The Praetorian Guard (sometimes Prætorian Guard) (in Latin: praetoriani) comprised a special force of bodyguards used by Roman emperors. Before them it was used by warlords, back at least to the Scipio family — around 275 BC.

Contents

1 History 1.1 Early Guard 1.2 Political meddling 1.3 Guard's Twilight Years 2 Relationships between emperors and their Guard 3 Organization and conditions of service 4 Prefect of the Praetorian Guard 5 Rank 6 Prefects 7 Modern usage of the term 8 External link

History

The term "Praetorian" came from the tent of the legatus of a legion in the field—the praetorium. It was a habit of many Roman generals to choose from the ranks a private force of soldiers to act as bodyguards of the tent or the person. They consisted of both infantry and cavalry. In time, this cohort came to be known as the cohors praetoria, and various notable figures possessed one, including Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Augustus Caesar (Octavianus). As Caesar discovered with the Legio X Gemina, a powerful unit more dangerous than its fellow legions was desirable in the field. When Augustus became the first ruler of the Roman Empire in 27 BC, he decided such a formation was useful not only in war but in politics. Thus, from the ranks of the legions throughout the provinces, Augustus recruited the Praetorian Guard.

Early Guard

The group that was formed initially differed greatly from the later Guard, which would murder emperors. While Augustus understood the need to have a protector in the maelstrom of Rome, he was careful to uphold the Republican veneer of his regime. Thus he allowed only nine cohorts to be formed, each 500 to 1,000 men, and only three were kept on duty at any given time in the capital. A small number of detached cavalry units (turma) of 30 men each were also organized. While they patrolled inconspicuously, in the palace and major buildings, the others were stationed in the towns surrounding Rome; no threats were possible from these individual cohorts. This system was not radically changed with the arrival of two Praetorian prefects in 2 BC, Q Ostorius Scapula and Salvius Aper, although organization and command were improved.

Augustus' death on August 19, AD 14, marked the end of Praetorian calm. Through the machinations of their ambitious prefect, Lucius Aelius Sejanus, the Guard was brought from the Italian barracks into Rome itself. In 23 Sejanus convinced Tiberius to have the Castra Praetoria (the camp of the Prpraetorians) built just outside of Rome. One of these cohorts held the daily guard at the royal palace. Henceforth the entire Guard was at the disposal of the emperors, but the rulers were now equally at the mercy of the Praetorians. The reality of this was seen in 31 when Tiberius was forced to rely upon his own cohors praetoria against partitions of Sejanus. Though the Praetorian Guard proved faithful to the aging Tiberius, their potential political power had been made clear.

While campaigning, the Praetorians were the equal of any formation in the Roman Army. Seldom used in the early reigns, they were quite active by 69 They fought well at the first battle of Bedriacum for Otho. Under Domitian and Trajan, the guard took part in wars from Dacia to Mesopotamia, while with Marcus Aurelius, years were spent on the Danubian frontier. Throughout the 3rd century, the Praetorians assisted the emperors in various campaigns.

Political meddling

Following the death of Sejanus, who was sacrificed for the Donativum (imperial gift) promised by Tiberius, the Guards began to play an increasingly ambitious and bloody game in the Empire. With the right amount of money, or at will, they assassinated emperors, bullied their own prefects, or turned on the people of Rome. In 41 Caligula was killed by conspirators from the senatorial class and from the Guard. The Praetorians placed Claudius on the throne, daring the senate to oppose their decision.

While the Guard had the power to kill off emperors, it had no role in government administration, unlike the personnel of the palace, the Senate, and the bureaucracy. Often after an outrageous act of violence, revenge by the new ruler was forthcoming. In 193 Didius Julianus purchased the Empire from the Guard for a vast sum, after the Guard auctioned it off. Later that year Septimius Severus marched into Rome, disbanded the Praetorians and started a new formation from his own Pannonian Legions. Even Vespasian in 69, who relied upon the disgruntled cohorts dismissed by Vitellius, reduced their rank in number when ascending the throne. Unruly mobs in Rome fought often with the Praetorian in Maximinus Thrax's reign in vicious street battles.

