Utterly Deranged Facts About History's Mad Monarchs
Once upon a time, Kings, Queens, Emperors, and Tsars alike were seen as the most divine beings on Earth. But centuries of inbreeding and piles of wealth often went to their heads: history is full of utterly mad monarchs who exploited their power in truly absurd ways.
Here are unhinged facts about history's most insane monarchs.
Mad Monarchs Facts
1. Caligula: A God Among Us
Today, Emperor Caligula's reputation as an unhinged madman precedes him.
He killed men for pleasure, had intimate relations with their wives, demanded to be worshipped as a living god, and caused a financial crisis with his extravagant and unnecessary spending.
Of course, all these actions were just an average Tuesday for Caligula.
2. Little Boots
Born Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, "Caligula" was actually—shockingly—an adorable childhood nickname. When he was a boy, his father brought him along on his military campaigns and dressed him in a child-sized solider’s uniform. As such, the troops called him "Caligula," which means "little boots" or "booties." Whether it was meant affectionately or teasingly isn’t known, but Caligula apparently hated the nickname.
3. A New Level of Excess
Caligula was obsessed with gold and gilded things. In fact, he allegedly used to pour pieces of gold and other artifacts over the ground to walk on them with his bare feet and to wade in them like water. He was also known to put gold and jewels over his clothes, and even lined the walls of his luxurious palace with it.
