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{{inline citations|date=June 2025}}{{short description|Bodyguards of the Roman emperors}}
{{redirect|Praetorians|other uses|Praetorian (disambiguation)}}
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[[File:Relief historique dit Relief des Prétoriens 01.jpg|thumb|260px|The [[Praetorians Relief]] with an [[Aquila (Roman)|aquila]] grasping a [[thunderbolt]] through its claws, in reference to the [[ancient Roman religion|Roman]] {{lang|fr|[[interpretatio graeca]]}} form of [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]].]]
The '''Praetorian Guard''' ([[Latin language|Latin]]: ''cohortes praetoriae'') was the imperial guard of the [[Imperial Roman army]] that served various roles for the Roman emperor including being a [[bodyguard]] unit, [[counterintelligence]], [[crowd control]] and gathering [[military intelligence]].

During the [[Roman Republic]], the Praetorian Guards were escorts for high-ranking political officials ([[Roman Senate|senators]] and [[procurator (ancient Rome)|procurators]]) and were bodyguards for the senior officers of the [[Roman legion]]s. In 27 BC, after Rome's transition from republic to empire, the first emperor of Rome, [[Augustus]], designated the Praetorians as his personal security escort. For three centuries, the guards of the Roman emperor were also known for their palace intrigues, by whose influence upon imperial politics the Praetorians could overthrow an emperor and then proclaim his successor as the new ''[[Caesar (title)|caesar]]'' of Rome. In AD 312, [[Constantine the Great]] disbanded the {{lang|fr|cohortes praetoriae}} and destroyed their barracks at the [[Castra Praetoria]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andrews |first=Evan |date=8 July 2014 |title=8 Things You May Not Know About the Praetorian Guard |url=https://historyandsoon.wordpress.com/category/praetorian-guards/|access-date=8 November 2025 |website=Historyandsoon.wordpress.com |language=en}} {{better source needed|date=November 2025}}</ref>

== In the Roman Republic ==
The Praetorian Guard originated as bodyguards for [[List of Roman generals|Roman generals]] in the period of the [[Roman Republic]] (509–27 BC). During the longer campaigns of the [[Roman army of the late Republic]], the personal bodyguard unit was the norm for a commander in the field. At camp, the {{lang|fr|cohors praetoria}}, a cohort of praetorians guarding the commander, was posted near the {{lang|fr|[[praetorium]]}}, the tent of the commander.

The first historical record of the praetorians is as bodyguards for the Scipio family, ca. 275 BC. Generals with {{lang|fr|[[imperium]]}} (command authority of an army) also held public office, either as a [[Roman magistrate|magistrate]] or as a [[promagistrate]]; each was provided with [[lictor]]s to protect the person of the office-holder. In practice, the offices of [[Roman consul]] and of [[proconsul]] each had twelve lictors, whilst the offices of [[praetor]] and of propraetor each had six lictors. In the absence of an assigned, permanent personal bodyguard, senior field officers safeguarded themselves with temporary bodyguard units of selected soldiers. In [[Hispania Citerior]], during the [[Siege of Numantia]] (134–133 BC), General [[Scipio Aemilianus]] safeguarded himself with a troop of 500 soldiers against the sorties of [[siege]] warfare aimed at killing Roman field commanders.

At the end of 40 BC, two of the three co-rulers who were the [[Second Triumvirate]], [[Augustus|Octavian]] and [[Mark Antony]], had Praetorian Guards. Octavian installed his praetorians within the {{lang|fr|[[pomerium]]}}, the religious and legal boundary of Rome; this was the first occasion when troops were permanently garrisoned in Rome proper. In the Orient, Antony commanded three cohorts; in 32 BC, Antony issued coins honouring his Praetorian Guard. According to the historian [[Orosius]],{{citation needed|date= April 2020}} Octavian commanded five cohorts at the [[Battle of Actium]] in 31 BC; in the aftermath of Roman civil war, the victorious Octavian then merged his forces with the forces of Antony as symbolic of their political reunification. Later, as Augustus, the first Roman emperor (27 BC–AD 14), Octavian retained the Praetorians as his imperial bodyguard.