In 271 Aurelian sailed east to destroy the power of Palmyra, Syria with a force of legionary detachments, Praetorian cohorts, and other cavalry units. The Palmyrans were easily defeated. This led to the orthodox view that Diocletian and his colleagues evolved the sacer comitatus (the field escort of the emperors) which included field units that utilized selection process, command structure, and modeled after the old Praetorian cohorts, but was not of uniform composition and was much larger than a Praetorian cohort.

Guard's Twilight Years

In 284 Diocletian reduced the status of the Praetorians; they were no longer to be part of palace life, as Diocletian lived in Nicomedia, some 60 miles from Byzantium in Asia Minor. A new corps, the Jovians and Herculians, replaced the Praetorians as the personal protectors of the emperors, a practice that remained intact with the tetrarchy. By the time Diocletian retired on May 1, 305, the Castra Praetoria seems to have housed only a minor garrison of Rome.

The final act of the Praetorians in imperial history started in 306, when Maxentius, son of the retired emperor Maximian, was passed over as a successor: the troops took matters into their own hands and elevated him to the position of emperor in Italy on October 28. Caesar Flavius Valerius Severus, following the orders of Galerius, attempted to disband the Guard but only managed to lead the rest of them in revolting and joining Maxentius. When Constantine the Great, launching an invasion of Italy in 312, forced a final confrontation at the Milvian Bridge, the Praetorian cohorts made up most of Maxentius' army. Later in Rome, the victorious Constantine definitively disbanded the Praetorian Guard. The soldiers were sent out to various corners of the Empire, and the Castra Praetoria was demolished. For over 300 years they had served, and the destruction of their fortress was a grand gesture, inaugurating a new age of imperial history and ending the Praetorians.

Relationships between emperors and their Guard

Relationships between various emperors and their Guard
Caesar Augustus	27 BC - AD 14	created the Praetorian Guard
Tiberius	14 - 37	allowed Sejanus to gain power as the Guard's prefect
Caligula	37 - 41	murdered by the Guard
Claudius	41 - 54.	proclaimed emperor by the Guard
Nero	54 - 68	deserted by the Guard
Galba	68 - 69	murdered by the Guard
Otho	69	elevated by the Guard
Vitellius	69	deposed by the Guard then killed
Vespasian	69 - 79.	reduced the size of the Guard after victory in 69
Titus	79 - 81	served as Praetorian prefect, then as emperor
Domitian	81 - 96	election supported by the Guard, later murdered by his prefects
Nerva	96 - 98	humiliated by his Guard and died during a siege against him
Trajan	98 - 117
Hadrian	117 - 138	founded the Frumentarii
Antoninus Pius	138 - 161
Marcus Aurelius	161 - 180
Lucius Verus	161 - 169
Commodus	180 - 192	murdered by his prefect in a polt
Pertinax	193	assassinated by the Guard
Didius Julianus	193	purchased the Empire from the Guard
Septimius Severus	193 - 211	disbanded the Guard and created a new one from the Pannonian Legions
Caracalla	211 - 217	murdered in a plot by his Prefect Macrinus
Macrinus	217 - 218	first prefect since Titus to become emperor
Elagabalus	218 - 222	murdered in the Castra Praetoria by the Guard
Alexander Severus	222 - 235	elevated by the Guard
Maximinus Thrax	235 - 238
Gordian I	238
Gordian II	238
Balbinus	238	murdered by the Guard
Pupienus	238	murdered by the Guard
Gordian III	238 - 244	Proclaimed emperor by the Guard but killed by his prefect, Philip the Arab
Philip the Arab	244 - 249	another prefect to become Emperor
Decius	249 - 251
Herennius Etruscus	251
Hostilian	251
Trebonianus Gallus	251-253
Aemilianus	253
Publius Licinius Valerianus	253-260
Gallienus	260-268
Claudius II	268-270
Quintillus	270
Aurelian	270-275	murdered by the Guard
Marcus Claudius Tacitus	275-276
Florianus	276	a prefect who became emperor
Probus	276 - 282	killed by Praetorian troops after a revolt
Carus	282-283	probably poisoned by Prefect Aper
Carinus	283-285
Numerian	283-284	poisoned by Aper
Diocletian	284 - 305	effectively broke the power of the Praetorians
Maximian	286 - 305, 307 - 308
Galerius	305-311
Constantius Chlorus	305-306
Flavius Valerius Severus	306-307
Maxentius	306-312	last emperor to command the guard
Constantine the Great	306-337	disbanded the Guard and destroyed the Castra Praetoria

