There is controversy amongst historians and educators as to whether Caligula (born Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) was ruthless, crazy, or misunderstood. In his position as Emperor of the Roman Empire he was considered and depicted as being unpredictable and cruel. He would seemingly order anyone who crossed him to be murdered; he seemingly enjoyed torturing people; acknowledged himself as a God; restored treason trials; and caused many problems for Rome as a result of his excessive spending on public shows, entertainment, games, and Roman treasures which it is said almost sent the Empire into bankruptcy. There are numerous hypotheses from numerous historians as to whether he was just rebellious or ruthless, driven to madness due to past tragedies in his life, or suffered a mental illness that led him to being an unreliable, extravagant and sadistic ruler. …show more content…
Caligula was assassinated 24 January AD 41 after being in power for 3 years and 10 months. He was the son of Germanicus (ruler of the German campaign) and Agrippina who was the granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus. After his father was assassinated and the rest of his family were accused of treason and either died or banished sent in exile, Caligula was sent to live with his uncle Tiberius, Emperor of Rome. In 37 AD, Tiberius passed away and the role of emperor fell into his hands. He automatically became popular and well liked by the public as he was the son of Germanicus, contained the blood of Augustus in his veins, and was a welcome change from the previous emperor Tiberius who was a brooding and unpopular