Even those who were not actively conspiring to kill him kept quiet and allowed plots to proceed in the hope of ending the nerve-wracking uncertainty of their possessions and lives being utterly at the mercy of a tyrannical and capricious emperor. Historian Cassius Dio wrote that practically everyone at Caligula’s court wanted him dead. ( Citizenship was the path to power in ancient Rome.) The Roman historian Tacitus summed up the situation perfectly in his dramatic expression ocultae Gaium insidiae, “hidden malice toward Gaius.” Secret hatred seethed beneath a frightened mask of adulation. Many yearned to take revenge on the emperor for past affronts but almost everyone remained afraid of falling out of his favor. 39, and another devised by close followers of Callistus, one of the richest men in Rome. Numerous plots, real or alleged, were hatched, like the one led by Lentulus Gaetulicus in Germania in A.D. However, even the plebs’ enthusiasm for the emperor steadily waned. Nobody’s possessions were safe and many lived in fear of becoming the next target of Caligula’s caprice.Įven so, some sympathized with his actions, which they chose to see as Caligula standing up to privileged classes. High taxes were set, inheritances confiscated, and prominent wealthy citizens found themselves subject to legal action. He had no qualms about resorting to all manner of trickery and extortion to get the money that funded his excessive expenditures. Photograph by Dagli Orti/Art ArchiveĬaligula spent extravagently during his reign, on both projects and frivolous projects. Suetonius wrote, "When the consuls forgot to make proclamation of his birthday, he deposed them, and left the state for three days without its highest magistrates."Ĭaligula loved the dramatic arts and lavished rewards and honors on his favorite performers such as the famous mime Mnester, whom he greatly admired. ( Caligula wasn't the last emperor to be assassinated: Elagabalus's hard-partying reign was also too much for the Roman Empire.) The emperor makes enemiesĪccording to his biographer Suetonius, Caligula believed himself to be a god and often said: “Remember that I have the right to do anything to anybody.” He humiliated senators by making them run behind his litter or forcing them to fight for his amusement. Whatever the cause, Caligula grew nasty and it was the Roman upper classes that suffered most. There were rumors that the emperor was unwell and some spoke of a disease others described a personality-altering potion he had been given by his wife, Caesonia. Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, better known by his childhood nickname of Caligula-meaning “little boot”-had once been popular, but between A.D.
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