1
00:00:15,980 --> 00:00:18,393
[ominous music playing]

2
00:00:24,983 --> 00:00:27,402
I can get the Senate to nullify the will.

3
00:00:27,819 --> 00:00:30,697
They'll claim he was of unsound mind
when it was written.

4
00:00:31,990 --> 00:00:33,325
Well, what about Gemellus?

5
00:00:34,326 --> 00:00:35,410
He's a problem.

6
00:00:35,494 --> 00:00:38,380
As long as he's alive, he's a threat.

7
00:00:38,789 --> 00:00:41,250
Tiberius knows
there won't be two heirs for long.

8
00:00:41,667 --> 00:00:43,710
This is another one of his power games.

9
00:00:45,337 --> 00:00:48,840
You have to move against Gemellus
before he moves against you.

10
00:00:49,925 --> 00:00:51,551
[music intensifies]

11
00:02:29,775 --> 00:02:31,234
[suspenseful music builds]

12
00:02:31,318 --> 00:02:32,569
[Tiberius breathes heavily]

13
00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:54,466
[Tiberius groans]

14
00:03:02,599 --> 00:03:03,517
[muffled grunts]

15
00:03:21,201 --> 00:03:24,370
[theme music playing]

16
00:04:40,113 --> 00:04:41,656
[intense music playing]

17
00:04:51,666 --> 00:04:52,918
[narrator] For over a decade,

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00:04:53,543 --> 00:04:56,171
the people of Rome have been
without an emperor.

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00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:00,926
After Tiberius went into hiding on Capri,

20
00:05:03,136 --> 00:05:05,222
it's the first time in Roman history

21
00:05:05,805 --> 00:05:07,891
that an emperor has abandoned his people.

22
00:05:08,767 --> 00:05:10,769
[crowd clamoring]

23
00:05:11,353 --> 00:05:14,397
And now, the city of Rome
is beginning to unravel.

24
00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:20,862
Tiberius tries to govern by proxy,

25
00:05:20,946 --> 00:05:25,200
but of course, that leads to an even kind
of messier situation,

26
00:05:25,283 --> 00:05:28,245
where you have lots of senators
and aristocrats in Rome

27
00:05:28,328 --> 00:05:31,498
who don't have the strong leadership
of their emperor there.

28
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They don't really know
what he wants them to do.

29
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And you have this whole series
of treason trials

30
00:05:36,753 --> 00:05:39,756
and executions, and exiles,
and it's all very, very messy.

31
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[narrator] With Rome on the brink
of chaos,

32
00:05:45,428 --> 00:05:47,305
the Roman people have no idea

33
00:05:47,389 --> 00:05:51,590
that Tiberius' reign
is about to come to an end.

34
00:06:05,323 --> 00:06:07,576
After six years secluded on Capri,

35
00:06:08,243 --> 00:06:10,996
Caligula has killed the emperor of Rome,

36
00:06:11,871 --> 00:06:14,291
and the man who destroyed his family.

37
00:06:15,750 --> 00:06:20,213
Caligula's life was filled
with watching his closest family members

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become exiled and killed for speaking out
against this man, Tiberius.

39
00:06:24,551 --> 00:06:28,221
Tiberius was never a popular emperor.

40
00:06:28,305 --> 00:06:30,599
He never really wanted the position.

41
00:06:30,682 --> 00:06:33,893
Caligula, however, absolutely wanted
to be in charge,

42
00:06:33,977 --> 00:06:36,980
absolutely wanted to be
in a position of power.

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[narrator] With Tiberius dead,

44
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Caligula prepares
to take on the role of emperor,

45
00:06:45,739 --> 00:06:48,241
but there's still one person in his way.

46
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[Gemellus] If you're going to kill me,

47
00:06:57,420 --> 00:06:58,376
just get it over with.

48
00:07:01,921 --> 00:07:02,756
Leave us.

49
00:07:10,972 --> 00:07:12,891
I am not like your grandfather.

50
00:07:15,352 --> 00:07:16,728
I am not going to kill you.

51
00:07:19,147 --> 00:07:19,981
Then what?

52
00:07:21,524 --> 00:07:23,443
Are you going to send me into exile?

53
00:07:27,530 --> 00:07:29,240
I'm naming you next in line.

54
00:07:31,743 --> 00:07:33,370
As my sole heir.

55
00:07:35,288 --> 00:07:36,122
Why?

56
00:07:42,796 --> 00:07:43,922
Tiberius

57
00:07:44,881 --> 00:07:46,716
nearly destroyed our family.

