Guy Caesar Germanicus is one of the tyrannical and cruel personalities in the history of mankind. He is known by another name - Caligula. What is this ruler so famous for?
So who was Caligula - the victim or the executioner? This man was born in the twelfth year of our era, the son of Agrippina and Germanicus. The boy grew up in Germany, in one military camp.
Caligula got his name from the name of the soldier’s shoes. The future ruler wore it from childhood. Perhaps his mother dressed him this way because she wanted to raise a future military leader from her son. Maybe he wore these shoes because he lived in a military camp. From childhood, Caligula suffered from epilepsy, which in Roman times was called a "sacred disease."
When he was proclaimed emperor, the people were delighted. After all, the new ruler was smart, young and generous, and also had a good education. He was elected consul four times. In addition, the emperor himself sought to ensure that ordinary people loved him. He often encouraged Praetorian warriors with money, pardoned the condemned, and also destroyed the list of all the traitors to the ruler of Tiberius, restored public meetings. Also, this emperor continued the tradition of gladiatorial battles.
Soon Caligula fell ill. Some researchers claim that he may have had encephalitis. Ancient historians describe some “brain inflammation” among the ruler. Rome was all awaiting a miracle, asking their emperor to recover soon. He recovered, but his reign underwent great changes. After suffering a disease, he turned into a monster. Caligula became a mentally unhealthy person, he began to suffer from chronic insomnia, and on daylight hours he created various atrocities.
At the same time, the policy that Caligula led changed. He enjoyed watching the torture of people, he himself participated in gladiatorial battles. From the very beginning, the ruler strove for autocracy. In addition, he considered himself a god. It is still difficult to understand: who is Caligula - the executioner or the victim. After all, it is difficult to answer the question of what could change it so much.
It is also worth noting that this ruler greatly belittled the Senate. In addition, he stated that he wanted to see his horse as a consul. At the same time, taxes in the country were constantly increasing. The population was increasingly oppressed; property was often taken away from people for any wrongdoing. Among the Romans, the number of dissatisfied grew. Every day someone was brutally killed. Caligula was not moral. He had sexual intercourse with his sisters, did not disdain to make fun of men and boys. And he turned half of the palace into a real brothel.
In 39 and 40, they tried to arrange assassination attempts on Caligula. But two attempts were unsuccessful. The third attempt still succeeded. In world history, this emperor is known as the most cruel ruler and tyrant.
