Lost in Space
Are you suggesting that a madman should make a good ruler? Because usually those are mutually exclusive. The Caligula's defining trait is that his insanity makes him completely unsuited to rule, but he cannot be easily removed from that position, and so everyone has to bow to his whims while somehow keeping the place running.
edited 27th Jul '17 3:00:47 PM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
If you're looking for "crazy but still good at being a leader," you want The Wonka. Although they're usually more whimsical, while The Caligula is usually violently insane.
edited 27th Jul '17 2:30:00 PM by Discar
Can this type of character also be, "Not insane, but preforms wanton acts of cruelty their own amusement"?
Zzzzzzzzzz
No. "Insane" is part of his defining trait. If he's just doing it for amusement, but isn't presented as insane, it's For the Lulz.
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
Brenner's Wolves Fight Again
How can a person who casually commits evil just for fun be a good ruler?
Where there's life, there's hope.
Though one possibility is a leader who is insane, but is also disinterested enough with the business of government that they let their non-insane advisors do all the actual governing, while they only use the power of their office to fulfill various personal projects, like commissioning giant statues honoring their pets, or relentlessly tormenting the people who were mean to them in grade school.
What would a character like that count as?
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Toeing the line but probably not. Several real life monarchs did that without their reputation going into the toilet like the real life Caligula. Looking at you Ludwig II of Bavaria
Zzzzzzzzzz
The Caligula has two components: 1) He's batshit, barking fucked-in-the-head crazy and 2) He's an incompetent ruler because of it. Either one isn't there, you've got something else, not The Caligula.
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
Is it because of their lack of skill in running an empire? Is it because of how their insanity prevents them from doing rulership business? Are they genuinely stupid? Or is it simply because they don't give a shit?
Why is The Caligula often described as a total madman but a terrible ruler?