58
00:07:48,468 --> 00:07:51,221
This is our chance to make things right.

59
00:07:56,351 --> 00:08:00,630
By adopting Gemellus,
Caligula is basically saying,

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00:08:00,146 --> 00:08:03,233
"You know what? This guy could be
my competitor, but instead,

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I'm gonna be his adopted father,

62
00:08:04,776 --> 00:08:06,736
I'm gonna take care of him
and be his protector."

63
00:08:10,740 --> 00:08:13,743
In retrospect,
Gemellus would always be a threat,

64
00:08:14,536 --> 00:08:17,664
but Caligula wasn't going to rock the boat
that early on.

65
00:08:18,331 --> 00:08:21,840
He wasn't going to go down
the same route as Tiberius.

66
00:08:21,459 --> 00:08:22,669
He was being a good guy.

67
00:08:22,752 --> 00:08:25,714
It was the most sensible thing
that he could've done at the time.

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[narrator] Macro returns to Rome,

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using his connections
to convince the Senate

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00:08:47,527 --> 00:08:49,571
to throw out Tiberius' will.

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00:08:51,114 --> 00:08:54,284
Macro managed to persuade
one of the consuls,

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heaven knows how, to render the will
null and void.

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00:08:59,122 --> 00:09:05,503
[Anthony Everitt] Only then was it
possible to ignore the co-heir plan.

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00:09:12,427 --> 00:09:13,803
[narrator] With the Senate decided,

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00:09:14,554 --> 00:09:17,599
Macro has secured
Caligula's claim to the throne.

76
00:09:19,809 --> 00:09:21,811
[loud cheering]

77
00:09:22,437 --> 00:09:24,397
And the people of Rome get word

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00:09:25,356 --> 00:09:27,442
that a new emperor has been chosen.

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[crowd cheering]

80
00:09:36,409 --> 00:09:37,869
[intense music playing]

81
00:09:48,338 --> 00:09:50,131
When Caligula comes into power,

82
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he's inheriting a kind of messy situation.

83
00:09:55,428 --> 00:09:57,550
[Amanda Ruggeri]
You have to keep in mind

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you only had had two emperors
before Caligula.

85
00:10:00,225 --> 00:10:04,521
Augustus, who was really the first model
for what an emperor could be,

86
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and then Tiberius, who kind of showed
a lot of people

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how you might not want to be ruler.

88
00:10:12,445 --> 00:10:16,616
When Tiberius was initially reported
as having been deceased,

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the crowds in Rome cheered and celebrated.

90
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The Roman people just hated the guy.

91
00:10:22,747 --> 00:10:26,751
So the idea that Caligula
had killed Tiberius

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00:10:26,835 --> 00:10:29,963
only made him more popular
among the Roman people.

93
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Caligula had something going for him.

94
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He was the son of this golden boy,

95
00:10:40,980 --> 00:10:43,810
the son of Germanicus,
and so he was very popular.

96
00:10:43,893 --> 00:10:47,522
Nobody knew anything about him,
but he was seen to be the herald

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00:10:47,605 --> 00:10:50,984
of a new, wonderful age.

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00:10:51,670 --> 00:10:52,610
A new age was dawning.

99
00:10:55,530 --> 00:10:57,657
[narrator] In March of 37 A.D.,

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00:10:58,449 --> 00:11:00,493
the man who left Rome as a prisoner

101
00:11:01,619 --> 00:11:03,705
returns as its emperor.

102
00:11:21,639 --> 00:11:22,974
With Macro's help,

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00:11:23,391 --> 00:11:26,394
Caligula has ushered in
a new era for Rome,

104
00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,481
but a holdover
from Tiberius' reign of terror

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00:11:31,566 --> 00:11:33,192
could change everything.

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[Macro] Tiberius kept detailed records
on the senators.

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Information he could use as blackmail.

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00:11:52,837 --> 00:11:56,257
Including how they each voted
at the treason trials.

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00:12:01,221 --> 00:12:02,263
In there,

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you'll find the hearings of your mother
and brothers.

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00:12:09,812 --> 00:12:11,272
[Macro] I'll leave them with you.

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00:12:14,943 --> 00:12:16,527
[narrator] Still new to the throne,

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00:12:16,986 --> 00:12:19,322
Caligula has yet to address the Senate,

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00:12:22,533 --> 00:12:26,371
but now he knows who among them
sent his mother to her death.

