December 10, 2024 • 25 mins
The "fun fact" that Caligula tried to appoint his horse to the senate is a classic example of an emperor gone mad with power. The truth is, his appointment was likely a pointed political joke. But who was the horse at the center of it all?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim
and Mild from Aaron Mankie listener Discretion advised. It was
a celebratory night in Rome in thirty nine AD. Dignitaries
were arriving at the new glitzy Palace. The wine was
flowing freely, and the Knight's guest of honor was getting
(00:24):
his final touch ups. He was dressed in exquisite royal purple,
a jewel studded collar glistening around his long regal neck.
Though this famed individual was not fluent in the tongues
spoken by his team of servants, he was a keen
observer of body language, and from their meticulous combing of
(00:48):
his magnificent mane of hair, he could sense that something
was special that night. As the particularly raucous din of
the commencing bank echoed through the marble halls, the Guest
of honor couldn't hold it in any longer. He let
out a curious winnie. Because the VIP of this party
(01:12):
in Katatus was not a normal ruler or aristocrat.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
He was a horse. Many horses would spook when walking
into such an uproarious dinner party such as this one,
but not in Katatus. After all, this was his house.
The event was taking place at the grand palatial stables,
which had been built in his honor, and he had
(01:40):
hosted numerous events where members of the emperor's inner circle
gorged themselves and toasted him with golden goblets. Even the
sense of many guests, especially the renowned chariot drivers, were
thoroughly familiar to in Katatus, due to all of his
times spent competing at the track. The champion horse took
(02:04):
his customary place, and even the meal served to him
in his carved ivory manger was of no surprise, barley
mixed with gold again, as in Katatus began to happily
munch away. There was a stir of excitement. The architect
of that night's event had arrived, an individual who happened
(02:27):
to be the most powerful man in the realm, a
monarch whose notorious reign would captivate historians for millennia to come,
and who would be consistently referenced, at times misguidedly, as
a classic example of imperial madness. This man was Calligula,
(02:50):
Emperor of Rome. In Katatus looked up and snorted amicably,
because to him, this pale slightly balding young human dressed
in silk and finery was simply his biggest fan. Caligula
raised his goblet and, with a devious glint in his eye,
(03:10):
made a surprise announcement. He planned to name in Katatus
to the highest office any Roman politician could hold, that
of Consul. In Katatus understood none of the proclamation itself,
because again, he was a horse. But judging by the
(03:30):
spirited applause and mirthful hysterics of all of his bipedal
dining companions, whatever his main human had just done must
have been pretty startling. I'm Danish forts and this is
noble blood. When examining the life of in Katatus, Caligula's
(03:55):
favorite horse, it's hard to find impartial, unexaggerated accounts, especially
since all of the early records we rely upon come
from humans. These historians and biographers certainly had the benefit
of written language and opposable thumbs, but as many scholars
have argued, they often showed ample bias in covering controversial
(04:20):
figures like Caligula, and he was a member of their
own species, so, lacking any unbiased horse historians to provide
first hoof insights into the equine experience during the Roman Empire.
It's worth putting on blinders to some of the more
sensationalist versions of these events, as well as acknowledging our
(04:44):
very human tendency to want to anthropomorphize animal subjects. So
I apologize in advance for that and for all of
the horse puns to come. All of that said, in
Katatus was surely the most lovable young steed who just
wanted to be a good horse and run really fast.
(05:06):
We don't have many clear records about his early life
or pedigree, but based on what we know of the
massive popularity and overall industry of horse racing during this era,
we can place a few confident bets in Katatus was
born sometime in the early first century AD and likely
(05:28):
either spent his coulthood years on a stud farm run
by one of the corporations that backed the four main
chariot racing factions or teams, the Greens, White, Reds, and Blues,
or he was bought at a horse sale by one
of the faction's agents who was seeking out fast stallions.
(05:50):
Then it was literally off to the races, as in
Katatus would have traveled by ship to train at a
racing facility as a hippodrome or circus. There are different
accounts of how in Katatus got his name, which essentially
translates to speedy, but one thing is clear, he lived
(06:12):
up to it. In Katatus revved his mighty horsepower so
triumphantly for the Greens that he won the love of
the faction's most influential supporter and all around horse guy, Caligula.
