There will always be discussions by historians about who the worst ruler was during the Roman Empire.

The empire itself lasted for around 1,000 years. Because of that, there are countless rulers to pick from.

Caligula lived on the Island of Capri in Italy. Here’s what you might want to know about him. 

Forced Senators to Kiss His Feet

Caligula was a ruthless ruler who was determined to assert his dominance. One of his worst moves was forcing highly elected government officials to kiss his feet during dinner parties.

The arrogant action from Caligula took it to the extreme. Caligula embarrassed the senators who helped him rule over the empire by making them do that.

He would make the same men grovel at his feet, even though they were his supporters – almost his equals.

This wasn’t a time when floors were clean, either. Miraculously, more senators and their families didn’t get sick from being forced to kiss Caligula’s feet. 

Murdered a Priest in Daylight

Sacrificing animals has been a common practice since the beginning of time. Some people thought the gods would reward them for taking an animal’s life.

Caligula was a leader with that type of mentality. During one of the scheduled sacrifices, he took the knife intended for an animal and killed a priest instead.

It’s unclear why he had the sudden change of heart over who to kill, but the fact that he followed through is still disturbing. 

Seduced Senators’ Wives 

During these same dinner parties where Caligula would make senators kiss his feet, he would also seduce their wives. Caligula had a clear issue relating to being stuck on a perpetual power trip.

He was addicted to proving how powerful he was to others. Not only were his actions disrespectful to the other leaders, but Caligula had a wife himself who was being disrespected.

There was no real need to seduce the wives of other leaders aside from Caligula’s desire to assert power and control. He wanted other high-powered men to know he could take their wives whenever he felt like it.

What’s the most disturbing detail you just learned about Caligula? Let us know in the comments below!