Have you checked out my latest channel Business Blaze? It's interesting business stories with a dose of ridiculousness thrown in. Check it out here: ruclips.net/channel/UCYY5GWf7MHFJ6DZeHreoXgw
@ammar siddiqui If the only thing stopping someone from committing pederasty is the fact they're too weak to hold a child down, we wouldn't say going to the gym to buff up "corrupted" them into being a pedophile. Not cheating on a spouse because they're too ugly to find someone else doesn't make a person loyal. Not cursing out a boss because they don't want to be fired doesn't make a person nice. Not turning a country into an orgy of hedonistic terror isn't meritorious if you're beggar. And in the changing of any of these circumstances, we would not call it "corruption". The essence of who a person is, is revealed only when someone has the means to do that which they aught not to. Thusly, power does not "corrupt" an individual into doing terrible things, it merely lets people out of whatever cage held them back. Power doesn't corrupt. Power reveals.
If Caligula had died instead of dragging himself back to the land of the living he probably would have been on the list of the most popular emperors instead of on the list of the worst emperers!
Like uncle, like nephew. Nero had his mother executed. He kicked his pregnant wife to death. Then felt sorry for killing her and castrated a young teen/boy called Sporus that looked like his dead wife and married him. Nero dressed Sporus up as his dead wife and paraded him round the City.
I’m currently rewatching it now, on Season 2... I will be watching documentaries in place of the following seasons that never happened, and never will. But, we got 4 seasons of Game Of Thrones!
An interesting theory that I kind of like regarding Caligula is when he took ill, he apparently suffered a serious fever as well and when he recovered he had actually suffered brain damage. A sad effect of brain damage (which certainly could have been caused by poison as well) is that people who suffer it can undergo a personality change.
@@animec-dramaskpop6362 no one is born ‘evil’; break down tyrants to serial killers histories and you’ll find a genetic history of mental illnesses or inbreeding, repeated childhood trauma, and a whole bunch of them have some type of recorded brain injury. Its been fascinating for me to listen to channels like this and notice an equation forming to a violent, sadistic human
Fun story about his name. “Boot” has long been a term used by those in militaries, applied to new guys. Basically a way to call those who haven’t deployed yet a “rookie” or “noob”. “Slick” was also used in the early 20th century, referring to their slick sleeves not having any chevrons, not really important here tho lol. But as you said, as a child he would follow his dad (who was very well respected and loved by his men) on campaigns, and wear said uniform. So the men would like “hey little boot” and it stuck. I’ve always found this to be awesome, cause the same basic thing still happens today.
Would love to see one on Cesare Borgia. I've heard he was the inspiration for The Prince. Also an amazing military leader. Not to mention son of one of the most wicked popes in history.
Near the end of Romes ancient era..they had a new emperor every 6 months..it was THAT unstable..ripe for the Visigoth invasion..And its ultimate fall..
I like how you’re splicing in some comedic bits, while not letting them overtake the informative nature of the video. Cheers from across the pond, and please keep up the good work!
“Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst, and corrupts the best. Power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up.” Wise words by Ragnar Lothbrok.
*Romans: Finally, now that tyrant Tiberius has died, we can all return to a somewhat more tranquil existence.* *Caligula: **_Sike fools thou has thought!_*
He’s like an ancient Roman version of Ramsey Snow from Game of Thrones. On another note, I definitely see the inspiration for the villain of Gladiator.
@Klaus Toth I've actually read I Claudius. It's great, though it indulges all the worst rumours about Livia. Still she makes a great baddie doesn't she. Been meaning to watch the series for a while now. I found it on Amazon Prime recently so maybe soon. I found I Claudius originally through The History of Rome Podcast, so maybe that's a thing you might be interested in. This guy Mike Duncan goes from the very beginning and founding of Rome, all the way up to the last emperor of the Western Empire. He references his sources really well actually, and it paints this really clear narrative of how Rome changed throughout the ages. Cheers, and regards from Norway.
@Klaus Toth Ah so you must have read all about Marius, Sulla, and the Gracchi brothers. Fascinating stuff that, I don't blame you. Cleopatra was interesting as well. She gambled on the freedom of her country and lost, but she really had no choice but to take that gamble if she wanted Egypt to remain free of Roman subjugation and perhaps even create a new golden age for Egypt. She certainly was a much better politician than Antony. I need to read more about her. Any suggestions?
@@Karin_Allen It's been repeatedly verified that most of the main GoT characters were based off actual historical figures so this is simply par for the course
As someone with a passion for history, i must say your videos are well researched, easy to follow for people with little history knowledge and most importantly very interesting to watch. You just gained another subscriber.
His nephew Nero was evil too. He had his mother executed and kicked his pregnant wife to death. Then he felt sorry for killing her and castrated a young teen/boy called Sporus that looked like his dead wife and married him. Nero dressed Sporus up as his dead wife and paraded him round the City.
I'm a new subscriber, I would like to say that you give an incredible and visual history lesson. I will be watching all the videos you have, you are very talented.