== Under the empire ==

The [[Legionary|legionaries]] known as the Praetorian Guard were first hand-picked veterans of the Roman army who served as bodyguards to the emperor. First established by Augustus, members of the Guard accompanied him on active campaign, protecting the civic administrations and rule of law imposed by the Senate and the emperor. The Praetorian Guard was ultimately dissolved by Emperor [[Constantine the Great|Constantine I]] in the early 4th century. They were distinct from the [[Numerus Batavorum|Imperial German Bodyguard]] which provided close personal protection for the early Roman emperors. They benefited from several advantages via their close proximity with the emperor: the Praetorians were the only ones admitted while bearing arms in the center of sacred Rome, the {{lang|fr|[[Pomerium]]}}. 

Their mandatory service was shorter in duration, for instance: 12 years with the Praetorians instead of 16 years in the legions starting year 13 BC, then carried to, respectively, 16 to 20 years in year 5 BC according to [[Tacitus]]. Their pay was higher than that of a legionary. Under [[Nero]], the pay of a Praetorian was three and a half times that of a legionary, augmented by prime additions of {{lang|fr|[[donativum]]}}, granted by each new emperor. This additional pay was the equivalent of several years of pay and was often repeated at important events of the empire or events that touched the imperial family: birthdays, births and marriages. Major monetary distributions or food subsidies renewed and compensated the fidelity of the Praetorians following each failed particular attempted plot (such as that of [[Messalina]] against [[Claudius]] in AD 48 or Piso against Nero in AD 65). The Praetorians received substantially higher pay<ref>{{cite web|title=Roman Economy – Prices in Ancient Rome|url=http://www.ancientcoins.biz/pages/economy/|publisher=Ancientcoins.bis|access-date=13 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113183811/http://www.ancientcoins.biz/pages/economy/|archive-date=13 January 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> than other Roman soldiers in any of the legions, on a system known as {{lang|la|sesquiplex stipendum}}, or by pay-and-a-half. So if the legionaries received 250 [[Denarius|denarii]], the guards received 375 per annum. [[Domitian]] and [[Septimius Severus]] increased the {{lang|la|stipendum}} (payment) to 1,500 denarii per year, distributed in January, May and September.

Feared and dreaded by the population and by the [[Roman Senate]], the Praetorians received no sympathy from the Roman people. A famous poem by [[Juvenal]] recalls the nail left in his foot by the [[Caligae|sandal]] of a Praetorian rushing by him. "Praetorian" has a pejorative sense in French, recalling the often troubling role of the Praetorian of antiquity.

=== History ===
In [[ancient Rome]], ''[[praetor]]s'' were either civic or military leaders. The praetorians were initially elite guards for military praetors, under the republic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-praetorian-guard|title=8 Things You May Not Know About the Praetorian Guard|date=August 29, 2018|website=HISTORY}}</ref> The early Praetorian Guard was very different from what it became later, as a vital force in the power politics of Rome. While Augustus understood the need to have a protector in the maelstrom of Rome, he was careful to uphold the [[Principate|Republican veneer]] of his regime. Thus, he allowed only nine cohorts to be formed, each originally consisting of 500 men. He then increased them to 1,000 men each, allowing three units to be on duty at any given time in the capital. A small number of detached cavalry units ({{lang|fr|[[turma]]e}}) 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. This system was not radically changed with the appointment by Augustus in 2&nbsp;BC of two [[Praetorian prefect]]s, [[Quintus Ostorius Scapula]] and [[Publius Salvius Aper]], although organization and command were enhanced. Tacitus reports that the number of cohorts was increased to twelve from nine in AD&nbsp;47. In AD&nbsp;69 it was briefly increased to sixteen cohorts by [[Vitellius]], but [[Vespasian]] quickly reduced it again to nine.<ref>Bingham 1997, pp. 121–122.</ref>

