Caligula (37 - 41 AD)
Family and Background
Youngest surviving son of Germanicus and Agrippina the Eldar, he was
adopted by Tiberius in his will.
Principal Events (Foriegn)
- Campaign on the Rhine (39-40)
Principal Events (Domestic)
- Execution of Macro (praetorian prefect who had arranged his
succession) in 37 conspiracy of Lentulus Gaetulicus (his brother
in law and comander of the Rhine legions), uncovered in 39
- Death of Drusilla (his favorite sister, with whom he is said to
have regularly committed incest)
- Effort to have himself recognized as a god throughout the empire
in his own lifetime conspiracy of 41 (successful)
Outlines of Policy
Caligula appears to have been severely unbalanced, and to have sought
the trapping of eastern monarchies (possibly the result of his long
association with members of dynastic familes from the east who were
kept as hostages in the imperial household while he was growing up).
He appears to have detested his uncle, Tiberius, and sought, initially
to rehabilitate the memory of his mother and brothers: he owed his
early popularity with the people at Rome to the reputation of his
father, Germanicus, and to lavish spending on games.
Further Reading
Suetonius, Caligula;
Cassius Dio, History of Rome 59;
Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews 18;
Philo of Alexandria, Embassy to Gaius;
A. Garzetti, From Tiberius to the Antonines;
A. Barrett, Caligula;
J. Ferrill, Caligula.