Caligula was actually a nickname that Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus
received as a child. That meant little boot. Those around
(06:37):
him refrained from publicly referring to him by the playful,
belittling nickname while he was emperor, feeling harsh punishment. But
since Caligula is how he's most commonly remembered by the
world today, I'll continue to refer to him as such,
just for clarity. Growing up, Caligula suffered from several ales,
(07:00):
seemingly including what we might now identify as epilepsy, and
he was by many accounts unathletic. But despite that, or
perhaps because of it, horse racing and spectating played an
outsize role in his short but dramatic rule. In thirty
(07:22):
seven AD, Caligula became emperor at age twenty five, and
he quickly increased the number of looty or public games
based around religious festivals that featured spectacles like beast hunts,
gladiatorial contests, and Caligula's favorite chariot races. Chariot racing was
(07:43):
a must see sport of the era, with successful drivers
and horses ascending to super stardom. Unlike previous emperors who
mostly used such games to boost their public image, Caligula's
fandom was so fierce that it veered into unbridled obsession.
(08:04):
Caligula's favorite races showcased the quadraga over four horse chariot,
where the left inside horse was the most esteemed since
it had to navigate the tightest turns, so given in
Katatus's celebrity status, that was most likely his racing position.
(08:25):
We don't have official surviving stats, but considering the best
chariot horse's success rates at that time, it's likely that
in Katatus would have had over one hundred race winds
to his name. In Katatus must have been head and
crest above the four legged field, because not only did
(08:47):
Caligula construct grand stables for him, he'd send soldiers to
silence the neighborhood the night before races so that in
Katatus could sleep peacefully. Caligula also commissioned an entire private
hippodrome so that he could personally race chariots with his
(09:08):
preferred thoroughbred. The two rode together, they dined together, and
they partied together. But it wasn't all fun and horse
racing games for in Katatus. Escalating tensions and treacherous plots
soon threatened to hobble his uniquely privileged lifestyle. The games
(09:29):
themselves involved plenty of scandals. Caligula was rumored to have
poisoned competing factions. He was also said to have gotten
jealous of the fame of some chariot drivers, and even
reportedly ran one over in a chariot at his private hippodrome,
although it's uncertain if it happened, whether it was an
(09:52):
accident or a purposeful act of cruelty. For his part,
in Katatus was never directly implicated as having a hoof
in any of that foul play. Likewise, while it's possible
that Incatatus's horse teammates and opponents might have become jealous
of all of the attention and food given to him.
(10:14):
If indeed horses can experience jealousy, there's no evidence that
they plotted against him. Historically, these hierarchical horse disputes were
typically settled through quick and simple physical displays of dominance,
such as biting, pushing, and threatening to kick. The real
herd to watch out for was the human aristocracy. Caligula's
(10:40):
relationship grew increasingly strained, with the Senate and all its
prominent politicians desperately jockeying for position. This escalated part way
through thirty nine AD when a group of aristocrats, senators,
the sitting consuls, and even Caligula's sisters took part in
(11:00):
a conspiracy against him. The stakes could not have been
higher for Inkatatus as well. If his main benefactor was
put out to pasture or worse, in Katatus would lose
his fancy stables, his private hippodrome access, and being so
closely affiliated with the targeted empire, possibly even his life.