==== Under the Julio-Claudian dynasty ====
In Rome, the guards' principal duty was to mount the Guard at the house of Augustus on the Palatine, where the centuries and the [[turma]]e of the cohort in service mounted the guard outside the emperor's palace (the interior guard of the palace was mounted by the [[Imperial German Bodyguard]], often also referred to as ''[[Batavi (military unit)|Batavi]]'', and the {{lang|fr|[[Statores]]}}<ref>In Rome, near the Emperor, they were designated as [[Statores Augusti]] ({{lang|fr|Statores Praetorianorum}} starting from the 3rd century); they formed a {{lang|fr|[[Numerus (Roman military unit)|numerus]]}} assigned by the Praetorian prefect. This {{lang|fr|numerus}} was formed of five principal centuries which commanded the [[military police]]. At their head, there was a {{lang|fr|[[Curator Statorum]]}} and a {{lang|fr|[[Praefectus Statorum]]}}.</ref> Augusti, a sort of [[military police]] which were found in the general staff headquarters of the Roman Army). Every afternoon, the {{lang|fr|[[tribunus cohortis]]}} would receive the password from the emperor personally. The command of this cohort was assumed directly by the emperor and not by the Praetorian prefect. After the construction of the Praetorian camp in 23&nbsp;BC,  another similar serving [[tribune]] was placed in the Praetorian camp. The guards' functions included, among many, escorting the emperor and the members of the imperial family and, if necessary, to act as a sort of riot police. Certain [[List of Roman and Byzantine Empresses|Empresses]] exclusively commanded their own Praetorian Guard.

According to Tacitus, in the year 23 BC, there were nine Praetorian cohorts (4,500 men, the equivalent of a legion) to maintain peace in Italy; three were stationed in Rome, and the others nearby.

According to [[Boris Rankov]] in 1994, an inscription recently discovered suggested that, towards the end of the reign of [[Augustus]], the number of cohorts increased to 12 during a brief period.<ref name=Rankov /> This inscription referred to one man who was the tribune of two successive cohorts: the eleventh cohort, apparently at the end of the reign of Augustus, and the fourth at the beginning of the reign of [[Tiberius]]. According to Tacitus, there were only nine cohorts in 23 AD. The three urban cohorts, which were numbered consecutively after the Praetorian cohorts, were removed near the end of the reign of Augustus; it seemed probable that the last three Praetorian cohorts were simply renamed as [[cohortes urbanae|urban cohorts]].

The Praetorians first intervened on a battlefield since the wars of the end of the Republic during the ''mutinies of [[Pannonia]]'' and the ''mutinies of [[Germania]]''. On the death of Augustus in AD&nbsp;14, his successor Tiberius was confronted by mutinies in the two armies of the ''Rhine'' and ''Pannonia'', who were protesting about their conditions of service being worse than the Praetorians. The forces of Pannonia were dealt with by [[Drusus Julius Caesar]], son of Tiberius (distinct from [[Nero Claudius Drusus]], brother of Tiberius), accompanied by two Praetorian cohorts, the Praetorian Cavalry, and [[Imperial German Bodyguard]]s. The mutiny in Germania was repressed by the nephew and designated heir of Tiberius, [[Germanicus]], who later led legions and detachments of the Guard in a two-year campaign in Germania, and succeeded in recovering two of the three [[Aquila (Roman)|legionary eagles]] which had been lost at the [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest]].
[[File:Proclaiming claudius emperor.png|thumb|left|''Proclaiming Claudius Emperor'', by [[Lawrence Alma-Tadema]], oil on canvas, 1867. According to one version of the story of Claudius' accession, members of the Praetorian Guard found him hiding behind a curtain in the aftermath of the assassination of Caligula in AD 41, and proclaimed him emperor.]]
[[Sejanus]] rose in power under [[Tiberius]], and was among the first prefects to exploit his position to pursue his own ambitions. He concentrated under his command all the Praetorian cohorts in the new camp. Sejanus held the title of prefect jointly with his father, under Augustus, but became sole prefect in AD&nbsp;15, and used the position to render himself essential to the new emperor Tiberius, who was unable to persuade the Senate to share the responsibility of governing the Empire. Sejanus, however, alienated Drusus, son of Tiberius, and when Germanicus, the heir to the throne, died in AD&nbsp;19 he was worried that Drusus would become the new emperor. Accordingly, he poisoned Drusus with the help of the latter's wife, and immediately launched a ruthless elimination program against all competitors, persuading Tiberius to make him his heir apparent. He almost succeeded, but his plot was discovered and revealed in AD&nbsp;31, and Tiberius had him killed by the {{lang|fr|[[Cohortes urbanae]]}}, who were not under Sejanus's control.

