Trama

Roman Empire examines the life of Caligula from his days as co-heir of the Empire. He smothers Emperor TIberius to death with a pillow and nullifies his will instructing co-emperors. Caligula is made Emperor and works to win over the Senate by offering amnesty to those we sentences under Tiberius. He then wins over the people by putting on elaborate gladiatorial games. He searches out his exiled sisters and enjoys a life of debauchery. Later, he survives brain fever but the illness drives him mad and he kills his heir Gemellus.—Shatterdaymorn

Roman Empire examines the life of Caligula from his days as co-heir of the Empire. Macro offers Caligula help to nullify Tiberius's will in the senate. Macro also tells Caligula to move against Gemellus before he moves against him.

Caligula smothers Emperor TIberius to death with a pillow and nullifies his will instructing co-emperors (Macro uses his influence in the senate to get them to nullify the will. This was also easy and most of the Senate hated Tiberius). Rome has been without an Emperor for more than a decade, after Tiberius went to Capri. Caligula refuses to kill Gemellus and instead names him next in line to the throne. This way Caligula converts his threat into an ally. Caligula is made Emperor in march 37 AD and returns to Rome (The people cheer him as He was rumored to be the killer of Tiberius and Tiberius was hated amongst the masses as well). Caligula needs support of the Senate, but knows from Macro that many senators also presided over his mother's trial and were responsible for her eventual death. Caligula works to win over the Senate by offering amnesty to those people who were given sentences under Tiberius. He also destroys the elaborate spy records that Tiberius kept on each Senator to extort and manipulate them to his will.

He then wins over the people by putting on elaborate gladiatorial games. Caligula builds a new ampitheatre and starts gladiator games. Caligula also repairs roads and builds 2 new aqueducts to bring water into the city.

He searches out his exiled sisters. He appoints Claudius (Kelson Henderson), his uncle (Germanicus's younger brother), as his Royal Consul. Claudius seeks out the 3 sisters Drusilla (Elizabeth Dowden), Livilla (Molly Leishman) and Agrippina (Teressa Liane). They are brought back to Rome. Drusilla was very pretty and was married. Livilla is the shy one. Agrippina was the most ambitious. He enjoys a life of debauchery. He throws lavish parties and sleeps with pretty much whomever he wants, married women, wives of senators (whom he invited to the parties and raped them) and so on. He converted the palace into a brothel.

In Oct 37 AD, Caligula survives brain fever (he slips into a coma. Physicians are not sure if he will ever recover) but the illness drives him mad (he wakes up from his coma 3 months after falling ill). Macro starts to reach out to Gemellus to build his ties with the next in line to the throne. Caligula sees Macro's action as a clear betrayal. Macro reverts to Caligula with a poison vial that supposedly discovered in Gemellus's room. Macro indicates that Gemellus poisoned Caligula, which led to his illness. Historians believe many things changed after Caligula's illness. Some people say he became suspicious, many say he went crazy. Since it is forbidden to kill the descendant of a Roman Emperor, Caligula has Gemellus imprisoned. Caligula eliminates Gemellus by making it look like a suicide. Caligula is no longer the "fun" emperor. He acquires a nasty edge.