12 A.D. -
41 A.D. 3rd
Emperor of
Rome (
31 A.D. -
41 A.D.). Acted by
John Hurt in the
BBC miniseries of
Robert Graves'
I, Claudius, and by
Malcolm McDowell in the
Bob Guccione-directed film of
Gore Vidal's
screenplay,
Caligula. The name "Caligula" translates as "
Little Boots" - in his childhood he often accompanied his father, the general
Germanicus, on military
manueuvers, wearing
boots like any other
soldier. He maintained the military's
goodwill toward his
family (on account of Germanicus's popularity) by awarding them extravagant
bonuses upon his
Imperial succession. Thereafter, his
capriciousness,
cruelty, and
decadence grew ever more pronounced.
The film Caligula highlights his incestuous affair with his sister Drusilla and his sexual depravity in general, and his complete disregard for human life and Imperial dignity in his position as temporal and spiritual leader of Rome. The most telling scene is probably where he goes to the Senate and bullies them into declaring him a living god. Tag line (Matthew 16:26): "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
Roman Emperors enumerated