In AD&nbsp;37 Caligula became emperor with the support of [[Naevius Sutorius Macro]], Sejanus' successor as prefect of the Praetorian Guard. Under Caligula, whose reign lasted until AD&nbsp;41, the overall strength of the Guard increased from 9 to 12 Praetorian cohorts.

In year 41, disgust and hostility of a praetorian tribune, named [[Cassius Chaerea]] – whom [[Caligula]] teased without mercy due to his squeaky voice – led to the assassination of the emperor by officers of the guard. While the [[Imperial German Bodyguard]] sacked all in a search to apprehend the murderers, the Senate proclaimed the restoration of a Republic. The Praetorians, who were pillaging the Palace, discovered [[Claudius]], uncle of [[Caligula]], hidden behind a curtain. Needing an emperor to justify their own existence, they brought him forth to the Praetorian camp and proclaimed him emperor, the first emperor proclaimed by the Praetorian Guard. He compensated the guard with a prime bonus worth five years their salary. The Praetorians accompanied Emperor Claudius to Britain in 43&nbsp;AD.

When Claudius was poisoned, the Guard transferred their allegiance to [[Nero]] through the influence of his Praetorian prefect [[Sextus Afranius Burrus]], who exercised a beneficial influence on the new emperor during the first eight years of his reign (Burrus died in 62&nbsp;AD). Officers of the Guard, including one of the two successors of Burrus as the Praetorian prefect, participated in [[Gaius Calpurnius Piso (conspirator)|Piso's]] conspiracy in year 65. The other Praetorian prefect, [[Tigellinus]], headed the suppression of the conspiracy, and the members of the Guard were paid a bonus of 500 denarii each.
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==== Year of the Four Emperors ====
{{main|Year of the Four Emperors}}
In AD&nbsp;68, the new colleague of Tigellinus, [[Nymphidius Sabinus]], managed to have the Praetorian Guard abandon Nero in favor of the contender [[Galba]]. Nymphidius Sabinus had promised 7,500 denarii per man, but Galba refused to pay, saying "It is my habit to recruit soldiers and not buy them". This permitted his rival [[Otho]] to bribe 23 [[Speculatores]] of the Praetorian Guard to proclaim him emperor. Despite the opposition of the cohorts in service in the palace, Galba and his designated successor, the young Piso, were [[Lynching|lynched]] on {{Date|15 January|DM}}.

After supporting Otho against a third contender, [[Vitellius]], the Praetorians were restrained following defeat and their centurions executed. They were replaced by 16 cohorts recruited from the legionnaires and auxiliaries loyal to Vitellius, almost 16,000 men. These ex-Praetorians then aided [[Vespasian]], the fourth Emperor, leading the attack against the Praetorian camp.

==== Flavian dynasty ====
Under the Flavians, the Praetorians formed nine new cohorts, of which [[Titus]], son of emperor Vespasian, became the prefect. Vespasian returned the effective strength of each unit to five hundred men. He also cancelled the guard service of the Praetorians at the entry to the emperor's palace, but retained guards within the palace itself.

Under Vespasian's second son, [[Domitian]], the number of cohorts was increased to 10, and the Praetorian Guard participated in fighting in [[Germania]] and on the [[Danube]] against the [[Dacians]]. It was in the course of these actions that the prefect [[Cornelius Fuscus]] was defeated and killed in 86.

