Caligula: Difference between revisions
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{{Quote|Rome is just a city with lots of people with necks waiting for me to chop|Caligula on a Horrible Histories sketch}} | {{Quote|Rome is just a city with lots of people with necks waiting for me to chop|Caligula on a Horrible Histories sketch}} | ||
'''Gaius Julius Ceasar Augustus Germanicus''', often refered to simply as '''Caligula '''(31 July 12 AD – 22 January 41 AD), was one of Rome's most infamous tyrants and is widely believed to have been insane - historical records of his rule are scarce but those that survive hint at him having enjoyed a relatively properious reign for his first two years as Emperor but after this period the focus rapidly changed to his cruelty, sexual perversion and extragavence - although few (if any) of these claims can be stated as fact the name Caligula has become a symbol of decadence and madness in the public eye ever since. He is widely considered to have been a megalomaniac and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malignant_narcissism malignant narcissist]. who displayed all the signs and symptoms of someone suffering from both [ | '''Gaius Julius Ceasar Augustus Germanicus''', often refered to simply as '''Caligula '''(31 July 12 AD – 22 January 41 AD), was one of Rome's most infamous tyrants and is widely believed to have been insane - historical records of his rule are scarce but those that survive hint at him having enjoyed a relatively properious reign for his first two years as Emperor but after this period the focus rapidly changed to his cruelty, sexual perversion and extragavence - although few (if any) of these claims can be stated as fact the name Caligula has become a symbol of decadence and madness in the public eye ever since. He is widely considered to have been a megalomaniac and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malignant_narcissism malignant narcissist]. who displayed all the signs and symptoms of someone suffering from both [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_disorder narcissistic personality disorder] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderline_personality_disorder borderline personality disorder] with heavy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histrionic_personality_disorder histrionic], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisocial_personality_disorder antisocial], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadistic_personality_disorder sadistic] features. He also suffered from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthyroidism hyperthyroidism] He may also have suffered from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoid_schizophrenia paranoid schizophrenia] or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoaffective_disorder schizoaffective disorder]. Other health issues that Caligula may have had include [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meningitis meningitis], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encephalitis encephalitis], or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy epilsepsy]. | ||
Amongst the least of Caligula's supposed crimes was increasingly draconian ruling style, the beheading of one of his nephew's to "cure" him of his cough and threatening to elect his favorite horse to the rank of a senior senator (he never went through with this). Caligula was also a controversial leader due to his supposed tendency to dress up as varied gods from the Greek pantheon and went as far as declaring himself an actual god - there were even accounts of Caligula forcing people to make temples by which to worship him: this was very abnormal behavior for Roman Emperors, who in general shied away from being viewed as living gods (unlike the Pharoahs) - though previous Emperors had on occassion attempted similiar acts, Caligula took the process to the extreme and wanted his people to worship him as a physical embodiment of divine power. | Amongst the least of Caligula's supposed crimes was increasingly draconian ruling style, the beheading of one of his nephew's to "cure" him of his cough and threatening to elect his favorite horse to the rank of a senior senator (he never went through with this). Caligula was also a controversial leader due to his supposed tendency to dress up as varied gods from the Greek pantheon and went as far as declaring himself an actual god - there were even accounts of Caligula forcing people to make temples by which to worship him: this was very abnormal behavior for Roman Emperors, who in general shied away from being viewed as living gods (unlike the Pharoahs) - though previous Emperors had on occassion attempted similiar acts, Caligula took the process to the extreme and wanted his people to worship him as a physical embodiment of divine power. | ||
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Caligula also reportedly enjoyed dining while watching people being sawed. This brutal method of execution was quite rare in Ancient Rome but was said to be the favored method of execution by Caligula, who found the suffering of his victims to be appetizing. | Caligula also reportedly enjoyed dining while watching people being sawed. This brutal method of execution was quite rare in Ancient Rome but was said to be the favored method of execution by Caligula, who found the suffering of his victims to be appetizing. | ||
== Death == | |||
One night, Caligula relayed a dream in which he saw himself standing before the throne of Jupiter. This planet was held in high esteem by Romans in terms of religious value as Jupiter (or Jove) was seen as king of all the Gods, comparable to the earlier Ancient Greek deity, Zeus. In the dream Caligula observed himself being rejected by Jove via this God kicking him down to Earth. This was seen as a premonition of his death. Caligula ignored the dream and was indeed assassinated the next day. | One night, Caligula relayed a dream in which he saw himself standing before the throne of Jupiter. This planet was held in high esteem by Romans in terms of religious value as Jupiter (or Jove) was seen as king of all the Gods, comparable to the earlier Ancient Greek deity, Zeus. In the dream Caligula observed himself being rejected by Jove via this God kicking him down to Earth. This was seen as a premonition of his death. Caligula ignored the dream and was indeed assassinated the next day. | ||
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[[Category:Bullies]] | [[Category:Bullies]] | ||
[[Category:Greedy Villains]] | [[Category:Greedy Villains]] | ||
[[Category:Promiscuous Villain]] | [[Category:Promiscuous Villain]] | ||
[[Category:Chaotic Evil]] | [[Category:Chaotic Evil]] | ||
[[Category:Died in disgrace]] | [[Category:Died in disgrace]] | ||