The 3 most Crazy Roman Emperors
- 2 months ago
Tiberius
When he ruled
14-37 AD
Why he was crazy :
The ultimate “dirty old man,” Tiberius succeeded Augustus, Rome’s first emperor, only to soon withdraw into his elaborate villa in Capri. Suetonius, the first-century historian, tells us that his life there was nothing short of depraved: Tiberius had constant orgies, hired young boys and girls to frolic like “Pans and nymphs” in the grottoes, kept an erotic library “in case a performer should need an illustration of what was required,” and even abused infants and toddlers.
Caligula
When he ruled
37-41 AD
Why he was crazy :
Everyone loved Caligula when he became emperor, seeing him as the youthful, fresh face to follow Tiberius. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that Caligula was also a delusional megalomaniac.
He wandered the palace throughout the night instead of sleeping, flew into public rages, and spoke to the moon and to Jupiter as if they were in confidence. In the best-known story, he made his horse a senator, building it a stable of marble and inviting people to have dinner with the horse.
Nero
When he ruled
54-68 AD
Why he was crazy :
Here’s a little background on how Nero treated his loved ones: He divorced his first wife, then had her beheaded and brought her head to Rome so his second wife could gloat over it. He kicked his second wife, Poppaea, to death when she was pregnant with their second child. When saw a young boy who looked like Poppaea, he married him, forced him to dress as a woman, and had him castrated.
He also killed his own mother… and there were rumors their relationship had been much more than mother-son.
Compared to all that, the fact that Nero climbed a stage and sang (not fiddled!) while Rome burned seems almost benign. But when the cost of rebuilding the city led Nero to extreme methods, like having rich men name him as their heir and then forcing them to commit suicide, the people had had it. He was essentially forced to commit suicide. His last words: “Oh, what an artist the world is losing!
When he ruled
14-37 AD
Why he was crazy :
The ultimate “dirty old man,” Tiberius succeeded Augustus, Rome’s first emperor, only to soon withdraw into his elaborate villa in Capri. Suetonius, the first-century historian, tells us that his life there was nothing short of depraved: Tiberius had constant orgies, hired young boys and girls to frolic like “Pans and nymphs” in the grottoes, kept an erotic library “in case a performer should need an illustration of what was required,” and even abused infants and toddlers.
Caligula
When he ruled
37-41 AD
Why he was crazy :
Everyone loved Caligula when he became emperor, seeing him as the youthful, fresh face to follow Tiberius. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that Caligula was also a delusional megalomaniac.
He wandered the palace throughout the night instead of sleeping, flew into public rages, and spoke to the moon and to Jupiter as if they were in confidence. In the best-known story, he made his horse a senator, building it a stable of marble and inviting people to have dinner with the horse.
Nero
When he ruled
54-68 AD
Why he was crazy :
Here’s a little background on how Nero treated his loved ones: He divorced his first wife, then had her beheaded and brought her head to Rome so his second wife could gloat over it. He kicked his second wife, Poppaea, to death when she was pregnant with their second child. When saw a young boy who looked like Poppaea, he married him, forced him to dress as a woman, and had him castrated.
He also killed his own mother… and there were rumors their relationship had been much more than mother-son.
Compared to all that, the fact that Nero climbed a stage and sang (not fiddled!) while Rome burned seems almost benign. But when the cost of rebuilding the city led Nero to extreme methods, like having rich men name him as their heir and then forcing them to commit suicide, the people had had it. He was essentially forced to commit suicide. His last words: “Oh, what an artist the world is losing!