(11:26):
Fortunately for Inkatatus, that dire plot ultimately went belly up,
but according to some historians, it served as a critical
turning point in Caligula's reign and his relationship with his
favorite horse. Early biographers recounted rumors of Caligula taking part
in debauched orgies, in incestuous acts, and even drinking pearls
(11:52):
dissolved in vinegar, but these are mostly unsubstantiated, although the
practice of drinking pearls has been no in other ancient histories,
attributed most famously to Cleopatra and Mark Antony. To be clear,
Caligula absolutely compiled a grim resume of punishing and executing
(12:14):
opponents over time, but even his detractors seemed to mostly
agree that his governing style was less contentious during his
first two years as emperor, but the apparent conspiracy and
number of people clearly champing at the bit to betray
Caligula changed things. Rather than rein in his imperial impulses,
(12:39):
Caligula sought to humiliate senators and aristocrats in any ways
he could. Some methods were simple. He increasingly made them
greet him as they would a god, by performatively and
demeaningly prostrating themselves before him. He was also said to
have had second xtual relationships with many senators wives, and
(13:04):
once again horse racing factored heavily into his plans. Putting
on games was hugely expensive during festivals up to forty
races were held in a day. There were monetary prizes,
equipment costs, and the upkeep of hundreds of horses, and
then there were the shockingly expensive celebratory feasts for both
(13:29):
humans and horses. If some accounts are to be believed,
both Caligula and in Katatis ingested literal gold. Caligula made
sure to saddle individual senators with this financial burden by
maliciously offering them the honor of sponsoring each event. This
(13:50):
effectively muzzled many outspoken politicians, since they couldn't overtly refuse
Caligula's calculated slights, especially if they held or wanted to
hold a notable position such as consul. In the prior
Roman Republic, consuls were essentially the highest elected officials who
(14:12):
presided over the Senate. In Caligula's empire, however, the consul
was more of an honorific position that he would give
to senators or when he wanted to exert even more
control to himself, or, as legend had it, a position
he would offer to his favorite race horse. The two
(14:35):
major human sources we look to regarding Calyguila's life were
both pretty hyperbolic about his most notorious suggestion for consul.
For example, while describing Caliguila's love of Incatatus, third century
historian Cassius Dio claimed, quote, he swore by the animal's
(14:56):
life and fortune, and even promised to appoint him consul,
a promise that he would have carried out if he
had lived longer end quote. However, the general consensus among
scholars is that Caligula's plan to name in Katatus council
was actually all a pointed joke. Although many early biographers
(15:19):
cast Caliguila as a vile despot capable of outlandish things,
parsing their motives and political circumstances, along with Caliguila's pattern
of behavior, the emperor comes off less as a complete
raving lunatic and more a deeply paranoid ruler making spiteful jabs.
(15:42):
His jest involving in Katatus had multiple possible layers. First,
the idea of making in Katatus the council was likely
a basic dig at politicians competence. Essentially, Caligula was claiming,
my horse could do a better job. Second, floating such
(16:02):
a notion darkly ridiculed, how trivial of a hitching post,
The position had become It used to be the pinnacle
of a senator's career, and despite the corrupted appointment process,
the title still held the previously conferred extra prestige to
a politician. But the idea of nominating a horse underlined
(16:27):
just how harnessed any prospective consul was by Caligula, by
his whims and by his absolute power. And finally, some
key individual's names might have been relevant to Caligula's joke,
especially given how puns and wordplay often factored into the
(16:49):
Roman sense of humor. Specifically, a Console candidate at the
time was named Asinus Cellar, which could be crudely translated
into swift ass, so a quip about Caligula appointing in
Katatus may have been a direct personal insult his speedy
(17:10):
horse was preferable to a swift ass. Ultimately, in Katatus
never actually became Console, and after a couple more years
of bitter and bloody friction, Caligula was finally assassinated by
two Praetorian tribunes and a group of centurions on January
(17:33):
twenty fourth, forty one AD. Even in the immediate aftermath
of Caligula's death, horse racing came up. When arriving soldiers
demanded to know who might replace the deceased Caligula as emperor,
the vengeful tribune who was first to stab Caligula, mockingly
(17:53):
suggested that they can check in with one of Caligula's
chariot driver friends as their first choice. So what became
of in Katatus. Accounts are vague. Some say caligula successor
ordered the horse's execution, although a death doesn't seem to
have been confirmed. The relevant economics of the time offer
(18:17):
another possibility. Thanks in part to Caligula's constant promotion, chariot
racing was as popular as it had ever been, meaning
champion horses were of significant breeding value. So, particularly considering
how many aristocrats Caligula led to financial ruin, it's not
(18:38):
unreasonable to wonder if some entrepreneurial or entitled feeling individual
might have jumped at the opportunity to profit off in
Katatus by selling him back to a stud farm. As
much as that sounds like a euphemistic way for me
to say that Caligula's favorite pet went to a farm upstate,
(19:01):
there is at least some actual chance that Inkatatus did
go on to sire a new generation of race horses.