I have to say the story telling is exceptional in this one. It's lively, modern and entertaining. Keep up the good work and most importantly keep 'em coming ♡
I've always wondered if Caligula's "sudden" change in personality was down to brain damage from whatever happened to him, rather than this madness and behaviour always being who he was from the start just hidden out of some kind of self-preservation so early in his rule. Be it poison or perhaps even a stroke, it seems to suggest at the very least that his brain might have suffered from a lack of oxygen with brain cells dying (his complaint about constant headaches was likely a sign of this damage). Sure he had a really nasty side of him before the event, but that side clearly wasn't entirely dominant else his positive reforms before he became ill likely wouldn't have happened. Brain damage could have damaged the areas of his brain responsible for his more controlled, level and logical side, leaving that nasty side as the new dominant part of his personality. Not to mention some of the downright bizarre things he did that clearly point to a form of madness taking hold - again something traumatic brain damage is known to cause. Add to that the rumours of him being poisoned which likely reached his ears and added paranoia to the list of symptoms and you end up with exactly the person he turned out to be. If this is the case, then from the moment whatever took place to cause his illness onwards I would consider him more of a mentally ill victim rather than some sort of intentional evil that had just been biding its time to emerge. Sadly because the world at that time didn't seem to really recognize or care about mentally ill people, nor did it consider them "victims" - and because the only way for a Roman Emperor to be replaced was through their DEATH, he was left still in power when he really should have been removed from the throne and either locked up or sent someone quiet and remote (but cared for financially) to live out the rest of his life in exile/peace. Instead, Rome and history got ... well ... Caligula.
@Harry Snothead That is a possibility too, yes. There are examples of people doing "good things" simply to gain further power and a stronger hold on those around them, in order to then suddenly reverse direction and undo all the good they did before. Very much like world leaders who put their support behind social reforms that seem to benefit their country, simply to increase their odds of being democratically elected into a leadership role - only to then go and demolish the very democracy that brought them to power in the first place and turn into a tyrant dictator. Putin has done exactly this and so too did Hitler - which people tend to forget. Hitler didn't gain power by overthrowing the government of the time, he utilised democracy in the country to be fairly elected. And he won that election through promises of positive change, and supporting reforms that were actually _good_ ... only to then go dictator and tyrant on the same people who voted him into office, as well as the wider world. The only reason I don't tend to include Caligula in this, is _because_ of the fact he had a documented illness that ended up causing blinding headaches and a sudden switch in personality - which we know today _is_ potentially an outward symptom of something bad happening within the brain. Without these health issues attached I would 100% say he was more akin to Hitler or Putin or any other world leader who did the "ol' switcheroo" once they got in power.
I have always thought that the character of King Joffrey in Game of Thrones may have been modeled after Caligula. In looking at the statues of him in this video, it seems to me that the actor Jack Gleeson bears a considerable resemblance to him.
@@odysseusrex5908 both have psychopathic symptoms and had god complex. Both of them died pretty young too. While Mad King and Caligua both had some brain diseases which changed them personally.
@@injectedwolf914 Obvious suspension-of-disbelief aside, we really don’t/can’t know if Caligula actually had a pathogenic illness that influenced and affected his behavior.
Played a bit too much of a limp wristed sissy for me, not how i understood the depictions of the supposed Mad Emperor, Not to demean John Hurt, nor limp wristed sissy's
Not that my opinion matters, but after watching at least 90% of your videos, I think this is Simons best one, just witty funny and accurate. Loved it 👍
Its truly a miracle that the Empire did not go back to a republic after experiencing 3 perverse and tyrannical emperors one after another. By the time of Nero's death and subsequent year of four emperors I thought people might question the effectiveness of system that gives god-like power to a single man.
I think it would be cool if you did a Biographics on Josip Broz Tito, as he was an interesting figure during the time of the cold war, he also had a very interesting life before he became the leader of Yugoslavia. 11/10 would subscribe again.
@@josemanuelvarelapuig5064 it was a common thing to name/rename leaders to past famous leaders. So yeah, reading academic texts can get very confusing.
Julius Caesar; "I am a badass general." Augustus Caesar; "Lol, hold my acquisitions" Tiberus; "Hold their food." Caligua; "Hold my horse and sister." Nero; "Hold my ablaze Rome and Christians." ....100 destruction
Claudius next. Most people only know Claudius from his depiction by Sir Derek Jacobi, which is still the best, but I'm sure probably isn't too historically accurate. Thank you for Caligula!
Can you guys do Alexis deTocqueville ? He was a famous enlightenment philosopher who wrote “Democracy in America”, which is a book based on the questions of “why has America not had a revolution yet, while France has had several, despite both having enlightenment ideals based in there revolutions”. It is said that in his book he predicted a great power struggle between America and the Russians a hundred years before the Cold War even happened in his book. He is also not really well known in France, his own homeland.
No one ever seems to mention one of the most disgusting things Caligula had ever done. I almost cried and threw up after hearing about it. A person insulted Caligula to his face in the street, so Caligula had his whole family rounded up. Caligula had the guy killed, then his wife, and then their children one after another from oldest to youngest. With the last child, a 12 year old girl, sobbing hysterically after being forced to watch what Caligula's guards did to her family, someone in the crowd asked to spare her because she was a virgin. Caligula reportedly smiled, then ordered one of his guards to brutally rape the girl, making her an "adult", then strangle her to death. I pray we never again have any President or ruler that is his level of sadistic.
@@ernestoA.1999 The mongols would nail women to their boats so the Japanese can hear their screams before they attacked the mainland I don’t think a emperor being an asshole is much of a stretch
5:00 - "Tiberius' time on Capri was passed satisfying himself with underage boys and girls and then having them hurled off cliffs to their deaths..." I realize everyone has their own hobbies but wow. smh
Thank you Simon, nine years ago I was in a car wreck a ejected 75 feet for my car, I've had four brain surgeries, and I will graduate next semester from West Virginia Tech in history and government. But all your videos have reminded me of the memories I lost, and I agree oh, you need to do more about Roman emperors, and let people know that six six six, was designed to describe emperor Nero! That I did remember
Caligulas story is one that's always made me wonder about the possibilities of lead poisoning. From various descriptions of his symptoms historians have speculated that the illness that seems to have so profoundly changed him was a product of excessive lead intake. Easy to believe since lead was a common food additive at the time, especially in the best wines (Exactly the kind that Caligula would have been drinking). Between the mans extreme fever and being subjected to it over such a long period of time, it's POSSIBLE (though only speculative) that Caligula could in fact have been brain damaged by the illness. That could potentially account for the big personality shift.