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00:12:29,958 --> 00:12:35,460
Caligula, like any new Roman emperor,
had to get support wherever he could.

116
00:12:35,713 --> 00:12:37,590
But the Senate,
that was always a tough one.

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Elite opinion really did matter in Rome

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00:12:39,550 --> 00:12:41,469
and could make or break an emperor.

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But the Senate encompassed the very people
who had persecuted his own family.

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00:12:45,974 --> 00:12:47,767
[breathing rapidly]

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[narrator] After leaving for Capri,

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00:12:51,896 --> 00:12:54,565
Tiberius handed over control
to the Senate,

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00:12:55,608 --> 00:12:57,360
and for the past ten years,

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they've run Rome completely ungoverned,

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wielding enormous power.

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00:13:04,951 --> 00:13:08,705
But Caligula wants to show the Senate
that he's a new kind of emperor,

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00:13:10,623 --> 00:13:12,792
and now he has everything he needs

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00:13:13,543 --> 00:13:15,753
to take revenge for his mother's death.

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00:13:16,870 --> 00:13:17,463
[music intensifies]

130
00:13:30,393 --> 00:13:34,630
[Caligula] These are the detailed records
kept by Tiberius

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00:13:34,939 --> 00:13:36,149
on all of you.

132
00:13:36,524 --> 00:13:38,943
[senators murmuring]

133
00:13:40,945 --> 00:13:42,947
Tiberius used these records

134
00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:45,533
to sway your opinions.

135
00:13:46,743 --> 00:13:48,369
To buy your loyalty.

136
00:13:50,329 --> 00:13:51,539
To manipulate you.

137
00:13:52,540 --> 00:13:55,793
They contain accounts
of how you voted at the treason trials.

138
00:13:58,337 --> 00:14:01,716
Including those of my mother and brothers.

139
00:14:07,138 --> 00:14:09,682
But I am not Tiberius.

140
00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:17,231
I will be doing things differently.

141
00:14:23,529 --> 00:14:24,697
No more secrets.

142
00:14:26,324 --> 00:14:27,742
No more extortion.

143
00:14:30,870 --> 00:14:31,996
No more fear.

144
00:14:39,629 --> 00:14:40,922
[indistinct chatter]

145
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,551
Caligula decided to let all the exiles,
all the people in

146
00:14:45,635 --> 00:14:47,720
who had offended the previous emperor.

147
00:14:48,137 --> 00:14:51,390
And so all the evidence, all the miseries,
all the complaints,

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00:14:51,474 --> 00:14:56,145
all the injustices of the old reign
needed to be swept aside.

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00:15:07,824 --> 00:15:12,328
[narrator] For Caligula, winning the favor
of the Senate is just the first step

150
00:15:12,411 --> 00:15:14,872
in securing the support of the Empire.

151
00:15:16,457 --> 00:15:19,252
Now he has to win over the Roman people.

152
00:15:21,450 --> 00:15:22,380
[intense music playing]

153
00:15:28,428 --> 00:15:30,638
In the first few months
of Caligula's reign,

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00:15:30,721 --> 00:15:32,306
he didn't put a foot wrong.

155
00:15:32,849 --> 00:15:36,602
He realized fairly early on
that the first thing he needed to do

156
00:15:36,686 --> 00:15:38,688
was to secure the favor with the people.

157
00:15:39,647 --> 00:15:43,609
We've got to remember that Tiberius
had been on the throne for over 20 years.

158
00:15:43,693 --> 00:15:48,823
Suddenly you have this young man,
who is rewriting all of the rules.

159
00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:56,800
[narrator] He orders a new amphitheater

160
00:15:56,164 --> 00:15:57,832
to be built in his honor,

161
00:16:01,836 --> 00:16:03,796
and reinstates a Roman tradition

162
00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,257
that hasn't been seen
in over a generation.

163
00:16:11,637 --> 00:16:13,139
Gladiator games.

164
00:16:14,807 --> 00:16:16,267
[crowd cheering]

165
00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:22,523
The games that Caligula put on
were the first major gladiatorial events

166
00:16:22,607 --> 00:16:24,817
that the Romans hadn't seen
in almost a generation.

167
00:16:26,270 --> 00:16:30,281
[Aaron Irvin] Tiberius had refused
to put on any gladiatorial games.

168
00:16:30,364 --> 00:16:33,326
And so they hadn't had anything like this,

169
00:16:33,451 --> 00:16:36,704
outside of their own history books,
for a generation.

170
00:16:38,748 --> 00:16:40,833
The size, the scale,

171
00:16:41,459 --> 00:16:42,501
the spending.

