2000 years ago, the most powerful man in the world was the Roman Emperor Caligula and his favorite horse was Incitatus.
Caligula used to invite Incitatus to official dinners and treat him with great respect. He ordered that Incitatus be fed only with gold flakes and watered him with luxurious wine from gold poppers. Naturally, he also provided Incitatus with a fully furnished house and slaves to serve him.
Convinced that Incitatus would make a great politician, Caligula nominated him a full-fledged Roman Senator.
The Emperor also put Incitatus on the list to become consul – the highest elected political office of ancient Rome – but, unfortunately, Caligula was assassinated before this came to fruition.
Bonus fact: Caligula was the emperor of Rome between 37 and 41 AD and the third emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He was considered a tyrant and became known for his extravagance, strangeness, and cruelty. Murdered in 41 by his bodyguards.
Caligula’s father was among Roman’s beloved sons and Emperor Augustus’ personal favorite, and his mother was considered the ideal model for a Roman woman.
Things took a wrong turn on October 10, 19 AD, when Germanicus died of a disease, probably due to poisoning in the command of Emperor Tiberius.
After Agrippina accused Tiberius of not doing enough to bring her husband’s murderers to trial, Tiberius exiled her to a remote island, where she died of starvation.
Tiberius adopted Caligula’s older brothers and even declared them as his heirs. But, when he noticed they are getting too popular, he accused them of betrayal and sentenced him to death.
Poor lonely Caligula lived in constant danger and it was only due to his natural cunning that he managed to survive Tiberius and the turmoil in Rome. He was a born actor and naturally understood how to act in danger while his immediate family members were murdered.
While some say it was his harsh childhood that drove him insane, modern research suggests he suffered from meningitis. This is supported by the known fact that he took mental callous turnaround after surviving an obscure illness on October 37.
In any case, as mentioned above, history was written by his rivals. The same ones who ordered his assassination.