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America’s Caligula
The thing that I find most astonishing about the current president is his childish lack of maturity. While history has no shortage of greedy world leaders, violent world leaders, psychopathic world leaders, bullies, tyrants, and outright monsters, somehow, we wound up with a 74-year-old crybaby.
There has been physical immaturity among world leaders before, sure, emperor Fulin of China officially became the nation’s regent in 1643 when he was just 5 years old. His uncle actually took care of things until his passing when Fulin was 12. Unlike Trump, however, Fulin studied science and astronomy and was tolerant of other opinions and viewpoints.
King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem rose to power at the young age of 15, but unlike Trump, Baldwin was profoundly courageous. Despite suffering the debilitating scourge of Leprosy, when the Muslim general Saladin moved toward the city of Ascalon in 1177, the young King rushed to the site with only a small complement of infantry and a few hundred Knights Templar. Besieged within the city’s walls by Saladin’s superior numbers, Baldwin IV managed to break his army out of the fortress, regrouping and routing the Muslim forces at the Battle of Montgisard. After securing a brief peace, the teenager returned to Jerusalem a hero. He would go on to fight many battles against Saladin’s forces after the truce ended, often traveling in a litter when his leprosy…