Caligua Roman Empire - Research Paper Example

By that time Caligula’s father was dead and his mother and two brothers were in disgrace. At Capri, Caligula was appointed as heir together with Tiberius Gemellus, son of Drusus the younger. According to the Roman law, Caligula did not have a right to be the emperor, but nevertheless it happened. After the death of Tiberius, with the help of Macro, Caligula was proclaimed “princeps” (first citizen) by the Senate. Tiberius’s will was invalidated and Caligula was proclaimed emperor with the official name of Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus in AD 37.

The people of the empire were happy with the news, because Caligula’s parents were very popular in Rome and loved and respected by people. The first actions of the new emperor were directed at gaining popularity. When he entered Rome, he put Tiberius body into Augustus’ mausoleum, and made a funeral speech, in which he promised to rule Roman Empire together with the Senate and under its supervision. Caligula dropped a request for the deification of Tiberius, who was very unpopular in Rome, and announced amnesty.

He put the taxes down and paid all the debts made by previous emperor. The new emperor won over the masses by resuming gladiator fights, bringing back actors from exile, and renewing of theatrical performances. Of course, such politics was very popular among the people. At this festive background, amplification of the monarchical principle and exaltation of power and personality of the emperor occurred. Caligula made a visit to Pandateriya and Pontius, and moved the ashes of his mother Agrippina and his brother Nero to Rome.

There were yearly sacrifices yielded in honor of Germanicus and Agrippina, and circus games were arranged in honor of his mother. There were a lot of coins depicting the princeps’ brothers and parents. In six months Caligula got seriously sick. After his recovery he was no longer the same person. Some of the historians say that he had epilepsy from his childhood. ”This, or some other cause, violently affected his mental state, and he became totally irrational, with delusions not only of grandeur but also of divinity.

” (http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/caligula.html, para.15). Caligula’s policy has changed so much that there was a firmly established belief in the society about his madness. It could be seen through his actions (for example, he was going to make his horse a consul) and in his appearance. The issue of mental normality of Gaius Caligula has occupied many researchers’ minds, both historians and psychologists. The opinions were divided. Some scholars have regarded him as mentally ill, while others believed that he was mentally normal.

The range of definitions of his disease varies from schizophrenia to psychopathy. The latter version is the most recognized by modern scholars and seems the most convincing. In AD 38 Caligula put to death without trial his principal supporter, the praetorian prefect Macro. Gemellus was also killed by his order. Marcus Junius Silanus, the father of the first of Caligula's wives was compelled to commit suicide. A new feature was that the process did not occur in the Senate: princeps alone decided the fate of the eminent dignitaries of the empire.

In a short period of one year Caligula wasted all of the reserves of the state treasury accumulated by the Tiberius. New taxes were introduced to