Caligula Proclaimed Emperor: Rome's Tyranny Begins

The Roman Senate proclaimed Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, known as Caligula, emperor on March 18, 37 AD, immediately after the death of Tiberius. Caligula was twenty-four years old and wildly popular, partly because of sympathy for his family: his father Germanicus had been a beloved military hero, and his mother and two brothers had been murdered or starved to death by Tiberius. The first seven months of his reign were by all accounts excellent. He recalled political exiles, abolished treason trials, and distributed bonuses to the military. Then he fell seriously ill, and when he recovered, contemporaries reported a dramatic personality change. Whether caused by brain inflammation, lead poisoning, epilepsy, or simply the corrupting effect of absolute power, Caligula became erratic and cruel. He declared himself a god, reportedly made his horse a senator, bankrupted the treasury on extravagant building projects, and executed rivals on whims. He was assassinated by his own Praetorian Guard after less than four years in power.