Although Incatatus never actually traded his jeweled collar for the
official toga of the consul, his facetious nomination captured the
(19:22):
imagination of plenty of political critics, historians, and horse enthusiasts
over subsequent centuries. In particular, in Katatus's nomination became a
go to reference when calling out political incompetence or madness.
For example, a satirical column in a seventeen forty two
(19:44):
issue of the London Magazine and Monthly Chronologer praised in
Katatus as a wiser minister of the state than the
Prime Minister of Great Britain at that time. In a
somewhat convoluted respond to the American Colony's declaration of independence,
a British writer also used Caligula trying to make in
(20:07):
Katatus a consul, as an example of the issues that
eventually arise from giving decision making power to the wrong people. Today,
in Katatus even has his own Wikipedia page, and Caligula's
Horse is the name of an Australian progressive metal band.
From a political perspective, the notion of Caligula elevating his
(20:30):
horse to a government position is enduringly memorable. But let's
not put the chariot before the horse and get so
caught up in all of the mocking hypotheticals that we
fail to give the stallion at the center of the
story his due. What in Catatus did accomplish in his
life was still stunning. Sure, many aspects of in Katatus's
(20:54):
fate and the reason for his fame were beyond his control.
But on the other hoof, you can lead a horse
to water, but once he sails across that water, it's
up to him to excel so remarkably at the hardest
position in the most popular sports of the day, to
the point that he makes the most die hard and
powerful fan consider spending unprecedented resources on equestrian luxuries the
(21:21):
likes of which that horse's four footed four bearers never
could have imagined, from competing at the vaunted hippodrome to
hosting human parties. There were numerous times when in Katatus
could have spooked, balked, or stumbled. But when fear and
confusion threatened to get the best of him, in Katatus
(21:42):
simply said, nay, and I think in the vein of
this podcast, always trying to for lack of a better
word humanize the figures at the heart of history. It's
worth celebrating what a good horse in Katatas was. When
Katatus never actually made it into the government, he did
(22:04):
get another official title. Caligula actually made in Katatus a
priest of his imperial religious cult. This priesthood may have
initially spawned similarly pointed jokes about the ineptitude of human priests,
but even if partly flippant in nature, in a way,
(22:25):
this religious appointment still meant more than a political one.
Coming from Caligula. After all, the emperor was consumed with
the idea of placing himself among the gods, first as
more of a snide prank, but then with increasing sincerity.
We may never know if in Katatus himself had any
(22:46):
such dreams of divinity while clip clopping to and from
his grand stables, but at least if he ever accompanied
his human to a temple ritual, he would have seen
a familiar long face, that of Pegasus, the mythical winged
steed who was often depicted in statue form alongside Jupiter,
(23:08):
the king of the gods, whom Caligula so desperately wanted
to emulate, and in a sense through his lasting and
now fairly infamous legacy. Our illustrious horse hero certainly trotted
his own way to immortality. That's the story of in Katatus,
(23:32):
Caligula's favorite racehorse. But stick around after a brief sponsor
break to hear an additional intriguing question about our famous
quadruped's political career. Despite Inkatatus never being a formal consular candidate,
(23:55):
some intrigued fans have mused about whether he would have
been eligible based on the requirements for Romans to become
senators per the changes enacted by one of Caliguia's predecessors.
These minimums included being at least twenty five years old,
owning property valuing at least one million sestercees a type
(24:17):
of Roman coin, and having an quote unblemished character. Two
of those are easy. There appears to be no evidence
in Katatu's ever had a criminal record, and his carved
marble home was undoubtedly worth well over a mill. The
question of his age is a little trickier, as twenty
(24:38):
five would have been fairly old for a horse still
seemingly close to his prime racing days, although that depends
if we're talking human years or horse ears. All in all,
especially given Caligula's enthusiasm for bucking tradition, these prerequisites would
likely have been easy hurdles for in katat Is to
(25:00):
clear in his senatorial steeplechase. Noble Blood is a production
of iHeart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke.
Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional
(25:22):
writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy
Hit and Julia Milani. The show is edited and produced
by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il KLi and
executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For
more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
(25:46):
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim
and Mild from Aaron Mankie listener Discretion advised. It was
a celebratory night in Rome in thirty nine AD. Dignitaries
were arriving at the new glitzy Palace. The wine was
flowing freely, and the Knight's guest of honor was getting
(00:24):
his final touch ups. He was dressed in exquisite royal purple,
a jewel studded collar glistening around his long regal neck.
Though this famed individual was not fluent in the tongues
spoken by his team of servants, he was a keen
observer of body language, and from their meticulous combing of
(00:48):
his magnificent mane of hair, he could sense that something
was special that night. As the particularly raucous din of
the commencing bank echoed through the marble halls, the Guest
of honor couldn't hold it in any longer. He let
out a curious winnie. Because the VIP of this party
(01:12):
in Katatus was not a normal ruler or aristocrat.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
He was a horse. Many horses would spook when walking
into such an uproarious dinner party such as this one,
but not in Katatus. After all, this was his house.
The event was taking place at the grand palatial stables,
which had been built in his honor, and he had
(01:40):
hosted numerous events where members of the emperor's inner circle
gorged themselves and toasted him with golden goblets. Even the
sense of many guests, especially the renowned chariot drivers, were
thoroughly familiar to in Katatus, due to all of his
times spent competing at the track. The champion horse took
(02:04):
his customary place, and even the meal served to him
in his carved ivory manger was of no surprise, barley
mixed with gold again, as in Katatus began to happily
munch away. There was a stir of excitement. The architect
of that night's event had arrived, an individual who happened
(02:27):
to be the most powerful man in the realm, a
monarch whose notorious reign would captivate historians for millennia to come,
and who would be consistently referenced, at times misguidedly, as
a classic example of imperial madness. This man was Calligula,
(02:50):
Emperor of Rome. In Katatus looked up and snorted amicably,
because to him, this pale slightly balding young human dressed
in silk and finery was simply his biggest fan. Caligula
raised his goblet and, with a devious glint in his eye,
(03:10):
made a surprise announcement. He planned to name in Katatus
to the highest office any Roman politician could hold, that
of Consul. In Katatus understood none of the proclamation itself,
because again, he was a horse. But judging by the
(03:30):
spirited applause and mirthful hysterics of all of his bipedal
dining companions, whatever his main human had just done must
have been pretty startling. I'm Danish forts and this is
noble blood. When examining the life of in Katatus, Caligula's
(03:55):
favorite horse, it's hard to find impartial, unexaggerated accounts, especially
since all of the early records we rely upon come
from humans. These historians and biographers certainly had the benefit
of written language and opposable thumbs, but as many scholars
have argued, they often showed ample bias in covering controversial
(04:20):
figures like Caligula, and he was a member of their
own species, so, lacking any unbiased horse historians to provide
first hoof insights into the equine experience during the Roman Empire.
It's worth putting on blinders to some of the more
sensationalist versions of these events, as well as acknowledging our
(04:44):
very human tendency to want to anthropomorphize animal subjects. So
I apologize in advance for that and for all of
the horse puns to come. All of that said, in
Katatus was surely the most lovable young steed who just
wanted to be a good horse and run really fast.
(05:06):
We don't have many clear records about his early life
or pedigree, but based on what we know of the
massive popularity and overall industry of horse racing during this era,
we can place a few confident bets in Katatus was
born sometime in the early first century AD and likely
(05:28):
either spent his coulthood years on a stud farm run
by one of the corporations that backed the four main
chariot racing factions or teams, the Greens, White, Reds, and Blues,
or he was bought at a horse sale by one
of the faction's agents who was seeking out fast stallions.
(05:50):
Then it was literally off to the races, as in
Katatus would have traveled by ship to train at a
racing facility as a hippodrome or circus. There are different
accounts of how in Katatus got his name, which essentially
translates to speedy, but one thing is clear, he lived
(06:12):
up to it. In Katatus revved his mighty horsepower so
triumphantly for the Greens that he won the love of
the faction's most influential supporter and all around horse guy, Caligula.
