Monday, March 21, 2022

Caligula - the reign of the madman emperor

 When young Caligula took power over the empire, many placed their trust in it. Everyone remembered the reign of terror and was fed up with the disliked emperor Tiberius. However, after a short period of restoring justice, the emperor began to fall into madness. His most infamous decisions and dissolute life have made him go down in history as one of Rome's most cruel and hated rulers.

The youngest son of the Roman leader Germanicus was born Gaius Iulius Caesar Augustus Germanicus in 12 CE. It was the 39th year of Octavian Augustus' reign and a relatively quiet time for the recently established empire. However, the country grew and troops were needed at the border. It was not a time of peace for the Germans.

Soon after Gaius was born, the whole family moved with the legions to the Rhine, where order had to be kept. Only Germanicus was able to deal with the rebellion in the Roman ranks and continue the conquests.

Here the family had its best years and probably the only happy period in the life of the future emperor. Germanicus' youngest son was adored by his parents and soldiers. It was then that he gained the nickname Caligula, which means "shoe". The little boy was dressed in a matching legionnaire outfit, with miniature "caligae" sandals, typical of Roman soldiers.

In 14 CE Emperor Augustus died, and his place was taken by the Germanic's uncle (and at the same time adopted father) - Tiberius. As a result of marriages, blood ties, and acts of adoption, the entire family of Caligula consisted of potential candidates for the successor of the emperor. Although it was undoubtedly an honor for the ambitious, it brought them more misfortune than benefits.

Caligula was only seven years old when in 19 CE his father died. According to Suetonius, he was poisoned on the orders of the then emperor Tiberius. This is not out of the question, considering that Germanicus was adored throughout the empire, and after Augustus' death, the legions tried to elevate him to the imperial throne. After the death of Germanicus, his wife Agrippina with six children returned (unfortunately) to Rome.

In Rome, Agrippina came into conflict with Tiberius. The emperor did not want to allow her to marry again because he was afraid of a new rival. Finally, in 29, she was accused of treason and exiled with her eldest son Nero. The latter probably committed suicide. The second brother, Druzus, a year later was imprisoned on similar charges (he actually conspired against Tiberius with Senator Sejan - see Potter D., 2013: p. 48). He was starved to death in AD 33. In the same year, a similar death befell their mother Agrippina.

Meanwhile, Caligula Tiberius gave up to his grandmother - Livia, and after her death, Antonia the Younger. The emperor himself moved to Capri at that time. In 31, he brought under his tutelage the young Gajusz Caligula. He didn't kill him like his brothers. He also spared his three sisters. With regard to the last son of Germanicus, he had different intentions.

Considering everything that happened to Caligula and his family, it is not surprising that the boy was planning revenge on the old emperor. Recent years have taught him to hide his intentions well. After all, he did not want to share the fate of his brothers and mother.

Although Caligula planned to murder Tiberius, we do not know if he was actually the perpetrator of his death. More people were waiting for the emperor's life, whether it was because of the lust for power or because of hatred. Germanicus' son was an intelligent and composed man. He could play an obedient grandson and gained more than the satisfaction of revenge. Tiberius appointed him and his biological grandson, Tiberius Gemellus, as successors in his will. The emperor believed that they should rule together. However, this will was not realized. After Tiberius' death in AD 37, under whatever suspicious circumstances (he fainted and died shortly after), the then Praetorian Prefect Makron invalidated the emperor's will in the Roman Senate. Gaius Caligula was considered the only successor.

Before I continue the story of Caligula, it is worth taking a look at the environment in which he spent his youth. Brutally deprived of almost the entire family, he ended up at the court of the perpetrator of their death quite early.

Tiberius, after the first years of his reign in Rome, withdrew from public life and settled on Capri (26). He left power in the hands of Sejanus, the praetorian prefect. This one had been trusted by the family for years, and Tiberius had relied on him even during his reign in Rome. He called him his "partner in work" (Socius Laborum), and in 18 he moved the headquarters of the Praetorian Guard to the city. This further strengthened Sejanus' position as prefect. In 26, he practically took power over the city and the state. After the death of Tiberius Livia's mother, the last person who was able to somehow control him, he began a purge among political opponents. It is during these years that two brothers and Gaius' mother are sent to and die. Sejan hoped to remove the other Julian candidates and take their place himself through adoption. However, he lost the trust of Tiberius. In 31, he was accused of treason and executed. His place was taken by another praetorian prefect - the aforementioned Makron.

The intrigue in the fight for the imperial throne is a topic for separate volumes. However, it is worth realizing what the surroundings of the later emperor looked like.

