Caligula proved a popular choice as emperor, both in Rome and in the provinces. He was not only the son of Germanicus but also the grandson, on his mother’s side, of Marcus Agrippa, and the great-grandson of both Augustus and Mark Antony. Although without meaningful military experience, he was popular with the Roman troops: many fondly remembered the pint-sized, uniformed child who, from the age of two, had served as a mascot on his father’s campaigns against the Germans.

Caligula was adored by the people of Rome, too, in part because of their love for Germanicus but also out of sympathy for the terrible persecutions suffered by his family: Tiberius had murdered Caligula’s mother, his father, his two brothers and his aunt, Livilla. As he made his way north from Capreae to Rome, escorting the corpse of the dead emperor, he was accompanied by a “dense and joyful throng” who hailed him affectionately as their “star” (sidus) and their “chick” (pullum). In March 37, he was quickly proclaimed the new princeps (the title that Tiberius, following Augustus, had also used). Such was the joy at his accession that in the space of a few weeks 160,000 birds and animals were sacrificed...