History can help us interpret and understand the present troubled times. Knowledge can foster reflection and critical thinking, but also the verification of truth.
Think about...
Incitatus was the favorite horse of Roman Emperor Caligula (r. 37–41 AD). , The horse had 18 servants for himself, he lived in a marble stable, walked in a harness decorated with rare and special stones/jewels, dressed in purple (the colour of royalty) and ate from an ivory "trough".
Suetonious -- Roman historian --suggested that Caligula made Incitatus a Consul, the highest rank within the Roman Empire, a position that was elected each year and provided much power and privilege. The press corps of the times -- chroniclers - was divided . Some wrote that Caligula proposed Incitatus for the position, as an insult and a mock to the Senate, accusing the institution of servility, treachery and hypocrisy; other sources said it was one of Caligula's many cruel jokes and a proof of Caligula’s insanity.
The Senators didn’t seem to have complained openly, nor did they for any other insane arbitrary, capricious, cruel, "executive actions" (the word executive order did not exist). Far too many to list here.
Nor did Seneca, the philosopher in residence . Sorry to break the news to his fans who keep posting his wise thoughts, but Seneca was prone to "grovelling flattery" of whoever reigned at the time. Caligula had a low opinion of his literary style. This did not seem to bother Seneca who amassed a massive fortune while serving as an advisor to Nero, with wealth estimated to exceed 300 million sesterces. He owned extensive properties, including villas at Baiae and Nomentum, as well as land in Egypt.
Was Caligula insane? the question or rather the answer had some importance at the time. For Roman law, the insane were not legally responsible for their actions, no matter how extreme. Responsibility for their control and restraint fell on those around them. In the course of their narratives, all the primary and contemporary sources give reasons to discredit and ultimately condemn Caligula, for offences against proprieties of class, religion or his role as emperor. "Thus, his acts should be seen from other angles, and the search for 'mad Caligula' abandoned"
These were the days, when plots and assassination were "radical impeachment". Caesar Julius Caesar, was assassinated on March 15 (the Ides of March), 44 BC, by a group of senators, including Brutus and Cassius, at the Curia of Pompey in Rome. He was stabbed 23 times.
On 24 January 41 the day before his due departure for Alexandria, Caligula was assassinated by the Praetorian tribunes Cassius Chaerea and Cornelius Sabinus, and a number of centurions.several officers of the praetorian guard, the elite Roman military force that kept order within the city of Rome and traditionally served as the emperor's personal bodyguard