Today is the 1982nd anniversary of the death of Roman Emperor Caligula, but I’m sure you already knew that. Caligula was the last direct descendant of Augustus Caesar to be emperor and reigned from 37 to 41 A.D.. Caligula is also known as the last of the Julius Caesarean line of Roman emperors, which is a little odd because Augustus, Caligula’s grandfather, was adopted.

Caligula gets a bad rap because apparently he was super into sadistic and deviant stuff, not to mention other even less sane behaviors. However, if literally every member of your immediate family had been murdered due to familial and political infighting during your formative years, you’d probably be a little crazy, too. Also, his rep went from “good governance” during the first six months of his reign to “CRAZY EMPEROR” after that, which precipitated his murder by his own praetorian guard. After that, his uncle Claudius took the throne, and benefitted from a) some well-thought-out construction projects that brought more fresh water to Rome and made people happy and healthy; and b) a drastic increase in imperial authority, also brought to bear by machinations designed by Caligula. Claudius, naturally, enjoyed a much more benign reputation, even though he himself was responsible for ordering the deaths of just about any senator that opposed him. Good thing that’s not a thing anymore.

UNITED SOCCER LINKS: