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Line 1: − + − Though historical accounts depict him as a brutal monster, engaging in horrendous and despicable behavior, the historical accounts originate from [[senator]]s who despised him.+
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[[Image:Caligula.jpg|thumb|Bust of Caligula]]
[[Image:Caligula.jpg|thumb|Bust of Caligula]]
'''Caligula''' ([[Latin]]: ''Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus'', AD 12 – AD 41) was the third Roman emperor, reigning from AD 37-41. "Caligula" was a childhood nickname that meant "little boots." He was one of the most hated emperors, and was killed by his own guards.
'''Caligula''' ([[Latin]]: ''Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus'', AD 12 – AD 41) was the third Roman emperor, reigning from AD 37-41. "Caligula" was a childhood nickname that meant "little boots." He was one of the most hated emperors. He was killed by Cassius, captain of the Praetorian Guard.
Historical accounts depict Caligula as a monster, engaging in horrendous and despicable behavior. Yet these accounts originate from [[senator]]s who felt the need to justify his murder. Those who murdered Caligula assumed the senate would regain power upon his death and that the Republic would be restored. But the Praetorians named Claudius, Caligula's uncle, as emperor. Claudius had avoided Caligula's purges by being (or posing as) a halfwit.
It is possible to detect a certain cynical sense of humor in Caligula's acts of madness and tyranny. For example, it is said that he raised his favorite horse [[Incitatus]] to the office of [[consul]], the highest political office in Rome. This act could have been simply madness, but could also have simply been a way of putting the senate in its place.
It is possible to detect a certain cynical sense of humor in Caligula's acts of madness and tyranny. For example, it is said that he raised his favorite horse [[Incitatus]] to the office of [[consul]], the highest political office in Rome. This act could have been simply madness, but could also have simply been a way of putting the senate in its place.
[[Category:Roman Emperors]]
[[Category:Roman Emperors]]