Once read an Article about him claiming that the Trauma of living with Tiberius made him schizophrenic thats why he sometimes was good and than so randomly evil at other Times. The illness may also have worsened his conditon
Frank Frank Sounds more likely. I’ve never heard of an event inciting schizophrenia, I’ve only known it to be something someone is born with. I may be wrong, but I do know that schizophrenia can be worsened by traumatic events. It’s more likely that his sickness damaged his brain and further unhinged his cruel, masochistic side.
Stress/truama can "activate" genetic predispositions from schizophrenia to more physical aliments like IBS/IBD, etc. But schizophrenia is not linked to early life truama as much as other mental illness and is more so found to run in genetics and happen with or without a possible triggering event.
love you man glad you are still around happy to see you are growing too you fill most my time with this madness i love it thank you for your teachings and keep them comeing
This is a fantastic channel. The first historical channel that provides context and is easy to follow. What a great speaker/orator you are! Thank you so much
Great stuff. Please do Claudius. He is perhaps the most misrepresented emperor out of them all. Suetonius (the main biographer of Claudius) completely hounded him and made him seem a terrible emperor, when in fact he was not.
Watch the video, about caligula ,penthouses x rated un cut version ,the movie flopped but it is epic porn,almost gives you,the idea,what it was really like.
Theres a Netflix documentary/drama about the Roman Empire and season 3 is all about Caligula. Although they take some liberties with the story-tbf, there is a ALOT about Caligula's life that could be embellished so why not.
Caligula: Suggests a horse as senator as a joke, and to insult the senators History: Thinks Caligula was serious Senators: Got the joke, didn't like it, eventually kill the guy
Thank you for doing this! Caligula was my pick on your survey. The X rated movie about him with a few Hollywood A listers likely increased his "name" recognition.
"Rasputin, bring hither the the skindiving with the bottom cut out and unleash the rampant wilderbeast!" -Caligula (Red Dwarf season 4 finale Meltdown)
@@Michael-ro5cu The 1958 "discovery" of LSD was actually just the realization of hallucinogenic properties of LSD-25, specifically, & only due to accidental cross-contamination. Defo NOT the initial discovery of it altogether, agreed. ...must have been one HELLUVA bike ride home~
I love these biographies. Simon, you do a great job in your delivery. You speak at the perfect pace and you enunciate clearly. I really find it refreshing when you pepper your sentences with the odd, soft curse word. "Lame ass" this, or "He was a colossal dick," etc. All this plus education, too! You CAN have it all.
This channel is super addictive. From James Joyce to Ed Gein, Diogenes to Elizabeth Bathory. You never know who'll you'll stumble upon. However I gotta say the Roman Emperors are by far my favourite. You couldn't make this stuff up! Brilliant stuff!
Have you checked out my latest channel Business Blaze? It's interesting business stories with a dose of ridiculousness thrown in. Check it out here: ruclips.net/channel/UCYY5GWf7MHFJ6DZeHreoXgw
Hey there, love your work. Such concentrated information presented in such an easily digestible way. Much respect from NZ, and keep it up!
Yes I’m subscribed to all of your channels... Simon if you had absolute power what would be one horrible thing you’re afraid you might do ?
Why not do a video on Commodus he ran a close race with caligula and nero
Simon you would have made a magnificent Orator in ancient Rome
@Biographics, please do the eulogy at my funeral! I'm not sick... so see you in 60 years?
Power doesn't corrupt.
Power reveals.
I have said the same.
@ammar siddiqui If the only thing stopping someone from committing pederasty is the fact they're too weak to hold a child down, we wouldn't say going to the gym to buff up "corrupted" them into being a pedophile.
Not cheating on a spouse because they're too ugly to find someone else doesn't make a person loyal. Not cursing out a boss because they don't want to be fired doesn't make a person nice. Not turning a country into an orgy of hedonistic terror isn't meritorious if you're beggar. And in the changing of any of these circumstances, we would not call it "corruption".
The essence of who a person is, is revealed only when someone has the means to do that which they aught not to. Thusly, power does not "corrupt" an individual into doing terrible things, it merely lets people out of whatever cage held them back.
Power doesn't corrupt.
Power reveals.
Power corrupts if you are that way inclined
Fae-Ray Anthem both actualy
ammar siddiqui , have you seen Lord of The Rings? It’s like the Ring, it reveals their desires and that’s a telltale. Xo
Imagine living through Tiberius then Caligula only to see Nero take the throne oof
zxzx imagine being Christian than getting blamed by Nero that you lit half of Rome on fire
@@tobtobsaitama8428 Double oof
Well, we've had 2 Bush's and now Trump, so.....
@@audreymuzingo933 why doesn't Trump wear glasses ??? Because he already has 2020!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸
@@laszlokiss483 Definitely don't quit your day job for comedy. Or fortune telling. LOL
This is why he never had a salad named after him.
Cam Rubi what would Caesar say;)
I like your dog :)
Gaius CAESAR....Just saying.
No but he had a sexual position named after him, similar to a salad though, so consolation prize there.