Caligula was actually a nickname that Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus
received as a child. That meant little boot. Those around
(06:37):
him refrained from publicly referring to him by the playful,
belittling nickname while he was emperor, feeling harsh punishment. But
since Caligula is how he's most commonly remembered by the
world today, I'll continue to refer to him as such,
just for clarity. Growing up, Caligula suffered from several ales,
(07:00):
seemingly including what we might now identify as epilepsy, and
he was by many accounts unathletic. But despite that, or
perhaps because of it, horse racing and spectating played an
outsize role in his short but dramatic rule. In thirty
(07:22):
seven AD, Caligula became emperor at age twenty five, and
he quickly increased the number of looty or public games
based around religious festivals that featured spectacles like beast hunts,
gladiatorial contests, and Caligula's favorite chariot races. Chariot racing was
(07:43):
a must see sport of the era, with successful drivers
and horses ascending to super stardom. Unlike previous emperors who
mostly used such games to boost their public image, Caligula's
fandom was so fierce that it veered into unbridled obsession.
(08:04):
Caligula's favorite races showcased the quadraga over four horse chariot,
where the left inside horse was the most esteemed since
it had to navigate the tightest turns, so given in
Katatus's celebrity status, that was most likely his racing position.
(08:25):
We don't have official surviving stats, but considering the best
chariot horse's success rates at that time, it's likely that
in Katatus would have had over one hundred race winds
to his name. In Katatus must have been head and
crest above the four legged field, because not only did
(08:47):
Caligula construct grand stables for him, he'd send soldiers to
silence the neighborhood the night before races so that in
Katatus could sleep peacefully. Caligula also commissioned an entire private
hippodrome so that he could personally race chariots with his
(09:08):
preferred thoroughbred. The two rode together, they dined together, and
they partied together. But it wasn't all fun and horse
racing games for in Katatus. Escalating tensions and treacherous plots
soon threatened to hobble his uniquely privileged lifestyle. The games
(09:29):
themselves involved plenty of scandals. Caligula was rumored to have
poisoned competing factions. He was also said to have gotten
jealous of the fame of some chariot drivers, and even
reportedly ran one over in a chariot at his private hippodrome,
although it's uncertain if it happened, whether it was an
(09:52):
accident or a purposeful act of cruelty. For his part,
in Katatus was never directly implicated as having a hoof
in any of that foul play. Likewise, while it's possible
that Incatatus's horse teammates and opponents might have become jealous
of all of the attention and food given to him.
(10:14):
If indeed horses can experience jealousy, there's no evidence that
they plotted against him. Historically, these hierarchical horse disputes were
typically settled through quick and simple physical displays of dominance,
such as biting, pushing, and threatening to kick. The real
herd to watch out for was the human aristocracy. Caligula's
(10:40):
relationship grew increasingly strained, with the Senate and all its
prominent politicians desperately jockeying for position. This escalated part way
through thirty nine AD when a group of aristocrats, senators,
the sitting consuls, and even Caligula's sisters took part in
(11:00):
a conspiracy against him. The stakes could not have been
higher for Inkatatus as well. If his main benefactor was
put out to pasture or worse, in Katatus would lose
his fancy stables, his private hippodrome access, and being so
closely affiliated with the targeted empire, possibly even his life.
