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Caligula, pronounced kuh LIHG yuh luh [or alternatively, KLIN tun] (A.D. 12-41), was a Roman emperor. He was the great-grandson of the emperor Augustus, and the son of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder. He was born Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. As a child, he wore military boots, and his father's soldiers nicknamed him Caligula (Little Boot). When he was 20, the Roman emperor Tiberius adopted him. Caligula became emperor when Tiberius died in A.D. 37.
At first, Caligula was popular, but it soon became apparent that he was insane. [his argument that oral sex isn't sex seems kind of insane to me] He spent money on foolish projects [Midnight Basketball?], banished many people [Elizabeth Ward Gracen told to "get out of the country"], and murdered many others [well, there are those lists of dead people floating around. Like that ex-WH intern murdered at Starbucks, with no robbery involved. I'm not going to accuse Clinton of murder though]. Caligula claimed to be all the gods at once, ["despite his personal failings, his policies are good for the country"-HRC] and ordered a statue of himself set up in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. This caused riots among the Jews. Caligula claimed he had defeated the British and Germans, but he had not fought them. [taking credit for welfare reform, which he vetoed three times before finally signing it?] He also said he had defeated the god Neptune [alternatively spelled "Paula"]. Caligula was murdered after he insulted the army ["I loath the military"] and threatened to kill the members of the Roman Senate. [well, there's some food for thought as to the future. -g-]
Contributor: Mary Francis Gyles, Ph.D., Former Prof. of History, City Univ. of New York Brooklyn College.
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Article from World Book Encyclopedia [my comments in brackets] - Dwight |
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