Meanwhile, rumors had it that Tiberius was living a dissolute life in his palace on Capri. Not all authors hear these rumors. Nevertheless, there could be perversion and cruelty in his environment. Roman historians, especially Suetonius, were gossipers and eagerly described the strangest perversions of emperors, especially of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Today their exuberant stories about the rulers' licentiousness are treated with some reserve. After all, there had to be something wrong. Among the perversions, there is the molestation of children and the throwing of anyone who has fallen into the emperor from the rocks. Under these conditions, it is hardly surprising that Caligula preferred to play the meek young man. At the same time, it was the only place where he learned how to rule and how to be emperor.

Gaius hated his nickname. He had long outgrown his baby booties and was now a serious contender for power. Perhaps the hatred was reinforced by the fact that he was really still very young. He was only 24 years old when he became emperor with the help of Makron. He took power in an atmosphere of enthusiastic Roman people. As I mentioned, his father was well-liked, while Tiberius was hated. Therefore, the crowds sincerely cheered for his son Germanicus on the day of his coronation.

The first months of Gaius Caligula's reign were extremely promising. He restored his predecessor's political opponents from exile, destroyed accusations of treason from the time of Tiberius while punishing some sex abusers. A symbolic gesture was to personally bring back the ashes of his brother and mother and bury them in the family tomb of Augustus.

The hope for a happy reign ended when Caligula fell seriously ill on November 37. It is possible that he was poisoned. Some believe that (regardless of the origin of the disease) he suffered brain damage that influenced his subsequent behavior. It is also possible that frightened by his momentary weakness, he realized that he had enemies around him. It was then that he changed his governing tactics. In the first place, he got rid of all suspects from his surroundings. He killed his cousin, the would-be co-ruler - Tiberius Gemellus, his father-in-law Mark Junius Silanus and his brother. It is possible that he also poisoned his surviving grandmother, Antonia the Younger. Even two of his sisters were sentenced to exile (the third died of fever in AD 38). The anger of the emperor did not spare the former ally of Makron, who was forced to commit suicide in 38 AD.

It is difficult to say to what extent the emperor's madness had clinical grounds, and to what extent it was an attempt by a youngster to gain obedience with fear. In 39 he came into conflict with the Senate, he began to suspect and accuse other senators of treason. He dug up the accusations from the time of Tiberius. At the same time, the unfortunate financial management and the lavish life of the imperial court contributed to the economic downturn. At a time when the emperor held outrageous feasts and commissioned sumptuous buildings, people ran out of basic necessities. Increasingly self-centered, Caligula began to disguise himself as various gods and demanded divine worship for himself. He even demanded that a statue be erected for him in the temple in Jerusalem. (Jaczynowska M .: p. 231) He was accused of sleeping with his own sisters and pimping them to other men, but also of having sexual relations with some men from the environment. Perhaps an iconic example of Caligula's contempt and madness is his making a horse a senator and priest.

His actions hit his immediate surroundings more and more - the senate, aristocracy and, of course, his immediate family. As in the past against Tiberius, now there was a growing hostility and hatred towards Caligula. He discovered and foiled one plot in the Senate, and several failed. In these circumstances, however, a successful attempt was only a matter of time. Finally, Cassius Chaerea, a praetorian military tribune, became the emperor's killer. Cherea was a distinguished commander who saved Caligula's family during the rebellion in Germania. However, the young emperor was offensive and provocative towards him. A former friend of Germanicus finally decided to kill his son. He committed the murder together with other conspirators, stabbing the emperor with a knife when he was returning from the January games. It was January 24, 41. Caligula's successor was chosen by his uncle - Claudius.

Caligula, next to Emperor Nero, became an icon of Roman cruelty and perversion. If at least half of what Suetonius wrote about him is true, it was a deserved fate. On the other hand, it's hard to resist the feeling that much of it was to be expected. Can anything good be said about Caligula? It is definitely a tragic figure. While this does not justify his actions, it allows us to better understand why he was, what he was. Recently, historians have been trying to better understand the psychology of his actions. Perhaps what contemporaries told was colored? It depends a lot from whose point of view we look. However, Caligula's biography could not lead to a happy ending neither for him nor for his subjects. Brutally and prematurely interrupted childhood, detention at the court of the torturer, which was also the only way to power. In addition, possible fear and trauma are caused by everything that happened there. Then, easier access to almost unlimited power (still at a very young age). All these factors are like a recipe for a mad emperor and tyrant. It is no wonder that many senators will long for the times of the republic for a long time to come.

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