Cam Rubi 😂😂😂😂👍🏽
Caligula: prepare for trouble
Nero: and make it double
Tiberius: Meowth! Thats right
God must love stupid people, he sure makes alot of them.
@@jaycharles3121 Welcome to the club buddy. It's good to have you. Our numbers are growing
Nero has been demonized by our dear church. He was popular with the people and later emperors liked first half of his reign more than anyone elses. 🤔🤔
@@TotalTech_ "go away! 'batin!"
If Caligula had died instead of dragging himself back to the land of the living he probably would have been on the list of the most popular emperors instead of on the list of the worst emperers!
You spelled it right the first time and wrong the second time. I feel it tho
@@Whispergryn lmao in your attempt to correct them you spelled though wrong 😑 but I feel it tho
@@yungsammysosa6201 it's a joke my mans lmao.
Worst? You mean based
I mean he definitely had brain damage right?
It's ironic that Caligula's name was erased from Roman history, yet will remain to be known throughout all of human history.
Caligula: "I'm the MAD Roman Emperor!"
Nero: "Hold my wine"
Caligula the mad
Nero the beast
Think it's just fair
Aerys Targuyren would be jealous
Nero: "I'm even better at being terrible than Caligula!"
Domitian: "Hold MY wine!"
Commodus: "Amateurs!"
Like uncle, like nephew. Nero had his mother executed. He kicked his pregnant wife to death. Then felt sorry for killing her and castrated a young teen/boy called Sporus that looked like his dead wife and married him. Nero dressed Sporus up as his dead wife and paraded him round the City.
...while I go torch Rome
HBO needs to up re-up Rome again with 5+ seasons.
I fucking love HBO's Rome
Yes!!! Two seasons were not enough!!
yeah..defo..the bbc should have stepped in finacially
I’m currently rewatching it now, on Season 2... I will be watching documentaries in place of the following seasons that never happened, and never will.
But, we got 4 seasons of Game Of Thrones!
Sad they had planned for 5 seasons
An interesting theory that I kind of like regarding Caligula is when he took ill, he apparently suffered a serious fever as well and when he recovered he had actually suffered brain damage. A sad effect of brain damage (which certainly could have been caused by poison as well) is that people who suffer it can undergo a personality change.
Henry the 8th suffered a head wound from jousting and became a tyrant right after the injury.
Maybe, he thought they attempted to poison him.
Or people can just be naturally evil.
@@animec-dramaskpop6362 no one is born ‘evil’; break down tyrants to serial killers histories and you’ll find a genetic history of mental illnesses or inbreeding, repeated childhood trauma, and a whole bunch of them have some type of recorded brain injury.
Its been fascinating for me to listen to channels like this and notice an equation forming to a violent, sadistic human
@@alexlibby5087 Ok, I guess I got some research to do.
I'm officially addicted to these bios. I love ancient history, and your delivery is excellent!! Thank you!!
@Dildo Shwaggins Good point-he'd be an amazing history teacher.
To be honest I've been on this page all day for these exact reasons...
@@cyanide_lollipop3264 Yeah, if the history were accurate.
Same here!! I absolutely love Ancient History!!! 🤍🗡️🤎🛡️
"You've gone mad with power!"
"Of course i have! Have you ever tried going mad without power? Waste of time, no-one listens."
The Simpsons
I heard that the horse he made counsel always voted “Nay” .......
ba dum tss XD
Gagahaga 😎 🤗 LMAO LOVE IT ✝️ TELL IT
😎
lol
I came here to make this joke
"He was also something of a colossal DICK" - superb!
😂😂😂😂
Wait till Biggus Dickus hears of this!
"Well, then I know a certain dick-tator who's sleeping with Mommy tonight" :)
Fun story about his name. “Boot” has long been a term used by those in militaries, applied to new guys. Basically a way to call those who haven’t deployed yet a “rookie” or “noob”. “Slick” was also used in the early 20th century, referring to their slick sleeves not having any chevrons, not really important here tho lol. But as you said, as a child he would follow his dad (who was very well respected and loved by his men) on campaigns, and wear said uniform. So the men would like “hey little boot” and it stuck. I’ve always found this to be awesome, cause the same basic thing still happens today.
“And he is giving you bread and circuses and a promise he is not going to kill you at random”
Well done script writer well done
Would love to see one on Cesare Borgia. I've heard he was the inspiration for The Prince. Also an amazing military leader. Not to mention son of one of the most wicked popes in history.
One of the most based Popes in history.
Wasn't his dad Pope though? He was just a Cardinal.
@@joeshmoe5169 he was a cardinal then he stopped and became a general.
@@brandtlucasbrandt Right, but my point is, is that he was never Pope. At least to my knowledge.
Bryan Favreau not just a wicked pope, but a wicked pope who wielded the Staff of Motherfucking Eden
Near the end of Romes ancient era..they had a new emperor every 6 months..it was THAT unstable..ripe for the Visigoth invasion..And its ultimate fall..
They were poisoning themselves with lead from the drinking water and their cooking pots. This caused brain damage and infertility. And doomed them.
But Caligula reigned for four years no? And Nero after him?
Well to be fair Constantine The Great kept Rome going with Constantinople and the East!
Please, you *have* to do Nero next!
Nero would be cool
@@saulthompson8495 But they have to do Claudius before Nero.
I wanna know how he got the devil trigger(new to the series)
Yeah the whole time I kept thinking “I thought Nero was the crazy one.”
