He was a normal, even nice, boy. He ruled well for four months. "Rome breathed a sigh of relief" as they say. Then he went crazy. What happened?
2007-03-17 07:15:11 · 6 answers · asked by Haiku 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
syphilis..
2007-03-20 17:15:17 · answer #1 · answered by Felix 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Caligula did not have a normal childhood. Witnessing plots and intrigues, he would have also witnessed family members as his own father being taken away and executed on the orders of the Emperor.
And by the time he became emperor, Caligula would have been an absolute monarch - surrounded by people both wiling to please him and willing to kill him. Caligula had to be on his guard day and night - trusting no one. What person would not have had a fear complex or paranoia about others wanting to kill them.
But what drove him insane - was Caligula insane? Suetonius says that Caligula appointed a horse to be senator. I doubt whether Suetonius was telling the truth about alot of things that he wrote - Suetonius despised the early emperors of Rome.
I think Caligula was perfectly normal - if you consider the daily life of absolute power, and also absolute fear that he would have lived in.
2007-03-17 20:57:23 · answer #2 · answered by Big B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably mental illness brought on by lead poisoning from the lead pipes that Rome used.
2007-03-17 14:24:40 · answer #3 · answered by Ken 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Syphillis attributed to his mental illness.
2007-03-17 14:32:18 · answer #4 · answered by LadyDeathStryke 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this pervert was part of roman empire! he was involved in orgies and developed SYPHILLIS! THAT IS WHY HE WENT NUTS!
2007-03-17 14:22:46 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
too many women..
2007-03-20 00:18:48 · answer #6 · answered by Blenderhead 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