit the throne; His mother and two brothers love him very much; Even the soldiers in his father’s camp put him on special military boots and affectionately called him “Caligula” (meaning small military boots).
My father’s premature death made all of this disappear.
In the year 19 AD, after the violent death of Germanicus in Egypt, Caligula, who was only seven years old, returned to Rome with his mother who believed that her husband had died in a conspiracy between Emperor Tiberius and the Egyptian governor Piso. From then on, young Caligula lived in a growing environment where his mother Agrippina and nominal grandfather Tiberius had a deteriorating relationship.
After the death of Empress Dowager Livia, Tiberius began domestic violence against the wife and children of Germanicus: Agrippina the Great and her eldest son Nero were exiled on charges of conspiring to overthrow the country, her second son Dursus was imprisoned in the basement of the palace and died of hunger strike, and Caligula, the son of Germanicus, was also summoned by the emperor to Capri Island for nearby surveillance.
The years spent with Tiberius on Capri Island were undoubtedly a terrifying time. Faced with this’ grandfather ‘who caused the destruction of his family, Caligula showed extreme respect and obedience, never mentioning the persecution his family suffered.
The endless palace conspiracies and political struggles made Tiberius more suspicious and suspicious in his later years, even resorting to cruel means to deal with political enemies. However, the old emperor never killed his grandson who was not his biological child.
After Tiberius passed away at the age of 79, the Senate disregarded the will of the former emperor, which required his grandson Tiberius to co rule with Caligula, and transferred all power to Caligula. For the Roman people who were already tired of Tiberius, there was nothing more joyful than the son of Germanicus becoming their new emperor.
Amidst the nationwide cheers, 24-year-old Caligula inherited a vast empire.
Although Tiberius did everything he could, his disdain for pleasing the Senate and the people ultimately left him with a bad reputation. At the beginning of his reign, Caligula spared no effort to please his subjects in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the previous emperor:
He abolished the business tax and “whistleblowing” system, pardoned all those who had been sentenced to exile in the past to show his mercy and tolerance, changed the restrictions on public entertainment imposed by the previous emperor, and held a large number of carriage races, gladiatorial contests, and various stage performances to win the favor of the people
All of this made the new emperor unanimously loved by the Roman people. Five months after ascending the throne, Caligula, who was only 25 years old, was granted the title of “Father of the Nation” by the Senate, which Tiberius never received throughout his life.
The young emperor was intoxicated by his achievements, forgetting the importance of the business tax levied to raise defense funds for national defense and finance, as well as the huge expenses incurred by excessive entertainment events. However, this was temporarily obscured by the huge inheritance of 2.7 billion sestertius left by Tiberius.
Just as Caligula was surrounded by unprecedented honor and power and feeling proud, a sudden illness struck.
The high fever lasted for a full seven months before the emperor woke up from a long nightmare. Based on Caligula’s future actions, we have reason to believe that this serious illness has had a huge impact on him.
Witnessing the cruelty of palace struggles and the desolate and lonely late stage of the late emperor Tiberius, Caligula’s heart was shrouded in the shadows of death and betrayal. He began to worry about gains and losses, fearing that he would be betrayed and lose everything he had now.
After his sister Drusilla, whom he had an improper relationship with, passed away, this sense of fear grew day by day. It was under this psychological domination that Caligula never returned on the path of death.
The first to suffer are the Senate and the powerful.
After Caligula ascended the throne, he abolished the “whistleblowing” system that had caused the elders to change their minds during the late reign of Tiberius, and publicly destroyed all whistleblowing documents. Now he has taken out copies of these destroyed materials and cursed all the senators for their shameful actions in the past (he had sworn not to even look at these things back then) in the Senate.
Not only that, he also ordered the deprivation of the noble symbols of many prestigious families and nobles, brutally killing the elders who opposed him. Even his father-in-law and the eunuch Marco, who had helped him ascend to the throne, were executed by the suspicious emperor on unfounded charges.
The huge financial burden brought by entertainment events has finally overwhelmed the national treasury. In order to continue to meet the entertainment needs of himself and the Roman people, Caligula did not hesitate to levy excessive taxes:
He amended the law of inheritance, stipulating that Roman citizens must add the name of the emperor to their heirs, otherwise the entire estate would be confiscated. At the same time, he ordered the imposition of fuel taxes and taxes on prostitution and other prostitution industries. He even started selling the furniture and jewelry of the palace.
The original intention of gladiatorial and chariot races was to win over the people, but the arbitrary increase in taxes for fundraising undoubtedly had a great negative impact on the lives of various classes in Rome, especially ordinary civilians.
Even if he offended the Senate and the Roman people, with his identity as emperor and son of Germanicus, he could at least receive support from the army. However, Caligula was determined to walk down the path of death until the end.
Driven by a momentary impulse, he deployed troops across the empire in an attempt to personally lead his army to conquer the Germanic people and establish military achievements. However, he abandoned this idea before the war truly began. In order to cover up his fruitless expedition, Caligula returned to Rome in a “little triumph”. This series of absurd actions not only worsened the already precarious national treasury, but also undermined the emperor’s credibility in the military.
In diplomacy, due to Caligula’s recklessness and arrogance, the relationship between Rome and Parthia (the Parthian Empire) remained tense, and Jewish dissatisfaction with Roman rule deepened, laying the groundwork for the later Jewish uprising.
In just three years, Caligula had pushed the Senate, the people, and the army all against him. The emperor, who was greatly loved at the beginning of his reign, had become a lone figure betrayed by the masses.
On January 24, 41 AD, Caligula was assassinated by the captain of the Imperial Guard, Cassius Caria, in the palace corridor at the age of 28. His queen and daughter were also killed. The Senate, upon learning of the emperor’s death, intended to take the opportunity to restore the republic, but under the threat of swords and knives from the guards, they were forced to agree to continue supporting the imperial system.
The debate over whether Claudius was involved in the coup to assassinate Caligula has also sparked debate among later generations, as he was indeed the biggest beneficiary in terms of the outcome.
After Caligula’s death, people reacted coldly, without tears or cheers. His body was not buried in the Augustus Mausoleum, but was buried by his sisters who came back from exile.
Caligula’s life was tragic, as this naive young man only saw Tiberius’ coldness and criticism, ignoring the fact that he left behind a strong and prosperous empire. He tried his best to gain the support and love of his subjects, but his immature and absurd actions backfired, ultimately leading to his downfall and leaving history with nothing but endless ridicule.