172
00:16:43,836 --> 00:16:46,880
The Roman people absolutely loved it.

173
00:16:57,516 --> 00:16:59,769
[narrator] As the emperor's
popularity grows,

174
00:17:01,103 --> 00:17:03,481
Caligula sets in motion another plan.

175
00:17:04,357 --> 00:17:07,652
To revitalize the city of Rome itself.

176
00:17:13,783 --> 00:17:16,744
Caligula did have some serious policies,

177
00:17:16,827 --> 00:17:20,539
and one of them was
to repair Rome's infrastructure.

178
00:17:21,820 --> 00:17:22,500
Rome was a huge city.

179
00:17:22,583 --> 00:17:24,961
About a million people lived there
at the time.

180
00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:27,213
So he spent lots of money on roads.

181
00:17:27,296 --> 00:17:31,920
And he built two new aqueducts
to lead water into Rome.

182
00:17:36,305 --> 00:17:38,150
There's a man here to see you.

183
00:17:38,683 --> 00:17:39,892
He says he's your uncle.

184
00:17:48,609 --> 00:17:49,568
[Caligula] Uncle.

185
00:17:50,690 --> 00:17:51,862
[chuckles] You look healthy.

186
00:17:52,530 --> 00:17:53,739
I have been fortunate.

187
00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,770
And you have been through so much,
and yet you have endured.

188
00:17:59,620 --> 00:18:02,810
If your father were alive,
he would be very proud.

189
00:18:04,542 --> 00:18:09,839
If there's anything I can do, any way
that I can serve you, please tell me.

190
00:18:16,530 --> 00:18:17,130
My sisters.

191
00:18:19,557 --> 00:18:21,601
I'd like for us to be together again.

192
00:18:25,730 --> 00:18:28,149
[narrator] To keep the royal Empire
in the family,

193
00:18:28,899 --> 00:18:31,902
Caligula appoints Claudius
as his Roman consul.

194
00:18:33,571 --> 00:18:37,783
Claudius was Caligula's father,
Germanicus' younger brother.

195
00:18:37,867 --> 00:18:42,413
He had never really gained any prestige
during his young life,

196
00:18:42,747 --> 00:18:48,169
so when Caligula appointed Claudius
as co-consul at the age of 56,

197
00:18:48,252 --> 00:18:52,340
Claudius had his first real
administrative position in the Empire.

198
00:18:57,928 --> 00:19:01,140
[narrator] Now, if Claudius can track down
the emperor's sisters,

199
00:19:01,766 --> 00:19:03,517
Caligula could use his power

200
00:19:04,226 --> 00:19:07,563
to rebuild the family Tiberius tore apart.

201
00:19:19,533 --> 00:19:20,576
[Caligula] A toast!

202
00:19:21,452 --> 00:19:22,578
To my sisters,

203
00:19:23,245 --> 00:19:24,955
the three most beautiful women

204
00:19:25,414 --> 00:19:26,832
that have ever graced Rome.

205
00:19:27,625 --> 00:19:28,876
[all] Hear, hear!

206
00:19:29,835 --> 00:19:32,463
[narrator] When Caligula's mother
and brothers were arrested,

207
00:19:33,589 --> 00:19:34,882
his sisters,

208
00:19:34,965 --> 00:19:36,175
Drusilla,

209
00:19:37,385 --> 00:19:38,302
Livilla,

210
00:19:39,303 --> 00:19:41,806
and Agrippina were spared.

211
00:19:43,641 --> 00:19:45,643
But while they were close growing up,

212
00:19:46,477 --> 00:19:49,438
Caligula hasn't seen them
in nearly a decade.

213
00:19:51,357 --> 00:19:53,651
Agrippina, Drusilla, and Livilla,

214
00:19:53,734 --> 00:19:57,321
they almost come across as a pop girl band
of the Roman world,

215
00:19:57,405 --> 00:19:59,740
with one of them the pretty one,

216
00:19:59,824 --> 00:20:01,784
one of them the quiet one,

217
00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:04,780
one of them the outward-going one.

218
00:20:04,245 --> 00:20:07,390
But they were each powerful
in their own way.

219
00:20:07,123 --> 00:20:08,582
They were all ambitious.

220
00:20:09,792 --> 00:20:11,794
[Caligula] Drusilla, married.

221
00:20:12,753 --> 00:20:14,588
You're a lucky man, Lepidus.