==== Antonine dynasty ====
Following assassination of Domitian in 96 the Praetorians demanded the execution of their prefect, [[Titus Petronius Secundus]], who had been implicated in the murder. 

At the death of [[Nerva]], at the beginning of 98, the Guard supported [[Trajan]], commander of the Army of the Rhine, as new emperor. He executed the remaining Praetorian prefect and his partisans. Trajan returned to Rome from the Rhine, probably accompanied by the new unit of {{lang|fr|[[equites singulares Augusti]]}}. The Praetorian Guard had participated in [[Trajan's Dacian Wars|Trajan's two Dacian Wars]] (101–102 and 105–106). The Praetorian Guard served in the last [[Trajan's Parthian campaign|campaign of Trajan against the Parthians]] of 113–117.

During the 2nd century, the Praetorian Guard accompanied [[Lucius Verus]] in the [[Roman–Parthian War of 161–166|Oriental War Campaign of 161–166&nbsp;AD]], and accompanied Roman emperor [[Marcus Aurelius]] in his northern campaigns of 169–175 and 178–180. Two prefects were killed during these expeditions.

With the accession of [[Commodus]], in 180, the Praetorian Guard returned to Rome. [[Tigidius Perennis]] (AD&nbsp;182–185) and [[freedman]] [[Marcus Aurelius Cleander]] (AD&nbsp;186–190) exercised considerable influence on the emperor. [[Tigidius Perennis|Perennis]] was killed by a delegation of 1,500 [[Lanciarii]] of the three legions of [[Roman Britain|Britain]] which had come to complain about his interference in the affairs of the province. Cleander abused his influence to nominate and dismiss prefects.

In 188, Cleander obtained the joint command of the Guard with the two prefects. He ordered a massacre of civilians carried out by the {{lang|fr|equites singulares Augusti}}, which led to an arranged battle with the [[Cohortes urbanae|Urban Cohorts]].

==== Severan dynasty ====
Commodus fell victim to a conspiracy aided by his Praetorian prefect [[Quintus Aemilius Laetus]] in 192. The new emperor [[Pertinax]], who took part in the conspiracy, paid the Praetorians a premium of 3,000 denarii; however he was assassinated three months later, on {{Date|28 March 193|DMY}}, by a group of Guards due to his refusal to further increase the premium which had already been paid. The Praetorians then put the empire up to auction and [[Didius Julianus]] bought the title of emperor. However, the armies of the Danube chose instead the governor of [[Pannonia Superior]], [[Septimius Severus]], who besieged Rome and tricked the Praetorians when they came out unarmed. The Praetorian Guard was dissolved and replaced by men transferred from Septimius's army.

The new Guard of Septimius Severus made their mark against his rival [[Clodius Albinus]] at the [[Battle of Lugdunum|Battle of Lyon]] in 197, and accompanied the emperor to the [[Orient]] from 197 to 202, then to [[Britannia]] from 208 until his death at [[York]] in 211.

[[Caracalla]], son of Septimius Severus, lost favour with his troops by assassinating his own brother and co-emperor, Geta, immediately after his succession. Finally, in 217, while on campaign in the [[Orient]], he was assassinated at the instigation of his prefect [[Macrinus]].

After the elimination of the latter, the Praetorians opposed the new emperor [[Elagabalus]], priest of the oriental cult of Elagabal, and replaced him by his 13-year-old cousin [[Severus Alexander]] in 222.

In this period the position of [[Praetorian prefect]] in Italy came increasingly to resemble a general administrative post, and there was a tendency to appoint jurists such as [[Papinian]], who occupied the post from 203 until his elimination and execution at the ascent of Caracalla. Under Severus Alexander the [[Praetorian prefecture]] was held by the lawyer [[Ulpian]] until his assassination by the Praetorian Guard in the presence of the emperor himself.