CHRISTIANS TO DA LIONZ
To contrast when absolute power does not corrupt absolutely. Consider a biography on Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Augustus is the symbol of greatness and crucial genius even under high pressure and power
Problem. Marcus Aurelius was Commodus's father. Hm. Somebody dropped the ball there..... (but yes, he was a good man at least.)
@@nannerthepuss Ridley Scott is my favourite historian
And yet, for all his enlightenment, Marcus Aurelius still fed Christians to lions. Or didn't he?
@@williamchadwick7948 had he fed all of them to lions, Europe would still be united instead of having gone through the dark ages.
"Rome is just a city of necks waiting for me to cut" - caligula
Horrible Histories 😁
What a sick psychopath. Possessed by evil spirits.
I like how you’re splicing in some comedic bits, while not letting them overtake the informative nature of the video. Cheers from across the pond, and please keep up the good work!
Definitely better than Wendover/Half as Interesting
As far as Roman emperors go, I'm looking forward to the episode titled "Marcus Aurelius - The Philosopher King".
TriviaBot there is a colleague of mine that I call by that name 😝
A true OG stoic. I second that.
You had predicted the future,and correctly guessed the title of the video.
Power doesn’t corrupt. Power attracts the corruptible, absolute power attracts the absolutely corruptible (Frank Herbert)
Bi-la kaifa
if I were emperor, I'd have you barbecued. Think for yourself instead of using tired cliches.
S P 😂😂😂
“Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst, and corrupts the best. Power is only given to those who are prepared to lower themselves to pick it up.”
Wise words by Ragnar Lothbrok.
S P I was quoting someone else
*Romans: Finally, now that tyrant Tiberius has died, we can all return to a somewhat more tranquil existence.*
*Caligula: **_Sike fools thou has thought!_*
Banderas Vaduva 😂😂😂
😭😭🤣🤣🤦
Tiberius in my op is actually a tragically misunderstood figure in history
Read up about him and you’ll understand
😂😂😂
*Caligula dies
Romans: whew. Okay those 2 are gone. NOW we can get back to normal
*NERO HAS ENTERED THE CHAT*
I wish I had Simon as a teacher when I was in school. He makes learning so fun and interesting.
Same
He’s like an ancient Roman version of Ramsey Snow from
Game of Thrones. On another note, I definitely see the inspiration for the villain of Gladiator.
You dont need much of inspiration to portray Commodus. He was super fucked up too so reading his life would be enough
Nero was more like Ramsey tbh.
@Klaus Toth Arguably Commodus was worse than Caligula.
@Klaus Toth I've actually read I Claudius. It's great, though it indulges all the worst rumours about Livia. Still she makes a great baddie doesn't she. Been meaning to watch the series for a while now. I found it on Amazon Prime recently so maybe soon. I found I Claudius originally through The History of Rome Podcast, so maybe that's a thing you might be interested in. This guy Mike Duncan goes from the very beginning and founding of Rome, all the way up to the last emperor of the Western Empire. He references his sources really well actually, and it paints this really clear narrative of how Rome changed throughout the ages. Cheers, and regards from Norway.
@Klaus Toth Ah so you must have read all about Marius, Sulla, and the Gracchi brothers. Fascinating stuff that, I don't blame you. Cleopatra was interesting as well. She gambled on the freedom of her country and lost, but she really had no choice but to take that gamble if she wanted Egypt to remain free of Roman subjugation and perhaps even create a new golden age for Egypt. She certainly was a much better politician than Antony. I need to read more about her. Any suggestions?
Let's just get a whole series Roman Emperors.
Edit: Oh my Caesar 600+ likes thanks.
Edit 2: 800+ I clearly speak for the people Simon
not something we inherently asked for, but still something we need
read or listen (audio book) to the Twelve Caesars. It mentions jesus in it.
@@CDNShuffle I'll keep that in mind thanks!
If Roman emperors are your thing check out Totalus Rankium, it's a great podcast about all of them :)
There's also a netflix series, where each season handles a different emperor, called simply "Rome."
14:15 Tell me that doesnt look like Joffrey Baratheon from Game of Thrones.
I've been thinking that about *every* bust of Caligula featured in this video. The similarity is really creepy.
@@Karin_Allen THANK YOU! I was looking for this comment! So many of them look like Jeoffrey!
Caligula _was_ Joffery Baratheon irl
Other way round. Duh. The FICTITIOUS character was cast to look like caius caesar
@@Karin_Allen It's been repeatedly verified that most of the main GoT characters were based off actual historical figures so this is simply par for the course
"Seducing his sister and making his horse consul"
Sounds just like your average crusader kings 2 game.
Can you appoint horses in that game?
Welcome to the Public Service!
Im sorry you dont own Northern Ireland and cant form the Russo - Islamic - Hindu - Franco - Alemain - Khaganate
Fun fact: If you make Glitterhoof a character, Incitatus (Caligula's horse) will eventually make an appearance in CK2.
As someone with a passion for history, i must say your videos are well researched, easy to follow for people with little history knowledge and most importantly very interesting to watch. You just gained another subscriber.
"Seducing his sister and making his horse consul." Oh boy oh boy buckle up.
*heavy alabaman breathing*
@@lukastanojevic4502 bruhhh 😂😂😂
His nephew Nero was evil too. He had his mother executed and kicked his pregnant wife to death. Then he felt sorry for killing her and castrated a young teen/boy called Sporus that looked like his dead wife and married him. Nero dressed Sporus up as his dead wife and paraded him round the City.
@@wisedragon173 wtffff?! That literally sounds like you made it up! That's crazy tho!
@@amistry605 Unfortunately, he's correct.