222
00:20:16,882 --> 00:20:19,468
Drusilla was Caligula's favorite sister.

223
00:20:19,552 --> 00:20:21,470
She was said to be the most beautiful.

224
00:20:22,304 --> 00:20:25,891
At one point he actually wants her
as his heir,

225
00:20:26,225 --> 00:20:29,270
which does show us
how much he trusted her.

226
00:20:30,438 --> 00:20:33,732
We know very little
about Caligula's sister, Livilla.

227
00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:36,680
She might have been more
on the shy side.

228
00:20:37,270 --> 00:20:39,697
Livilla we don't hear much about.

229
00:20:40,739 --> 00:20:44,785
She is ultimately overshadowed
by her older sister, Agrippina.

230
00:20:47,790 --> 00:20:49,457
Always trying to keep the peace,
weren't you?

231
00:20:49,540 --> 00:20:51,125
You always kept us in line.

232
00:20:51,500 --> 00:20:53,502
Squeaking orders like a tiny general.

233
00:20:55,546 --> 00:20:56,797
A natural leader.

234
00:20:57,423 --> 00:20:59,175
[Kathryn Tempest]
Of Caligula's three sisters,

235
00:20:59,258 --> 00:21:01,427
Agrippina was by far the most ambitious.

236
00:21:01,719 --> 00:21:04,597
From her early life,
she aimed at the throne

237
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:07,975
and she was avid
about getting herself there.

238
00:21:10,978 --> 00:21:13,630
When Caligula reached the throne,

239
00:21:13,147 --> 00:21:17,151
he decided that he was going to make
his three sisters his closest advisers.

240
00:21:17,234 --> 00:21:20,196
This is something that never ever
had been seen before.

241
00:21:20,279 --> 00:21:22,239
To promote them publicly,

242
00:21:22,323 --> 00:21:25,242
they're going to be a very large part
of his public image.

243
00:21:29,288 --> 00:21:31,207
[suspenseful music playing]

244
00:21:32,410 --> 00:21:34,376
[narrator] While Tiberius avoided
the spotlight,

245
00:21:35,336 --> 00:21:37,400
Caligula demands it.

246
00:21:38,422 --> 00:21:40,424
Eager to impress the Romans,

247
00:21:42,510 --> 00:21:44,595
he begins throwing extravagant festivals

248
00:21:45,346 --> 00:21:47,223
and decadent parties,

249
00:21:47,723 --> 00:21:50,768
earning a reputation
as the emperor of the people.

250
00:21:50,893 --> 00:21:53,312
-[man laughs]
-Enjoy your evening.

251
00:21:58,776 --> 00:22:01,320
One thing to remember is that Rome itself

252
00:22:01,403 --> 00:22:04,990
had not seen an actual living,
breathing emperor for 11 years,

253
00:22:05,740 --> 00:22:07,760
because Tiberius was on Capri.

254
00:22:07,243 --> 00:22:09,578
So just by physically being in the city,

255
00:22:09,662 --> 00:22:12,665
Caligula had enormous popularity.

256
00:22:12,748 --> 00:22:16,168
And, in fact, for seven months,
it was a golden age.

257
00:22:20,714 --> 00:22:24,176
Caligula enters Rome to huge acclaim,

258
00:22:24,260 --> 00:22:27,471
and he makes it clear
that there are gonna be parties,

259
00:22:27,555 --> 00:22:28,889
there are gonna be games.

260
00:22:28,973 --> 00:22:32,170
The Romans are gonna enjoy
having this guy as emperor.

261
00:22:34,603 --> 00:22:36,313
[Murdoch] When Caligula came
to the throne,

262
00:22:36,397 --> 00:22:37,940
he was a breath of fresh air.

263
00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:39,692
He's 24,

264
00:22:39,775 --> 00:22:41,402
he was massively popular.

265
00:22:41,944 --> 00:22:44,363
This is what the Roman people wanted.

266
00:22:44,947 --> 00:22:47,157
He'd like the support of the people,

267
00:22:47,241 --> 00:22:50,369
but what he's also known for
is his sexual appetite.

268
00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:05,884
Wine?

269
00:23:08,762 --> 00:23:11,140
If you believe all the stories you read
about Caligula,

270
00:23:11,223 --> 00:23:12,975
he was having sex with anyone he wanted,

271
00:23:13,580 --> 00:23:15,352
wherever he wanted,
and whenever he wanted it.

272
00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:26,447
Caligula is infamous
for his sexual proclivities.

