Caligula was the popular nickname of
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August AD 12 – 24 January AD 41),
Roman emperor (AD 37–41). Born
Gaius Julius Caesar (not to be confused with Gaius
Julius Caesar), Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the
Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father
Germanicus, the nephew and
adopted son of Emperor
Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most beloved public figures. The young Gaius earned the nickname "Caligula" (meaning "little soldier's boot", the diminutive form of
caliga, hob-nailed military boot) from his father's soldiers while accompanying him during his campaigns in
Germania.