==== 3rd century ====
In the spring of 238, under [[Maximinus Thrax]], the bulk of the Praetorian Guard was employed on active service. Defended by only a small residual garrison, the Praetorian camp was attacked by a civilian crowd acting in support of [[Roman Senate|senators]] and Gordian emperors in revolt against Maximinus Thrax. The failure of Maximinus Thrax to win the civil war against the contenders [[Gordian I]] and [[Gordian II]] led to his death at the hands of his own troops, including the Praetorians. The senatorial candidates for the throne, [[Pupienus]] and [[Balbinus]], recalled the Praetorian Guard to Rome, only to find themselves under attack by the Praetorians. Both were killed on {{Date|29 July 238|DMY}} and [[Gordian III]] triumphed.

After 238, literary and epigraphic sources dry up, and information on the Praetorian Guard becomes rare. In 249, the Praetorians assassinated [[Philippus II]], son of the emperor [[Philip the Arab]]. In 272, in the reign of the emperor [[Aurelian]], they took part in an expedition against [[Palmyra]]. 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 (100&nbsp;km) from [[Byzantium]] in [[Asia Minor]]. Two new corps, the [[Jovians and Herculians|Ioviani and Herculiani]] (named after the gods Jove, or [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]], and [[Hercules]], associated with the senior and junior emperor), replaced the Praetorians as the personal protectors of the emperors, a practice that remained intact with the [[Tetrarchy]]. In 297 they were in Africa with [[Maximian]]. By the time Diocletian retired on {{Date|1 May 305|DMY}}, their {{lang|la|Castra Praetoria}} seems to have housed only a minor garrison of Rome.

==== Dissolution ====
During the early 4th century, ''[[Caesar (title)|Caesar]]'' [[Flavius Valerius Severus]] attempted to disband the Praetorian Guard on the orders of [[Galerius]]. In response, the Praetorians turned to [[Maxentius]], the son of the retired emperor Maximian, and proclaimed him their emperor on {{Date|28 October 306|dmy}}. By 312, however, [[Constantine the Great]] marched on Rome with an army in order to eliminate Maxentius and gain control of the [[Western Roman Empire]], leading to the [[Battle of the Milvian Bridge]]. Ultimately Constantine's army achieved a decisive victory against the Praetorians, whose emperor was killed during the fighting. With the death of Maxentius, Constantine definitively disbanded the remnants of the Praetorian Guard. The remaining soldiers were sent out to various corners of the empire, and the {{lang|la|Castra Praetoria}} was dismantled in a grand gesture, inaugurating a new age in Roman history and ending that of the Praetorians.

=== Participation in wars ===
While campaigning, the Praetorians were the equal of any formation in the Roman army. On the death of Augustus in 14 AD, his successor, Tiberius, was faced with mutinies among both the Rhine and [[Pannonia|Pannonian]] legions. According to [[Tacitus]], the Pannonian forces were dealt with by Tiberius' son [[Drusus Julius Caesar|Drusus]], accompanied by two Praetorian cohorts, the Praetorian cavalry and some of the [[German bodyguard]]. The German mutiny was put down by Tiberius' nephew and adopted son [[Germanicus]], his intended heir, who then led the legions and detachments of the Guard in an invasion of Germany over the next two years. The Guard saw much action in the [[Year of the Four Emperors]] in 69, fighting well for [[Otho]] at the first [[battle of Bedriacum]]. 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 during the [[Marcomannic Wars]]. Throughout the 3rd century, the Praetorians assisted the emperors in various campaigns.

=== Political role ===
The Praetorian Guard influenced and intervened in the imperial succession to name the new {{lang|la|Caesar}}, which was a political decision that the unarmed Senate accepted, ratified, and proclaimed to the people of Rome. After the death of [[Sejanus]], who was sacrificed for the {{lang|la|[[donativum]]}} (imperial gift) promised by Tiberius, the Praetorians became exceptionally ambitious in their influence upon the politics of the Roman Empire. Either by volition or for a price, the Praetorian Guard would assassinate an emperor, bully the Praetorian prefects, or attack the Roman populace. In AD 41, conspirators from the senatorial class and from the Guard killed Emperor [[Caligula]], his wife, and their daughter. Afterwards, the Praetorians installed Caligula's uncle [[Claudius]] upon the imperial throne of Rome, and challenged the Senate to oppose the Praetorian decision.