273
00:23:26,530 --> 00:23:28,157
He slept with other men's wives

274
00:23:28,741 --> 00:23:31,493
and allegedly turned the palace
into a brothel.

275
00:23:45,924 --> 00:23:50,429
We get the stories that Caligula would
invite senators and their wives

276
00:23:50,512 --> 00:23:53,140
to dinner parties,
and then take the wives

277
00:23:53,223 --> 00:23:55,643
to his room
and have his wicked way with them.

278
00:23:56,894 --> 00:24:00,220
As much as any 24-year-old
you give total power to,

279
00:24:00,147 --> 00:24:02,149
he will have done
all kinds of things.

280
00:24:07,863 --> 00:24:11,116
[bells tolling]

281
00:24:22,753 --> 00:24:23,587
[gasps]

282
00:24:41,355 --> 00:24:44,240
[narrator] In October, 37 A.D.,

283
00:24:45,109 --> 00:24:47,528
after seven months
of peace and prosperity,

284
00:24:50,239 --> 00:24:53,992
Caligula's reign takes a devastating turn.

285
00:25:24,898 --> 00:25:25,983
Without warning,

286
00:25:27,693 --> 00:25:29,695
Caligula slips into a coma.

287
00:25:32,781 --> 00:25:34,491
Caligula suffered

288
00:25:34,575 --> 00:25:37,870
from what the ancient sources
called a "brain fever."

289
00:25:38,203 --> 00:25:41,123
It's hard to look through
the historical looking glass

290
00:25:41,206 --> 00:25:42,916
to find out exactly what happened.

291
00:25:42,100 --> 00:25:44,877
Was this entirely psychological

292
00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:46,860
or was it medical?

293
00:26:02,102 --> 00:26:03,562
Will he recover?

294
00:26:05,522 --> 00:26:07,691
It's... unlikely.

295
00:26:14,865 --> 00:26:16,909
[intense music playing]

296
00:26:19,828 --> 00:26:22,164
Macro must have thought,

297
00:26:22,247 --> 00:26:27,544
"Well, look, I want Caligula to survive.
I've put in so much energy and effort

298
00:26:27,628 --> 00:26:29,870
into doing all of that,

299
00:26:30,297 --> 00:26:32,382
but I think I better put a feeler out

300
00:26:32,466 --> 00:26:34,843
to one or two people
that might be around him,

301
00:26:35,969 --> 00:26:37,429
just in case."

302
00:26:47,773 --> 00:26:49,441
You're next in line for the throne.

303
00:26:49,775 --> 00:26:51,777
He told you that. I was there.

304
00:26:52,528 --> 00:26:54,738
The problem is, no one else knows it.

305
00:26:55,405 --> 00:26:57,533
And no one will believe it
unless we act now.

306
00:26:57,616 --> 00:26:59,535
The doctor said there's only a chance
he will die.

307
00:26:59,618 --> 00:27:02,120
Yes. But there is a chance.

308
00:27:02,871 --> 00:27:04,331
We have to be ready.

309
00:27:04,957 --> 00:27:06,708
Rome has to be ready.

310
00:27:14,216 --> 00:27:16,176
[narrator] As Caligula's adopted son,

311
00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:19,596
Gemellus is the rightful heir
to the throne,

312
00:27:20,931 --> 00:27:24,142
but talk of replacing the emperor
while he's still alive

313
00:27:24,935 --> 00:27:26,603
is considered treason,

314
00:27:27,354 --> 00:27:29,648
a crime punishable by death.

315
00:27:31,233 --> 00:27:32,651
[music intensifies]

316
00:27:42,661 --> 00:27:45,380
[Gemellus] It is with a heavy heart
that I must tell you...

317
00:27:48,410 --> 00:27:49,877
the emperor has fallen ill.

318
00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:52,671
[senators murmuring]

319
00:27:54,256 --> 00:27:56,592
I wish I had more information to give you.

320
00:28:02,550 --> 00:28:03,557
But if anything should happen,

321
00:28:04,808 --> 00:28:07,394
I want you to know I am ready
to accept the responsibility

322
00:28:07,477 --> 00:28:08,729
that's been given to me.

323
00:28:09,479 --> 00:28:11,481
[senators chatter indistinctly]

324
00:28:34,463 --> 00:28:36,465
[breathing rapidly]

325
00:28:40,928 --> 00:28:41,845
[gasps]

326
00:28:49,436 --> 00:28:50,729
[panting]

327
00:29:00,822 --> 00:29:01,740
[gasps]

328
00:29:04,242 --> 00:29:05,661
[heavy breathing]

329
00:29:08,455 --> 00:29:09,748
Find the doctor.

