Today we learned about Caligula. I’ll be honest, I almost didn’t cover him because it was really hard to dial him down to a kid appropriate level. He was a pretty weird, yucky guy.
Like with last week, I spent a good bit of time reading about Caligula and watching some videos so I would feel really familiar with him and have a good bit of information to pull from.
12 AD – 41 AD
- Actual name Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
- Name means “little boots” or “bootykins”
- Son of Germanicus, great general
- Grandson of Emperor Augustus
- His father was killed under suspicious circumstances, his mother and older brothers imprisoned on accusations of treason
- He was raised by his uncle the Emperor Tiberius
- Even at a young age enjoyed watching tortures and executions.
- “Nursing a viper in Rome’s bosom” -Tiberius
- Was co-emperor (25) with Tiberius’ son Gemellus, who soon died
- Ended treason trials, gave the Praetorian Guard long overdue bonuses, brought back many people exiled by Tiberius, lowered taxes
- Rebuilt decaying temples, began new aqueducts, built a new amphitheater at Pompeii, regularly held gladiatorial games and chariot races = entertainment for people
Crazy and Brutal??
- Raised taxes
- Executing rivals and close allies , including his first wife
- Took hundreds of ships to make a 2-mile floating bridge across the Bay of Bauli so he could spend two days galloping back and forth across it.
- He gave his favorite horse a marble stall, an ivory manger, a jeweled collar, and even a house.
- Proposed to make his horse a consul
- Enclosed a temple into his palace so that he “lived with the Gods” because he thought of himself as a god
- Bankrupting Rome’s treasury with his extravagance
- Tall, pale, and so hairy that you could be killed for mentioning goats in his presence.
- During an animal sacrifice “he was about to sacrifice an animal as a sacred offering to the gods. He raised his mallet to kill the animal and brought it down hard. At the last moment, however, he turned and struck a priest standing nearby, who died instantly.”
- On his way to invade Britain, made his army stop and fight Posideon, the Sea God. After slashing at the sand and waves, he had them fill their helmets with seashells as “the spoils of the conquered ocean.”
- “Remember that I have the right to do anything to anybody.”
- Humiliated high ranking senators by making them run for miles in front of this chariot.
- “Keen interest in witnessing the suffering and torment of those condemned being tortured.”
Ambushed by His Personal Guard
- Murdered by Praetorian Guard after less than 4 years as Emperor
Leo tulijifunza juu ya Caligula. Nitakuwa mnyoofu, mimi karibu si kufunika yake kwa sababu ilikuwa vigumu sana kupiga simu yake chini ya mtoto sahihi ngazi. Alikuwa mtu wa ajabu sana, mwenye kuchukiza. Kwa mfano, wiki iliyopita nilitumia muda mwingi kusoma kuhusu Caligula na kutazama video ili nijisikie kuwa na ufahamu wa kweli juu yake na kuwa na habari nzuri ya kuvuta kutoka. "Jina la kwanza la Kaisari lilikuwa ""Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus"" (A.D. 41), jina la kifalme la Kigiriki linalomaanisha ""boots"" au ""boots"" (boots) - mwana wa Germanicus, mkuu wa jeshi, mjukuu wa Maliki Augustus - Baba yake aliuawa kwa sababu zisizojulikana, mama yake na ndugu zake wakubwa walifungwa kwa mashtaka ya uhaini - Alilelewa na mjomba wake, Maliki Tiberio." "Tiberius alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25 na alikuwa na umri wa miaka 25.""" Alipokuwa akipiga marufuku ushuru wa wapinzani wake na washirika wake, aliamua kutumia meli za kivita kujenga daraja la kuelea la kilomita mbili kwenye Ghuba ya Bauli ili aweze kutumia siku mbili akipiga mbio zake. - Alimpa farasi wake mpendwa kibanda cha marumaru, kibanda cha pembe za ndovu, kola yenye vito, na hata nyumba. - Alipendekeza kumfanya farasi wake kuwa konsul - Alifunga hekalu katika jumba lake la kifalme ili 'aishi na miungu' kwa sababu alijiona kuwa mungu - Aliharibu hazina ya Roma kwa ununuzi wake - Alikuwa mrefu, mweupe, na mwenye nywele nyingi sana hivi kwamba ungeweza kuuawa kwa kutaja mbuzi mbele yake. - Wakati wa dhabihu ya wanyama <unk>alikuwa karibu kutoa dhabihu ya mnyama kama toleo takatifu kwa miungu. Aliinua nyundo yake ili kumuua mnyama huyo na kumshusha chini kwa nguvu. Hata hivyo, katika dakika ya mwisho, aligeuka na kumpiga kuhani aliyekuwa amesimama karibu, ambaye alikufa papo hapo. - Alipokuwa njiani kuvamia Uingereza, alisimamisha jeshi lake na kupigana na Posideon, Mungu wa Bahari. Baada ya kuangusha mchanga na mawimbi, aliwafanya kujaza kofia zao za chuma na makombora kama "mali ya baharini iliyoshindwa" - "Kumbuka kwamba nina haki ya kufanya chochote kwa mtu yeyote" - Aliwadhalilisha maseneta wa cheo cha juu kwa kuwafanya wakimbie kwa maili mbele ya gari hili. "Mfalme huyo aliuawa kwa kupigwa na ""walinzi wake binafsi"" baada ya miaka minne ya utawala wake."