He wore a miniature soldier's outfit, including army boots ( caligae) and armour. At the age of two or three, Gaius accompanied his father, Germanicus, on campaigns in the north of Germania. Gaius had two older brothers, Nero and Drusus, and three younger sisters, Agrippina the Younger, Julia Drusilla and Julia Livilla. He was also a nephew of Claudius, Germanicus' younger brother and the future emperor. Gaius Julius Caesar (named in honour of his famous relative) was born in Antium on 31 August 12 AD, the third of six surviving children born to Germanicus, a grandson of Mark Antony, and his second cousin Agrippina the Elder, who was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder, making her the granddaughter of Augustus.
Right: Marble portrait of Germanicus, Caligula's father Left: Marble portrait of Agrippina, Caligula's mother Caligula's death marked the official end of the Julii Caesares in the male line, though the Julio-Claudian dynasty continued to rule until the fall of his nephew, Nero. On the day of the assassination of Caligula, the Praetorians declared Caligula's uncle, Claudius, as the next Roman emperor. However, the conspirators' attempt to use the opportunity to restore the Roman Republic was thwarted. In early 41, Caligula was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy by officers of the Praetorian Guard, senators, and courtiers. During his reign, the empire annexed the client kingdom of Mauretania as a province. He directed much of his attention to ambitious construction projects and luxurious dwellings for himself, and he initiated the construction of two aqueducts in Rome: the Aqua Claudia and the Anio Novus. While the reliability of these sources is questionable, it is known that during his brief reign, Caligula worked to increase the unconstrained personal power of the emperor, as opposed to countervailing powers within the principate. After this, the sources focus upon his cruelty, sadism, extravagance, and sexual perversion, presenting him as an insane tyrant.
There are few surviving sources about the reign of Caligula, though he is described as a noble and moderate emperor during the first six months of his rule. Following the death of Tiberius in 37, Caligula succeeded him as emperor. In 26, Tiberius withdrew from public life to the island of Capri, and in 31, Caligula joined him there. The conflict eventually led to the destruction of her family, with Caligula as the sole male survivor. When Germanicus died at Antioch in 19, Agrippina returned with her six children to Rome, where she became entangled in a bitter feud with Tiberius. Germanicus' uncle and adoptive father, Tiberius, succeeded Augustus as emperor of Rome in AD 14.Īlthough Gaius was named after Gaius Julius Caesar, he acquired the nickname "Caligula" ("little caliga," a type of military boot) from his father's soldiers during their campaign in Germania. The son of the popular Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Agrippina the Elder, Caligula was born into the first ruling family of the Roman Empire, conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula ( / k ə ˈ l ɪ ɡ j ʊ l ə/), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 to 41.