Born Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus in A.D. 12, Caligula rose to power in A.D. 37 as the third Roman emperor. Nicknamed “Caligula,” meaning “little boots,” after the miniature soldier ...

Still spending, but now short of cash, he began blackmailing leading Roman families ... not mourned, Caligula was succeeded by his uncle, Claudius, the most unlikely of emperors.