330
00:29:12,876 --> 00:29:15,462
You're all right. You're all right.
I'm here.

331
00:29:17,464 --> 00:29:18,382
Breathe.

332
00:29:19,341 --> 00:29:21,176
[narrator] Three months after falling ill,

333
00:29:21,969 --> 00:29:23,387
Caligula wakes up.

334
00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:25,389
[Claudius] You're all right.

335
00:29:34,147 --> 00:29:36,817
To the imperial palace
and the Roman people,

336
00:29:37,526 --> 00:29:38,485
it's a relief.

337
00:29:44,366 --> 00:29:45,575
[intense music playing]

338
00:29:48,328 --> 00:29:49,496
But for Macro,

339
00:29:49,955 --> 00:29:52,820
it could be a death sentence.

340
00:30:09,224 --> 00:30:11,184
-How are you feeling?
-Better.

341
00:30:11,768 --> 00:30:12,728
You look it.

342
00:30:14,771 --> 00:30:16,481
There's something I should tell you.

343
00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:18,775
I thought it best you hear it from me.

344
00:30:20,485 --> 00:30:21,319
What is it?

345
00:30:23,864 --> 00:30:25,282
While you were ill,

346
00:30:26,241 --> 00:30:28,326
the doctors weren't sure you'd recover.

347
00:30:28,910 --> 00:30:31,329
There was concern that others
might try to seize power.

348
00:30:32,289 --> 00:30:34,124
Gemellus and I thought it was important,

349
00:30:34,207 --> 00:30:35,792
for the sake of your family,

350
00:30:35,876 --> 00:30:39,588
to reassure the Senate that the doctors
were hopeful the fever would pass.

351
00:30:40,756 --> 00:30:43,800
And that, if anything should happen,

352
00:30:43,592 --> 00:30:47,888
Gemellus was prepared
to fulfill his duties as next in line.

353
00:30:53,226 --> 00:30:55,312
It was only meant to avoid confusion

354
00:30:55,645 --> 00:30:57,731
and prevent anyone taking advantage.

355
00:30:59,608 --> 00:31:00,442
I understand.

356
00:31:01,151 --> 00:31:02,694
[suspenseful music playing]

357
00:31:04,654 --> 00:31:06,531
Caligula depended on Macro,

358
00:31:06,615 --> 00:31:12,454
and he couldn't endure the thought
that Macro might have been unfaithful,

359
00:31:12,537 --> 00:31:16,410
even if Macro was simply doing
what anybody would do

360
00:31:16,124 --> 00:31:18,126
in that particular situation.

361
00:31:28,530 --> 00:31:29,346
[narrator] For the first time,

362
00:31:29,721 --> 00:31:33,160
Caligula feels he's been betrayed
by one of his own men,

363
00:31:34,518 --> 00:31:36,895
and just like his mentor, Tiberius,

364
00:31:37,854 --> 00:31:39,564
he begins to grow paranoid.

365
00:31:42,776 --> 00:31:47,155
Caligula, who had spent his entire life
in a position of powerlessness,

366
00:31:47,239 --> 00:31:51,118
now was supposed to be
the most powerful man in the Roman state.

367
00:31:51,493 --> 00:31:55,288
But he had seen firsthand,
and had it revealed to him,

368
00:31:55,372 --> 00:31:58,250
that Macro could replace him.

369
00:32:17,727 --> 00:32:18,603
What is it?

370
00:32:20,856 --> 00:32:23,660
This is difficult news to deliver.

371
00:32:30,198 --> 00:32:32,450
Your illness came on so suddenly.

372
00:32:35,245 --> 00:32:39,791
I decided to have the palace searched
for anything that might be suspicious.

373
00:32:42,711 --> 00:32:44,504
[sighs] And?

374
00:32:45,130 --> 00:32:46,298
One of my guards...

375
00:32:47,700 --> 00:32:48,133
found this.

376
00:32:50,385 --> 00:32:51,428
It's poison.

377
00:32:57,642 --> 00:32:58,476
Where?

378
00:32:59,728 --> 00:33:00,854
Gemellus' room.

379
00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:06,860
He must have been burying his resentment
this whole time.

380
00:33:09,446 --> 00:33:11,310
After all you've done for him.

381
00:33:18,955 --> 00:33:19,915
I'm sorry.

382
00:33:24,252 --> 00:33:25,212
[clears his throat]

383
00:33:25,295 --> 00:33:26,296
Thank you.