Organization and conditions of service

Although the Praetorians have similarities, they are unlike any of the other Legions of the Roman Empire. Its cohorts were larger, the pay and benefits were better, and its military abilities were reliable. They also received gifts of money called Donativum from the emperors. As conceived by Augustus, the Praetorian cohorts totaled around 9,000 men, recruited from the legions of the regular army or drawn from the most deserving youths in Etruria, Umbria, and Latium (three provinces in central Italy). Over time the pool of recruits expanded to Macedonia, Hispania Baetica, Hispania Tarraconensis, Lusitania and Illyricum. Vitellius formed a new Guard out of the German legions, while Septimus Severus did the same with the Pannonian legions. He also chose replacements for the units' ranks from throughout the Roman Empire.

Around the time of Augustus (c. AD 5) each cohort of the Praetorians numbered 1,000 men, increasing to 1,500 a high-water mark. As with the normal legions, the body of troops actually ready for service was much smaller. Tacitus reports that the number of cohorts was increased to twelve from nine in 47. In 69 it was briefly increased to sixteen cohorts by Vitellius, but Vespasian quickly reduced it again to nine. Finally in 101 their number was increased to once more to ten, resulting in a force of 5,000 troops, whose status was at least elite.

The training of guardsmen was more intense than in the legions because of the amount of free time available, when a cohort was not posted or traveling with the emperor. The Guard followed the same lines as those elsewhere. Equipment and armour were also the same with one notable exception — specially decorated breastplates, excellent for parades and state functions. Insignia of the "Moon and Stars" and the "Scorpion" were particularly associated with the Praetorians. Thus, each guardsman possessed two suits of armor, one for Roman duty and one for the field.

The Praetorians received substantially higher amounts of pay than other Roman soldiers in any of the legions. They were paid on a system known as sesquiplex stipendum, or by pay-and-a-half. So if the legionaires received 225 denarii, the guards received 375. Domitian and Severus increased the stipendum (payment) to 1,500 denarii, distributed three times a year in January, May and September. On special occasions they received special donativum from the emperor. Upon retiring, a soldier of the Praetorians was granted 20,000 sesterces (5,000 denarii), a gift of land, and a Diplomata reading 'to the warrior who bravely and faithfully completed his service." Many chose to enter the Evocati, while others reenlisted in the hopes of gaining further promotion and other possible high positions in the Roman state.

Prefect of the Praetorian Guard

The special position of the Praetorians made them become a power in their own right in the Roman state, and their prefect, praefectus praetorio, soon became one of the more powerful men in this society. The emperors tried to flatter and control the praetorians, but they staged many coup d'états and contributed to a rapid rate of turnover in the imperial succession. The praetorians thus came to destabilize the Roman state, contrary to their purpose.