You take a mortal man and put him in control watch him become a god watch people’s head a roll - Megadeth
Jerry Velasquez 👍
@@92skeet49 92 skeet
🤘
I love that you add a little humour. I needed some, that man is as dark as they get.
Says he only ruled for four years-
Me: That was all in four years?
John Hurt played Caligula in "I, Claudius" and it was so good. I will never forget the Venus scene.
Love hurts…
literally!!!!!!
This is a really good Biographic but I was wondering if you could do the mysterious figure of Simon Whistler
Yaassssss
That should be one for for series finale.
I just want to know where his mother is.
That would make a great post! Simon is quite an enigma!
@H P Only if you don't get the reference.
That was excellent, Simon. Thanks so much to you and your team of researchers.
Don Shaw man shut up
I'm a new subscriber, I would like to say that you give an incredible and visual history lesson. I will be watching all the videos you have, you are very talented.
ikr.. totally agree with you.. he's very, very good. the whole package is superb.
I have to say the story telling is exceptional in this one. It's lively, modern and entertaining. Keep up the good work and most importantly keep 'em coming ♡
I've always wondered if Caligula's "sudden" change in personality was down to brain damage from whatever happened to him, rather than this madness and behaviour always being who he was from the start just hidden out of some kind of self-preservation so early in his rule. Be it poison or perhaps even a stroke, it seems to suggest at the very least that his brain might have suffered from a lack of oxygen with brain cells dying (his complaint about constant headaches was likely a sign of this damage). Sure he had a really nasty side of him before the event, but that side clearly wasn't entirely dominant else his positive reforms before he became ill likely wouldn't have happened. Brain damage could have damaged the areas of his brain responsible for his more controlled, level and logical side, leaving that nasty side as the new dominant part of his personality. Not to mention some of the downright bizarre things he did that clearly point to a form of madness taking hold - again something traumatic brain damage is known to cause. Add to that the rumours of him being poisoned which likely reached his ears and added paranoia to the list of symptoms and you end up with exactly the person he turned out to be.
If this is the case, then from the moment whatever took place to cause his illness onwards I would consider him more of a mentally ill victim rather than some sort of intentional evil that had just been biding its time to emerge. Sadly because the world at that time didn't seem to really recognize or care about mentally ill people, nor did it consider them "victims" - and because the only way for a Roman Emperor to be replaced was through their DEATH, he was left still in power when he really should have been removed from the throne and either locked up or sent someone quiet and remote (but cared for financially) to live out the rest of his life in exile/peace. Instead, Rome and history got ... well ... Caligula.
We will never know.
@Harry Snothead That is a possibility too, yes. There are examples of people doing "good things" simply to gain further power and a stronger hold on those around them, in order to then suddenly reverse direction and undo all the good they did before. Very much like world leaders who put their support behind social reforms that seem to benefit their country, simply to increase their odds of being democratically elected into a leadership role - only to then go and demolish the very democracy that brought them to power in the first place and turn into a tyrant dictator. Putin has done exactly this and so too did Hitler - which people tend to forget. Hitler didn't gain power by overthrowing the government of the time, he utilised democracy in the country to be fairly elected. And he won that election through promises of positive change, and supporting reforms that were actually _good_ ... only to then go dictator and tyrant on the same people who voted him into office, as well as the wider world.
The only reason I don't tend to include Caligula in this, is _because_ of the fact he had a documented illness that ended up causing blinding headaches and a sudden switch in personality - which we know today _is_ potentially an outward symptom of something bad happening within the brain. Without these health issues attached I would 100% say he was more akin to Hitler or Putin or any other world leader who did the "ol' switcheroo" once they got in power.
Claudius was found hiding behind a curtain, and they made paintings of this
Fred Smith howwwwever, he WAS an imperial secretary with direct access to the records.
You're a great presenter. I'm glad you have enough videos to keep me occupied at work every day
Good you put In a bit more details regarding Caligula than the typical stuff. Great job for a short Bio 🙂👍
I have always thought that the character of King Joffrey in Game of Thrones may have been modeled after Caligula. In looking at the statues of him in this video, it seems to me that the actor Jack Gleeson bears a considerable resemblance to him.
Caligua was inspired for mad king while Nero was inspired for Joeffery.
@@injectedwolf914 I don't see the resemblance between Joffrey and Nero.
@@odysseusrex5908 both have psychopathic symptoms and had god complex. Both of them died pretty young too. While Mad King and Caligua both had some brain diseases which changed them personally.
@@injectedwolf914 Obvious suspension-of-disbelief aside, we really don’t/can’t know if Caligula actually had a pathogenic illness that influenced and affected his behavior.
TRUE ASF
"like if the Kennedys, the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers and the Queen of England..."
Boy howdy you just created a new conspiracy theory
isnt that already true od that group....running the globe
+Victoria Wilson
There is no Illuminati or group of evil elites. That's just a bunch of crazy conspiracy nonsense. :-)
A bio about Tycho Brahe, or a followup of this doing Nero would be interesting :) Great video btw!
Either of those would be great to see.
Terrific video. If you want to see John Hurt's amazing performance as Caligula, I highly recommend the classic BBC miniseries, I, Claudius.
Played a bit too much of a limp wristed sissy for me, not how i understood the depictions of the supposed Mad Emperor, Not to demean John Hurt, nor limp wristed sissy's
Not that my opinion matters, but after watching at least 90% of your videos, I think this is Simons best one, just witty funny and accurate. Loved it 👍
Accurate? How do you know?
Sounds like that close brush with death put him in a "well, you only live once, might as well do whatever the hell I want before it's over." mood.
