Rumors abound as to what exactly he…
31 CE
Rumors abound as to what exactly he Tiberius us doing in Capri.
Suetonius records lurid tales of sexual perversity and cruelty, and most of all his paranoia.
While heavily sensationalized, Suetonius' stories at least paint a picture of how Tiberius was perceived by the Roman people, and what his impact on the Principate was during his twenty-three years of rule.
Gaius Caesar, as a boy of just two or three, had accompanied his father, Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Tiberius, on campaigns in the north of Germania.
The soldiers, amused that Gaius was dressed in a miniature soldier's uniform, including boots and armor, soon gave Gaius his nickname Caligula, meaning "little (soldier's) boot" in Latin, after the small boots he wore as part of his uniform.
Gaius, though, reportedly grew to dislike this nickname.
Suetonius claims that Germanicus was poisoned in Syria by an agent of Tiberius, who viewed Germanicus as a political rival.
After the death of his father, Caligula lived with his mother until her relations with Tiberius deteriorated.After the banishment of Agrippina and Caligula's brother, Nero, when adolescent Caligula had been sent to live first with his great-grandmother (and Tiberius's mother) Livia.
Following Livia's death, he had been sent to live with his grandmother Antonia.
Suetonius writes that after the banishment of his mother and brothers, Caligula and his sisters were nothing more than prisoners of Tiberius under the close watch of soldiers.
To the surprise of many, Caligula is spared by Tiberius: in 31, Caligula is remanded to the personal care of the emperor on Capri, where he is to live for the next six years.
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