(11:26):
Fortunately for Inkatatus, that dire plot ultimately went belly up,
but according to some historians, it served as a critical
turning point in Caligula's reign and his relationship with his
favorite horse. Early biographers recounted rumors of Caligula taking part
in debauched orgies, in incestuous acts, and even drinking pearls
(11:52):
dissolved in vinegar, but these are mostly unsubstantiated, although the
practice of drinking pearls has been no in other ancient histories,
attributed most famously to Cleopatra and Mark Antony. To be clear,
Caligula absolutely compiled a grim resume of punishing and executing
(12:14):
opponents over time, but even his detractors seemed to mostly
agree that his governing style was less contentious during his
first two years as emperor, but the apparent conspiracy and
number of people clearly champing at the bit to betray
Caligula changed things. Rather than rein in his imperial impulses,
(12:39):
Caligula sought to humiliate senators and aristocrats in any ways
he could. Some methods were simple. He increasingly made them
greet him as they would a god, by performatively and
demeaningly prostrating themselves before him. He was also said to
have had second xtual relationships with many senators wives, and
(13:04):
once again horse racing factored heavily into his plans. Putting
on games was hugely expensive during festivals up to forty
races were held in a day. There were monetary prizes,
equipment costs, and the upkeep of hundreds of horses, and
then there were the shockingly expensive celebratory feasts for both
(13:29):
humans and horses. If some accounts are to be believed,
both Caligula and in Katatis ingested literal gold. Caligula made
sure to saddle individual senators with this financial burden by
maliciously offering them the honor of sponsoring each event. This
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effectively muzzled many outspoken politicians, since they couldn't overtly refuse
Caligula's calculated slights, especially if they held or wanted to
hold a notable position such as consul. In the prior
Roman Republic, consuls were essentially the highest elected officials who
(14:12):
presided over the Senate. In Caligula's empire, however, the consul
was more of an honorific position that he would give
to senators or when he wanted to exert even more
control to himself, or, as legend had it, a position
he would offer to his favorite race horse. The two
(14:35):
major human sources we look to regarding Calyguila's life were
both pretty hyperbolic about his most notorious suggestion for consul.
For example, while describing Caliguila's love of Incatatus, third century
historian Cassius Dio claimed, quote, he swore by the animal's
(14:56):
life and fortune, and even promised to appoint him consul,
a promise that he would have carried out if he
had lived longer end quote. However, the general consensus among
scholars is that Caligula's plan to name in Katatus council
was actually all a pointed joke. Although many early biographers
(15:19):
cast Caliguila as a vile despot capable of outlandish things,
parsing their motives and political circumstances, along with Caliguila's pattern
of behavior, the emperor comes off less as a complete
raving lunatic and more a deeply paranoid ruler making spiteful jabs.
(15:42):
His jest involving in Katatus had multiple possible layers. First,
the idea of making in Katatus the council was likely
a basic dig at politicians competence. Essentially, Caligula was claiming,
my horse could do a better job. Second, floating such
(16:02):
a notion darkly ridiculed, how trivial of a hitching post,
The position had become It used to be the pinnacle
of a senator's career, and despite the corrupted appointment process,
the title still held the previously conferred extra prestige to
a politician. But the idea of nominating a horse underlined
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just how harnessed any prospective consul was by Caligula, by
his whims and by his absolute power. And finally, some
key individual's names might have been relevant to Caligula's joke,
especially given how puns and wordplay often factored into the
(16:49):
Roman sense of humor. Specifically, a Console candidate at the
time was named Asinus Cellar, which could be crudely translated
into swift ass, so a quip about Caligula appointing in
Katatus may have been a direct personal insult his speedy
(17:10):
horse was preferable to a swift ass. Ultimately, in Katatus
never actually became Console, and after a couple more years
of bitter and bloody friction, Caligula was finally assassinated by
two Praetorian tribunes and a group of centurions on January
(17:33):
twenty fourth, forty one AD. Even in the immediate aftermath
of Caligula's death, horse racing came up. When arriving soldiers
demanded to know who might replace the deceased Caligula as emperor,
the vengeful tribune who was first to stab Caligula, mockingly
(17:53):
suggested that they can check in with one of Caligula's
chariot driver friends as their first choice. So what became
of in Katatus. Accounts are vague. Some say caligula successor
ordered the horse's execution, although a death doesn't seem to
have been confirmed. The relevant economics of the time offer
(18:17):
another possibility. Thanks in part to Caligula's constant promotion, chariot
racing was as popular as it had ever been, meaning
champion horses were of significant breeding value. So, particularly considering
how many aristocrats Caligula led to financial ruin, it's not
(18:38):
unreasonable to wonder if some entrepreneurial or entitled feeling individual
might have jumped at the opportunity to profit off in
Katatus by selling him back to a stud farm. As
much as that sounds like a euphemistic way for me
to say that Caligula's favorite pet went to a farm upstate,
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there is at least some actual chance that Inkatatus did
go on to sire a new generation of race horses.