Its truly a miracle that the Empire did not go back to a republic after experiencing 3 perverse and tyrannical emperors one after another. By the time of Nero's death and subsequent year of four emperors I thought people might question the effectiveness of system that gives god-like power to a single man.
You can tell that Simon enjoyed making this one! Excellent work as always 👌
Who's Simon????
y'all are on fire with these uploads
Fun fact he banned goat jokes in Rome
I wonder why? lol
Baah ewe have to be kidding
He was tired of people getting his goat
@@tomtom21194 Shame I can't like, and unlike at the same time ;-) …..
Liked.
Well he wasn't known as Caligula the wall-builder, now was he...
“Shut up and take our throne.” Love it! 🤣
Him: “Rome was like ‘shut up and take our thrown’”
Me:....heh.... * pushes thumbs up *
I think it would be cool if you did a Biographics on Josip Broz Tito, as he was an interesting figure during the time of the cold war, he also had a very interesting life before he became the leader of Yugoslavia. 11/10 would subscribe again.
Thank you Whitey, very cool!
Normie
YES!!! Thank you for making one of Caligula!! He’s one of my favorite Emperors of all time and I really love studying about him!!! ❤️❤️❤️👑
And by favourite, you mean most interesting...
Please tell me you mean most interesting...
Thank you for this! Caligula is such an interesting figure.
i have a question . is this caligula the same person as julius ceaser or another guy?
@@josemanuelvarelapuig5064 Different guy!
Thanks dude! I was just wondering since both are named gaius julius ceaser
@@josemanuelvarelapuig5064 it was a common thing to name/rename leaders to past famous leaders. So yeah, reading academic texts can get very confusing.
I remember watching “I Claudius” on PBS as a kid. Caligula was creepy.
His great grandmother Livia taught him well.
I didn't watch I Claudius until I was an adult but I loved the drama! Caligula was the creepiest! So memorable.
But he made such a pretty Venus. You're all jealous.
Julius Caesar; "I am a badass general."
Augustus Caesar; "Lol, hold my acquisitions"
Tiberus; "Hold their food."
Caligua; "Hold my horse and sister."
Nero; "Hold my ablaze Rome and Christians." ....100 destruction
JOSH ADRALE What about Claudius
What would Ivan the terrible say
Boy...this sure is a clever and humorous comment.
Why does everyone seem to be forgetting Claudius? Like, there WAS an emperor between Caligula and Nero.
Claudius next. Most people only know Claudius from his depiction by Sir Derek Jacobi, which is still the best, but I'm sure probably isn't too historically accurate. Thank you for Caligula!
Kali Loved that series though.
It's too bad that Claudius' memoirs are no longer extant.
If Caligula was Rome's worst emperor, Nero ran him a close second.
Can you guys do Alexis deTocqueville ? He was a famous enlightenment philosopher who wrote “Democracy in America”, which is a book based on the questions of “why has America not had a revolution yet, while France has had several, despite both having enlightenment ideals based in there revolutions”. It is said that in his book he predicted a great power struggle between America and the Russians a hundred years before the Cold War even happened in his book. He is also not really well known in France, his own homeland.
No one ever seems to mention one of the most disgusting things Caligula had ever done. I almost cried and threw up after hearing about it. A person insulted Caligula to his face in the street, so Caligula had his whole family rounded up. Caligula had the guy killed, then his wife, and then their children one after another from oldest to youngest. With the last child, a 12 year old girl, sobbing hysterically after being forced to watch what Caligula's guards did to her family, someone in the crowd asked to spare her because she was a virgin. Caligula reportedly smiled, then ordered one of his guards to brutally rape the girl, making her an "adult", then strangle her to death. I pray we never again have any President or ruler that is his level of sadistic.
this stories are completely myth folks
@@ernestoA.1999 The mongols would nail women to their boats so the Japanese can hear their screams before they attacked the mainland I don’t think a emperor being an asshole is much of a stretch
Yeah no ancient source recounts that. This tale is a complete modern fantasy.
i would do this too if i haad the power lmao
@@100cents5 yikes.
5:00 - "Tiberius' time on Capri was passed satisfying himself with underage boys and girls and then having them hurled off cliffs to their deaths..." I realize everyone has their own hobbies but wow. smh
Grandios Video! Love it. Caligulas Story is so intriguing 😁
Thank you Simon, nine years ago I was in a car wreck a ejected 75 feet for my car, I've had four brain surgeries, and I will graduate next semester from West Virginia Tech in history and government. But all your videos have reminded me of the memories I lost, and I agree oh, you need to do more about Roman emperors, and let people know that six six six, was designed to describe emperor Nero! That I did remember
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
The coloured bust of Caligula resembles Piers Morgan. Apparently assholery can cross genetic lines
George Porter I snorted
how very true
was it a requirement in Ancient Rome that in order for someone to be qualified as an Emperor they must be an absolute Lunatic?
think its a necessity with all our world leaders now
Victoria Wilson I hate the fact that I can’t say you’re wrong
Caligulas story is one that's always made me wonder about the possibilities of lead poisoning. From various descriptions of his symptoms historians have speculated that the illness that seems to have so profoundly changed him was a product of excessive lead intake. Easy to believe since lead was a common food additive at the time, especially in the best wines (Exactly the kind that Caligula would have been drinking). Between the mans extreme fever and being subjected to it over such a long period of time, it's POSSIBLE (though only speculative) that Caligula could in fact have been brain damaged by the illness. That could potentially account for the big personality shift.
