9 Of The Cruelest, Maddest, And Most Incompetent Emperors To Ever Rule Rome

Published September 9, 2024
Updated March 19, 2025

Caligula: The Roman Emperor Who Threatened To Make His Horse A Consul

Caligula The Worst Roman Emperor

Public DomainCaligula’s early rule seemed promising, but his behavior changed after a mysterious bout of illness.

As with Nero, Caligula’s reign started out promising. Caligula — actually named Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, Caligula being a nickname meaning “Little Boots” which his father’s soldiers gave him as a boy — was born in 12 C.E. and became emperor after the death of Tiberius in 37 C.E.

At first, Caligula made a number of popular decisions, like handing out military bonuses and recalling all exiles. But after a bout of illness, his behavior became erratic and violent. “Remember,” he was known to exclaim, “that I have the right to do anything to anybody.”

He made it a capital punishment to compare him to a goat (Caligula had very curly hair), forced senators to run ahead of his chariot, spent copious amounts of money to construct a three-mile bridge across the Bay of Baiae, simply so he could ride his horse across it, and led largely theatrical military campaigns. In 40 C.E., Caligula led an “invasion” of Britain in which he purportedly ordered his soldiers to fight the waves and collect seashells.

Caligula also allegedly threatened to make his favorite horse, Incitatus, consul, used treason trials to eliminate anyone who opposed him, and may have had an incestuous relationship with his sister, Julia Drusilla.

Caligula On Horseback

Public DomainCaligula on horseback. One of the most enduring rumors about the Roman emperor was that he made his horse a consul.

Romans were unhappy about Caligula’s unfettered spending and claims that he was a god, and they began plotting against him. In 41 C.E., the emperor was stabbed to death at the Palatine Games by a member of the Praetorian Guard.

Caligula, considered to be one of the worst Roman emperors of all time, was mortal after all. As historian Dio Cassius later noted: Caligula “learned by actual experience that he was not a god.”

author
Kaleena Fraga
author
A senior staff writer for All That's Interesting since 2021 and co-host of the History Uncovered Podcast, Kaleena Fraga graduated with a dual degree in American History and French Language and Literature from Oberlin College. She previously ran the presidential history blog History First, and has had work published in The Washington Post, Gastro Obscura, and elsewhere. She has published more than 1,200 pieces on topics including history and archaeology. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.
editor
Jaclyn Anglis
editor
Based in Brooklyn, New York, Jaclyn Anglis is the senior managing editor at All That's Interesting, where she has worked since 2019. She holds a Master's degree in journalism from the City University of New York and a dual Bachelor's degree in English writing and history from DePauw University. In a career that spans 11 years, she has also worked with the New York Daily News, Bustle, and Bauer Xcel Media. Her interests include American history, true crime, modern history, and science.
Citation copied
COPY
Cite This Article
Fraga, Kaleena. "9 Of The Cruelest, Maddest, And Most Incompetent Emperors To Ever Rule Rome." AllThatsInteresting.com, September 9, 2024, https://allthatsinteresting.com/worst-roman-emperors. Accessed July 26, 2025.