Question

He made him and his cousin ________ have equal shares to the empire. When the emperor died in ____ , Caligula proclaimed sole emperor. A year later, Caligula had _______ put to death.

Answer 1

Caligula nullified Tiberius's will and had his cousin Gemellus executed after claiming the throne in 37 CE. His initial rule showed promise but deteriorated into tyranny following an illness, leading to his assassination and the accession of Claudius.

Step-by-step explanation:

He made him and his cousin Gemellus have equal shares to the empire. When the emperor died in 37 CE, Caligula proclaimed sole emperor. A year later, Caligula had Gemellus put to death.

As legatees of Tiberius, Caligula and Gemellus were initially meant to share the imperial authority, but Caligula, upon his ascension, nullified Tiberius's will. Despite the seemingly smooth transition of power following the death of Tiberius, the inheritance of the imperial title remained fraught with intrigue and the potential for bloodshed, underscored by the eventual assassination of Caligula by officers of the Praetorian Guard and the unlikely rise of Claudius.

Caligula's early reign was marked by generosity and a willingness to address the excesses of his predecessor's rule, but after a serious illness in October of 37 CE, his behavior became erratic and violent, leading to a steep decline in his relationship with both the Senate and Roman society at large. This descent into tyranny set the stage for Caligula's downfall and the eventual assassination which brought Claudius to power.