Glad you are back to BC and AD. 👍👍
I didn't see this before I posted my statement up top, but I'm on board with you on that one.
Once read an Article about him claiming that the Trauma of living with Tiberius made him schizophrenic thats why he sometimes was good and than so randomly evil at other Times. The illness may also have worsened his conditon
Could it be that his fever when he was sick damaged his brain?
Frank Frank Sounds more likely. I’ve never heard of an event inciting schizophrenia, I’ve only known it to be something someone is born with. I may be wrong, but I do know that schizophrenia can be worsened by traumatic events. It’s more likely that his sickness damaged his brain and further unhinged his cruel, masochistic side.
A person doesn't "catch" schizophrenia. It's a genetic illness that a person is born with and typically runs in the family.
@@DeadPixel1105 I mean his family in general had a cruel streak. I wouldn't be surprised if it was running in the family.
Stress/truama can "activate" genetic predispositions from schizophrenia to more physical aliments like IBS/IBD, etc.
But schizophrenia is not linked to early life truama as much as other mental illness and is more so found to run in genetics and happen with or without a possible triggering event.
love you man glad you are still around happy to see you are growing too you fill most my time with this madness i love it thank you for your teachings and keep them comeing
This is a fantastic channel. The first historical channel that provides context and is easy to follow. What a great speaker/orator you are! Thank you so much
Great stuff. Please do Claudius. He is perhaps the most misrepresented emperor out of them all. Suetonius (the main biographer of Claudius) completely hounded him and made him seem a terrible emperor, when in fact he was not.
Issac Arellano I’d say he is my favourite. Of course the curtain story is hilarious. Also a sad end to him and his son Brittanicus
You're getting goofier as time goes on, and I love it!
I really like how Roman first, middle and last names often rhyme
This seems like something that would be an amazing HBO show
Watch the video, about caligula ,penthouses x rated un cut version ,the movie flopped but it is epic porn,almost gives you,the idea,what it was really like.
Well it was an amazing BBC show.
@@markabraham9233 what do you mean by penthouse ?
Theres a Netflix documentary/drama about the Roman Empire and season 3 is all about Caligula. Although they take some liberties with the story-tbf, there is a ALOT about Caligula's life that could be embellished so why not.
Caligula: Suggests a horse as senator as a joke, and to insult the senators
History: Thinks Caligula was serious
Senators: Got the joke, didn't like it, eventually kill the guy
Well, given his mental state at the time, it's not necessarily an impossibility that he really WAS serious...
Thank you for doing this! Caligula was my pick on your survey.
The X rated movie about him with a few Hollywood A listers likely increased his "name" recognition.
You know, I never thought about the movie like that! ^_^
I assume you're speaking of the film with Malcolm McDowell, and Helen Mirren?
When you said Caligula’s idea of fun was even more terrifying than Tiberius’, I groaned.
Oh my gooooddddness I am so here for this!!
I love your understatement and sarcasm. You would be a facinating instructor.
"Colossaaalll DDDDick💩" that got me😂😂
That "short discussion" between Caligula and those senators will absolutely brilliant and I fricking love it.
"Ya'll better get ready Neptune, we pullin up" -Caligula shortly before his death
You sounded like you were having a lot of fun in this episode xD
Can't say I blame you, this guy gives Joffrey Lannister a run for his money
Wasn’t Joffrey based on Caligula?
Jess Aguilar yeah kinda. If you want to know about the true inspiration behind Joffrey read about King Richard II of England. Lots of similarities.
Uh, his official surname is Baratheon.
Jackson Rushing [laughs in incest]
He certainly looks like Joeffrey. Probably no conincidence by the GoT casting?
Your podcast and RUclips channels have become my favourites. Great work, keep it up!
That was totally enjoyable, thanks so much! Great speaking voice and awesome storytelling 😃 the expressive eyebrows are pretty cool too lol.
F’in outstanding!!!!!!! That was award winning presentation, in my humble opinion. 👍👍
I agree, however I am uncomfortable with the level of baldness in my face
"Rasputin, bring hither the the skindiving with the bottom cut out and unleash the rampant wilderbeast!" -Caligula (Red Dwarf season 4 finale Meltdown)
"Silence, scum! Rasputin, bring forth the bucket of soapy frogs & lower his trousers!!!"
A great man who love his peoples of Rome. We miss him
LMAOOO
A credible theory is that Caligula contracted syphilis sometime after attaining the throne. That would explain his illness and subsequent insanity.
There are a lot of theories for his insanity and honestly probably more than one are correct/ factors.
@@Michael-ro5cu
The 1958 "discovery" of LSD was actually just the realization of hallucinogenic properties of LSD-25, specifically, & only due to accidental cross-contamination. Defo NOT the initial discovery of it altogether, agreed.
...must have been one HELLUVA bike ride home~
It must've been one hell of a time to be alive in Rome from 37 - 69.
For him. Yes
Nothing better then a brit saying 'empiaaaaa' several times
Nothing better than someone spelling "than" correctly.
I love these biographies. Simon, you do a great job in your delivery. You speak at the perfect pace and you enunciate clearly. I really find it refreshing when you pepper your sentences with the odd, soft curse word. "Lame ass" this, or "He was a colossal dick," etc. All this plus education, too! You CAN have it all.
Maybe Caligula survivied his illness by making a deal with Slannesh.
This channel is super addictive. From James Joyce to Ed Gein, Diogenes to Elizabeth Bathory. You never know who'll you'll stumble upon. However I gotta say the Roman Emperors are by far my favourite. You couldn't make this stuff up! Brilliant stuff!