ducavalentinos:“In the eighth month of his reign, at the end of October 37, Caligula fell gravely il
ducavalentinos:“In the eighth month of his reign, at the end of October 37, Caligula fell gravely ill. No information has survived about what the disease was. The population of Rome was alarmed and grieved. Large crowds are said to have demostrated their concern for the young emperor by surrounding the Palatine Hill every night, waiting for news. What would happen if he died? Who would succeed him?[…]In this situation Caligula first seized the initiative as emperor. From his sickbed he named his favorite sister, Drusilla, to inherit the imperial “property and the throne”, in effect making Lepidus his successor.”—Caligula: A Biography, Aloys Winterling.“During an illness in 37 CE, Caligula changed his will to name Drusilla his heir, making her the first woman to be named heir in a Roman imperial will. This was probably an attempt to continue the Julian line through any children she might have, leaving her husband to rule in the meantime.” —Suetonius, The Lives of the Caesars, Life of Caligula. -- source link
#history#ancient rome#caligula#julia drusilla