Rank

Ranks of the Praetorian Guard, in ascending order
Miles	regular soldier
Immunes	After five years these soldiers were allowed to serve in the Equite singulares (cavalry branch) or as Speculatores (special agents)
Principales	legionary administrators
Evocati	After 16 years of service, retirement was possible but most soldiers chose to stay in this honorary unit.
Centurions	soldiers transferred to the Praetorian Guard after service in the legions, the Vigiles or the Urban cohort
Tribunes	These officers also from the legions and usually of the Equestrian class, commanded a cohort. Centurions could rarely be promoted to the Tribuneship
Procurators	A rank of the Equestrians
Prefects	available to the Vigiles and urban cohorts; the highest rank in the Praetorian Guard, head of the Praetorian Guard

Prefects

Known Prefects of the Praetorian Guard 2 BC - AD 312
Name	Emperor Served
Publius Aper	Augustus
Quintus Ostoriius Scapula	Augustus
Valerius Ligur	Augustus
Lucius Strabo	Augustus, Tiberius
Lucius Aelius Sejanus	Tiberius
Quintus Sutorius Macro	Tiberius, Caligula
M. Arrencinus Clemens	Caligula
Rufrius Pollio	Claudius
Cantonius Justus	Claudius
Rufius Crispinus	Claudius
Lusius Geta	Claudius
Sextus Afranius Burrus	Claudius, Nero
Faenius Rufus	Nero
Gaius Ophonius Tigellinus	Nero
Nymphidius Sabinus	Nero
Cornelius Laco	Galba
Plotius Firmus	Otho
Licinius Proculus	Otho
Publius Sabinus	Vitellius
Junius Priscus	Vitellius
Tiberius Julius Alexander	Vespasian
Arrius Varus	Vespasian
Arrecinus Clemens	Vespasian
Titus Flavius Vespasianus	Vespasian
Cornelius Fuscus	Domitian
Casperius Aelianus	Domitian
Norbanus	Domitian
Petronius Secundus	Domitian
Casperius Aelianus	Nerva
Suburanus	Trajan
Claudius Livianus	Trajan
S. Sulpicius Similis	Trajan
C. Septicius Clarus	Hadrian
Marcius Turbo	Hadrian
Gaius Maximus	Hadrian, Antoninus Pius
Tattius Maximus	Antoninus Pius
Fabius Cornelius	Antoninus Pius
Furius Victorinus	Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius
Macrinus Vindex	Marcus Aurelius
Bassaeus Rufus	Marcus Aurelius
Tarutenius Paternus	Marcus Aurelius, Commodus
Tigidius Perennis	Commodus
Cleander	Commodus
Lucius Julianus	Commodus
Aemilius Laetus	Commodus, Pertinax, Didius Julianus
Flavius Genialis	Didius Julianus
Tullius Crispinus	Didius Julianus
Veterius Macrinus	Septimius Severus
G. Fulvius Plautianus	Septimius Severus
Papinian	Septimius Severus, Caracalla
Marcus Opellius Macrinus	Caracalla
Ulpius Julianus	Macrinus
Julianus Nestor	Macrinus
Valerius Comazon Eutychchianus	Elagabalus
Antiochianus	Elagabalus
Ulpian	Severus Alexander
Iulius Paulus	Severus Alexander
P. Aelius Vitalianus	Maximinus
Philip the Arab	Gordian III
Gaius Julius Priscus	Philip
Aurelius Heraclianus	Gallienus
Florianus	Tacitus
Carus	Probus
Aper	Carus, Carinus, Numerian
Aristobulus	Numerian, Diocletian
Hannibalianus	Diocletian
Constantius Chlorus	Diocletian
Asclepiodotus	Diocletian
Rufius Volusianus	Maxentius
Publius Cornelius Anullinus	Maxentius

Modern usage of the term

In common language, the phrase "praetorian guards" designates an exclusive group attached to powerful people, such as Adolf Hitler's SS troops. However, the term is used in non-military contexts: for example, a corporate officer or politician (such as Richard M. Nixon) may have a small group of associates or followers whom a journalist may describe as a "praetorian guard". Such use is often pejorative, meant to indicate the followers are fanatics or extremists or the person is tyrannical or paranoid.

External link

• The Praetorian prefecture under the Julio-Claudians – path to power or dead-end job?