Although Incatatus never actually traded his jeweled collar for the
official toga of the consul, his facetious nomination captured the
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imagination of plenty of political critics, historians, and horse enthusiasts
over subsequent centuries. In particular, in Katatus's nomination became a
go to reference when calling out political incompetence or madness.
For example, a satirical column in a seventeen forty two
(19:44):
issue of the London Magazine and Monthly Chronologer praised in
Katatus as a wiser minister of the state than the
Prime Minister of Great Britain at that time. In a
somewhat convoluted respond to the American Colony's declaration of independence,
a British writer also used Caligula trying to make in
(20:07):
Katatus a consul, as an example of the issues that
eventually arise from giving decision making power to the wrong people. Today,
in Katatus even has his own Wikipedia page, and Caligula's
Horse is the name of an Australian progressive metal band.
From a political perspective, the notion of Caligula elevating his
(20:30):
horse to a government position is enduringly memorable. But let's
not put the chariot before the horse and get so
caught up in all of the mocking hypotheticals that we
fail to give the stallion at the center of the
story his due. What in Catatus did accomplish in his
life was still stunning. Sure, many aspects of in Katatus's
(20:54):
fate and the reason for his fame were beyond his control.
But on the other hoof, you can lead a horse
to water, but once he sails across that water, it's
up to him to excel so remarkably at the hardest
position in the most popular sports of the day, to
the point that he makes the most die hard and
powerful fan consider spending unprecedented resources on equestrian luxuries the
(21:21):
likes of which that horse's four footed four bearers never
could have imagined, from competing at the vaunted hippodrome to
hosting human parties. There were numerous times when in Katatus
could have spooked, balked, or stumbled. But when fear and
confusion threatened to get the best of him, in Katatus
(21:42):
simply said, nay, and I think in the vein of
this podcast, always trying to for lack of a better
word humanize the figures at the heart of history. It's
worth celebrating what a good horse in Katatas was. When
Katatus never actually made it into the government, he did
(22:04):
get another official title. Caligula actually made in Katatus a
priest of his imperial religious cult. This priesthood may have
initially spawned similarly pointed jokes about the ineptitude of human priests,
but even if partly flippant in nature, in a way,
(22:25):
this religious appointment still meant more than a political one.
Coming from Caligula. After all, the emperor was consumed with
the idea of placing himself among the gods, first as
more of a snide prank, but then with increasing sincerity.
We may never know if in Katatus himself had any
(22:46):
such dreams of divinity while clip clopping to and from
his grand stables, but at least if he ever accompanied
his human to a temple ritual, he would have seen
a familiar long face, that of Pegasus, the mythical winged
steed who was often depicted in statue form alongside Jupiter,
(23:08):
the king of the gods, whom Caligula so desperately wanted
to emulate, and in a sense through his lasting and
now fairly infamous legacy. Our illustrious horse hero certainly trotted
his own way to immortality. That's the story of in Katatus,
(23:32):
Caligula's favorite racehorse. But stick around after a brief sponsor
break to hear an additional intriguing question about our famous
quadruped's political career. Despite Inkatatus never being a formal consular candidate,
(23:55):
some intrigued fans have mused about whether he would have
been eligible based on the requirements for Romans to become
senators per the changes enacted by one of Caliguia's predecessors.
These minimums included being at least twenty five years old,
owning property valuing at least one million sestercees a type
(24:17):
of Roman coin, and having an quote unblemished character. Two
of those are easy. There appears to be no evidence
in Katatu's ever had a criminal record, and his carved
marble home was undoubtedly worth well over a mill. The
question of his age is a little trickier, as twenty
(24:38):
five would have been fairly old for a horse still
seemingly close to his prime racing days, although that depends
if we're talking human years or horse ears. All in all,
especially given Caligula's enthusiasm for bucking tradition, these prerequisites would
likely have been easy hurdles for in katat Is to
(25:00):
clear in his senatorial steeplechase. Noble Blood is a production
of iHeart Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manke.
Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional
(25:22):
writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy
Hit and Julia Milani. The show is edited and produced
by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il KLi and
executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For
more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
(25:46):
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Host
Dana Schwartz
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