177K views · 3.3K reactions | The Praetorian Guard was the elite unit...

His real name was Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. But the empire would remember him by a nickname born in tents and trumpet calls: Caligula, the child who toddled through legionary camps dressed like a toy centurion. Soldiers lifted him onto shields, cheered his steps, and swore the little boots were a lucky omen — a living charm of Rome’s future. The charm curdled. When Gaius became emperor in 37 AD, adoration turned to dread. After an early burst of popularity, illness and absolute po