Caligula, properly Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus AD12-41
Roman emperor

The youngest son of Germanicus Caesar and Agrippina, the Elder he was born in Antium. He was nicknamed Caligula from his little soldier's boots (caligae). He ingratiated himself with Tiberius, and, on his death (AD37), was co-heir alongside the emperor's grandson Gemellus. The senate, however, conferred imperial power on Caligula alone. His rule then developed into an erratic despotism, though it is not easy to separate fact from fiction in a hostile tradition. He squandered the wealth left by Tiberius, banished or murdered his relatives, excepting his uncle Claudius and sister Drusilla (with whom he was suspected of committing incest), executed and confiscated the property of many citizens of Rome, and awarded himself extravagant honours, having aspirations towards deification. His brief but traumatic reign ended when he was assassinated.

Bibliography: John P V D Balsdon, The Emperor Gaius (1934)