Caligula: Movement II in A Minor (Allegretto): Haeres Apparens (The Heir Apparent) скачать в хорошем качестве

Caligula: Movement II in A Minor (Allegretto): Haeres Apparens (The Heir Apparent)

Quattuor Caesares. - Vincenzo Culmen As the designated heir to Tiberius after 31 CE, Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, known as Caligula, navigated a perilous existence under the emperor’s suspicious gaze on Capri, employing calculated obsequiousness to secure his position while being drawn into the notorious excesses of Tiberius’s court. At age 19, Caligula joined Tiberius on the island after surviving the purges that claimed his mother, Agrippina the Elder, and brothers, Nero and Drusus, during the 20s and early 30s CE. Aware of Tiberius’s paranoia, exacerbated by Sejanus’s betrayal in 31 CE, Caligula adopted a deferential and cautious demeanor, as described by Suetonius, carefully avoiding any behavior that could be construed as disloyal. He flattered Tiberius, publicly honoring him and suppressing any resentment over his family’s fate, a stark contrast to his earlier years as the beloved “Little Boots” of the legions. Ancient sources, particularly Suetonius and Tacitus, allege that Caligula partook in the debauchery attributed to Tiberius’s Capri retreat, including lavish feasts and rumored sexual excesses, though these accounts may be exaggerated to tarnish his reputation. This immersion in the court’s hedonistic culture, whether willing or strategic, allowed Caligula to blend into Tiberius’s inner circle, ensuring his survival and maintaining his status as a leading candidate for succession alongside Tiberius Gemellus, Tiberius’s grandson. Caligula’s eventual succession to the throne in March 37 CE was swift but shrouded in rumors of his involvement in Tiberius’s death, reflecting the intrigue that defined his path to power. As Tiberius’s health declined at age 77, Caligula’s popularity as Germanicus’s son and his alliance with Praetorian prefect Macro positioned him as the favored heir over the younger, less prominent Gemellus. When Tiberius died at Misenum, Suetonius and Tacitus report whispers that Caligula, possibly with Macro’s aid, smothered the emperor or hastened his end, though these claims remain unproven and may reflect later propaganda to vilify him. Caligula’s accession was met with jubilation in Rome, as the Senate and populace, weary of Tiberius’s oppressive final years, welcomed the young, charismatic heir who promised a return to Augustan prosperity. He quickly sidelined Gemellus, who was killed within months, consolidating power with gestures like granting bonuses to the Praetorian Guard and abolishing Tiberius’s treason trials. Caligula’s obsequiousness had secured his survival and the throne, but the rumors of his role in Tiberius’s death, coupled with his exposure to Capri’s excesses, hinted at the volatility that would soon define his erratic and infamous reign.