Caligula was born into the first ruling family of the Roman Empire, conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He is described as a noble and moderate emperor during the first six months of his rule. After this, the sources about the reign of Caligula focus upon his cruelty, sadism, extravagance, and sexual perversion, presenting him as an insane tyrant.
Caligula was assassinated because of a conspiracy by officers of the Praetorian Guard, senators, and courtiers. On the day of the assassination of Caligula, the Praetorians declared Caligula’s uncle, Claudius, the next Roman emperor. Although the Julio-Claudian dynasty continued to rule the empire until the fall of his nephew Nero, Caligula’s death marked the official end of the Julii Caesares in the male line.
The e-book Caligula: The Third Emperor was interesting because the author attempted to explain the behavior of Caligula the mad Emperor. Emperor Tiberius hated all the members of Caligula family. Emperor Tiberius ordered the murder of the young Caligula’s father and mother and older brothers. The future Emperor was held has a prisoner with various female family members, and finally, he was a prisoner at the home of Emperor Tiberius. The author explains a lot about the Roman nobleman class and the behavior of various members of that class. The author attempts to persuade the reader to look at the situation that the future Emperor faced from his point of view. If we look at what the future Emperor went through, we may find that Emperor Caligula behavior might have been rational for an individual that wanted revenge. Any rate, if Emperor Caligula was mad or crazy, we can understand the suffering he went through that might have caused mental illness.