384
00:33:37,515 --> 00:33:39,935
[narrator] Macro shifts the blame
to Gemellus,

385
00:33:40,727 --> 00:33:43,772
leaving Caligula suspicious
of his only heir.

386
00:33:46,983 --> 00:33:52,155
Gemellus was always going to be
a potential next in line for the throne,

387
00:33:52,239 --> 00:33:54,241
and he could be manipulated.

388
00:33:54,366 --> 00:33:57,202
But there were some things
even Caligula wouldn't do.

389
00:33:57,369 --> 00:34:00,205
And he wouldn't kill a son

390
00:34:00,288 --> 00:34:02,540
of the Imperial royal family himself,

391
00:34:02,624 --> 00:34:05,210
but Caligula needed to get rid of him.

392
00:34:21,476 --> 00:34:22,769
[Gemellus] Get off me!

393
00:34:23,311 --> 00:34:24,271
Let me go!

394
00:34:25,105 --> 00:34:26,314
[grunts]

395
00:34:26,731 --> 00:34:27,857
[gate closes]

396
00:34:28,483 --> 00:34:29,609
[gate lock clangs]

397
00:34:30,986 --> 00:34:31,945
What have I done?

398
00:34:33,530 --> 00:34:34,572
[yells] What have I done?

399
00:34:37,117 --> 00:34:38,243
[yells] What have I done?

400
00:34:54,217 --> 00:34:59,222
A lot of things in Caligula's reign
seem to change once he falls ill.

401
00:35:00,724 --> 00:35:03,852
His illness tripped something
in his brain.

402
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:07,314
You could say his illness
made him suspicious.

403
00:35:07,439 --> 00:35:10,275
You could say his illness
made him go crazy.

404
00:35:10,734 --> 00:35:14,446
But you can't kill a descendant
of the emperor,

405
00:35:14,529 --> 00:35:15,989
according to ancient Roman law.

406
00:35:17,824 --> 00:35:20,493
So Caligula can't overtly
have Gemellus killed.

407
00:35:42,307 --> 00:35:44,267
[gate lock clicks]

408
00:35:57,739 --> 00:35:58,573
Why am I here?

409
00:36:00,575 --> 00:36:01,576
Untie him.

410
00:36:12,712 --> 00:36:13,797
Give him your sword.

411
00:36:18,930 --> 00:36:19,520
What are you doing?

412
00:36:21,721 --> 00:36:22,597
Take it.

413
00:36:23,556 --> 00:36:24,682
Tell him I'm innocent.

414
00:36:26,643 --> 00:36:28,770
You've always been jealous of me.

415
00:36:30,980 --> 00:36:32,816
Make him take your sword.

416
00:36:34,651 --> 00:36:36,736
Don't do this to me, please.

417
00:36:37,487 --> 00:36:38,405
[Gemellus] Please!

418
00:36:40,573 --> 00:36:41,533
Please!

419
00:36:42,450 --> 00:36:44,160
I trusted you like a brother.

420
00:36:48,498 --> 00:36:49,958
[groans]

421
00:36:54,170 --> 00:36:55,338
[whimpers]

422
00:36:57,465 --> 00:36:58,466
[coughs]

423
00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:06,850
Gemellus was forced to commit suicide
by the Praetorian Guards.

424
00:37:06,933 --> 00:37:09,144
The moment that Gemellus showed

425
00:37:09,227 --> 00:37:13,148
that he might be any sort of threat
to Caligula's power,

426
00:37:13,314 --> 00:37:15,108
there was no plot,

427
00:37:15,191 --> 00:37:16,693
there was no conspiracy.

428
00:37:16,776 --> 00:37:20,155
It was simply,
"He is my enemy and he dies now."

429
00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:28,746
[Adrian Murdoch] When Caligula recovered,

430
00:37:28,830 --> 00:37:31,100
there is a different tone to his reign.

431
00:37:33,334 --> 00:37:36,713
There's a nasty edge
that creeps in after his illness.

432
00:37:36,796 --> 00:37:39,480
He starts to become much more paranoid

433
00:37:39,132 --> 00:37:42,135
about what everybody had done,
and what everybody was up to.

434
00:37:43,136 --> 00:37:48,570
And that level of suspicion, that level
of paranoia that surrounded him,

435
00:37:48,141 --> 00:37:51,186
very much sets the stage
for his later career.

436
00:37:55,732 --> 00:37:58,776
[theme music playing]