Three Madmen and a Hero

The history of any great nation is always marred by insanity and evil, and elevated by the courage of heroes. Italy is a country with more than it's share.

Caligula

The man known as Gaius would eventually become the dictator posterity remembers as Caligula.

Caligula's childhood was far from pleasant. It is most likely that the family around him in the Julio-Claudian house made deceit, murder, and suspicion common playmates. Caligula ascended to the throne under the will of Tiberius, his predecessor and grand-uncle. Caligula was intended to share power with Tiberius Gemellus, but Caligula had Gemellus exectued shortly after Tiberius's own death. Caligula began his reign in the favor of the people, giving bonuses to the royal guard, recalling exiles, and reimbursing citizens who had been wronged by the imperial tax system. His favor would not last.

Caligula has come to be known as a madman in the most literal sense. Scholars still debate whether or not Caligula actually suffered from a mental illness or perhaps was simply a child grown into man, surrounded by greed, power, and murder. However, the stories of his odd behavior, if true, paint a striking picture. It is told that Caligula ordered hundreds of ships to be tied together so that he could ride across the Bay of Naples on horseback. He briefly considered appointing his favorite horse, Incitatus, to the Senate. He is rumored to have engaged in odd sexual behaviors, including incest with his favorite sister, Drusilla. He had his other two sisters executed when they were connected with a plot against his wife.

In the end, Caligula's downfall came from his own guard. Caligula was stabbed to death in a plot involving the Praetorian Guard, members of the Senate, and others. His odd behavior and military failures had finally caught up with him, and he was stabbed to death at the age of 28. The emperor Claudius was his successor.

Nero

Nero was born in 37 A.D. He was exciled from Rome with his family at the age of two, under the Emperor Caligula. His father died at three, and when Claudius ascended the thrown, Nero's mother Agrippina married Claudius, who happened to be the brother of Nero's father. And you thought your family was complicated.

His ascension to the thrown was equally odd. His mother convinced Claudius that Nero should be next in line for the thrown, ahead of Claudius's own son. Claudius agreed, so Agrippina killed Claudius, and Nero became the Emperor at the age of 17.

The early years of Nero's reign were marked by mildness. He reduced taxes and outlawed capital punishment. When Agrippina was involved in a plot to kill Nero, he had her executed. It was then that his cruelty began to manifest itself.

While there seems to be little truth to the story that Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned, there is historical suspicion that he himself was responsible for the fire. After the fire was extinguished, Nero began a massive rebuilding scheme. As a scapegoat for the fire, Nero blamed the Christians. It was then that Nero's brutality became apparent. Some Christians were fed to starved animals, while others where used as torches during Nero's parties.

Nero's later reign was marked by numerous attempts to assisinate him, and supplant him with a different emperor. Nero always managed to avoid his killers, and was sometimes able to send his enemies to an early grave. His end came at his own hands, with the aid of one of his secretaries. His last words were said to be, "What an artist dies in me!"

Mussolini

Benito Mussolini was born July 29, 1883. Mussolini was an avid writer, and after completion of his education, he worked for a paper called Avanti, a socialist paper. When World War I began Mussolini distanced himself from the socialists by urging war with Germany. He left the Avanti, and formed his own paper. When Italy finally did enter the war, Mussolini enlisted. He was discharged in 1917, and returned to writing.

After the war, Italy was in economic turmoil. Mussolini and several other veterans formed the National Fascist Party in 1919. Mussolini's party seemed to offer the Italian people a respite from their problems. The party adopted the Roman salute, and formed the black shirt militia. In 1921, Mussolini and several other fascists were elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies.

A general strike was called for in Italy, and Mussolini stepped to the forefront to end it. In a short period of time, Mussolini had stabilized the economy, and restored a degree of confidence in the Italian people. He came to be known as "Il Duce" - "the leader".

Mussolini envisioned a new Roman Empire. After several small disputes with neighboring countries, Italy found itself blacklisted by the League of Nations, and developing closer and closer ties with Nazi Germany. On May 22, 1939, Italy and Germany fortified their alliance with the Pact of Steel.

As the war escalated, Italy found itself with limited successes. By 1943, Italy was losing the war. In July of that same year, Mussolini was removed from his position of authority in Italy. He was set up by Hitler in German-controlled Northern Italy, and Mussolini formed the Italian Socialist Republic, with himself as leader. On April 29, 1945, Mussolini was captured near Lake Como. He was almost immediately shot, and his body hung upside down for all to see.

Garibaldi

Giuseppe Garibaldi was one of the leader's of Italy's Risorgimiento. He was born in Nice in 1807, the son of a fisherman. Garibaldi spent his youth on the ocean as a merchant. In 1833, Garibaldi joined an organizan called "Young Italy" headed by another famous Risorgimiento hero, Giuseppe Mazzini. The goal of "Young Italy" was to unify the Italy under one self-governing republic.

In 1834, Garibaldi was charged with attempting to capture a warship, and was sentenced to death. He escaped to South America, where he remained for 12 years. While there, Garibaldi participated in revolts in Brazil and in Uruguay.

He returned to Italy in 1848 to fight for Italy's independence. His exploits made him a national hero, but he was finally overpowered in Rome. He disbanded his men and left his native Italy for the United States. He returned again to Italy in 1859 to continue the fight.

It was in May of 1860 that Garibaldi left his mark. Sailing from Genoa, Garibaldi took 1,000 of his "Red Shirts" and began a sweep through Sicily, defeating the regular army of the King of Naples, and capturing Palermo. When Garibaldi was denied an appointment by King Victor Emmanuel II, he retired to his home in Caprera.

Garibaldi continued to fight for Italy, later attempting to take the papal states in the name of a united Italy. His most notable achievement however, was his victory with the Red Shirts.