When they laughed at Caligula, it often didn’t end well. The Roman emperor, infamous for his capricious (unpredictable) cruelty, paranoia, and erratic behavior, saw mockery as a personal affront worthy of brutal retribution.
One recorded instance comes from Suetonius and Cassius Dio, ancient historians who chronicled Caligula’s reign (37–41 AD). They describe how he subjected senators, nobles, and even soldiers to bizarre commands—such as ordering them to worship him as a living god. When people hesitated or smirked, punishments ranged from humiliation to execution.
A famous anecdote involves Caligula dressing as a god, insisting the Senate revere him as Jupiter, Apollo, or Bacchus. When someone snickered, the offender often vanished. Another tale suggests that at a lavish banquet, a guest laughed at the emperor’s bizarre antics—Caligula reportedly pointed at him and casually remarked, "I have the power to have that man killed on the spot, and no one would dare question it."
One of his most chilling punishments was reserved for a high-ranking Roman who laughed at Caligula’s claim that he could command the sea. In response, the emperor staged a mock military victory over Neptune, ordering his soldiers to collect seashells as “spoils of war.” Those who found it amusing were dealt with swiftly.
Ultimately, the laughter stopped when Caligula’s own guards, the Praetorian Guard, decided his reign was too dangerous. In 41 AD, after years of terrorizing Rome, they assassinated him in a brutal coup.
In Caligula’s Rome, laughing at the wrong moment could cost you your life. #Caligula #RomanEmpire #MadEmperor #History #AncientRome
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