In AD 69, the [[Year of the Four Emperors]], after assassinating the Emperor [[Galba]], because he did not offer them a {{lang|la|donatium}}, the Praetorians gave their allegiance to [[Otho]], whom they named as the new {{lang|la|Caesar}} of Rome. To ensure the loyalty of the Praetorian Guard, Emperor Otho granted the Praetorians the right to appoint their own prefects. After defeating Otho, [[Vitellius]] disbanded the Praetorians and established a new Guard composed of sixteen [[Cohort (military unit)|cohort]]s. In his war against Vitellius, [[Vespasian]] relied upon the disgruntled cohorts dismissed by Emperor Vitellius, and, as Emperor Vespasian, he reduced the Praetorian Guard to nine cohorts and ensured their political loyalty by appointing his son, [[Titus]], as prefect of the Praetorians.<ref>Bingham 1997, pp. 118–122.</ref>

Despite their political power, the Praetorian Guard had no formal role in governing the Roman Empire. 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, when the Guard auctioned it off after killing [[Pertinax]]. Later that year [[Septimius Severus]] marched into Rome, disbanded the Guard and started a new formation from his own Pannonian legions. Unruly mobs in Rome often fought with the Praetorians in vicious street battles during [[Maximinus Thrax]]'s reign.

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

=== Organization ===
==== Leadership ====
{{Main|Praetorian prefect|Praetorian prefecture}}

Starting in the year 2 BC, the [[Praetorian prefect]] was the commanding officer of the Praetorian Guard (previously each cohort was independent and under the orders of a [[tribune]] of [[Equites|equestrian]] rank). This role (chief of all troops stationed in Rome), was in practice a key position of the Roman [[polity]].

From [[Vespasian]] onwards the Praetorian prefecture was always held by an equestrian of the {{lang|la|eques}} order. (''Equestrians'' were traditionally that class of citizens who could equip themselves to serve in the Roman Army on [[cavalry|horseback]]).

From the year 2 BC, the cohorts were under the control of two prefectures; however cohorts continued to be organized independently, each commanded by a tribune. Tribunes had as immediate subordinates ordinary [[Centurion]]s, all of equal rank except for the {{lang|la|[[trecenarius]]}}, the first and prime of all centurions of the Praetorian Cohorts, who commanded also the 300 {{lang|la|[[speculatores]]}}, and with the exception of his second, the ''[[princeps castrorum]]''.<ref name=Bohec21/>

From the second century the Praetorian prefect oversaw not only the Praetorian Cohorts but also the rest of the garrison of Rome, including the {{lang|la|[[Cohortes urbanae]]}} ("urban cohorts") and the {{lang|la|equites singulares Augusti}}, but not the [[Vigiles|''Vigiles'' cohorts]].

Following the dissolution of the Praetorian Cohorts by the emperor Constantine after he defeated them at the [[Battle of the Milvian Bridge]] in 312, the role of the Praetorian prefect in the Empire became purely administrative, ruling large territories ({{lang|la|prefectures}}) comprising Roman [[diocese]]s (geographical subdivisions of the [[Roman Empire]]) in the name of the Emperor.

==== Size and composition ====
The Praetorian Cohorts were designated as {{lang|la|Equitatae}} ([[cavalry]]) ''[[Turma]]e'' (troops) with [[Roman legion|centuries]] formed of [[infantry]], initially of 500 men each.<ref name=Bohec21>{{cite book|first=Y.|last=Le Bohec|title=L'Armée Romaine|trans-title= The Roman Army|language=fr|location=Picard|date=1989|isbn=2-7084-0744-9}}</ref>

In order not to alienate the population of Rome, while conserving Republican civilian traditions, the Praetorians did not wear their armor while in the heart of the city. Instead they often wore a formal toga, which distinguished them from civilians but remained in a respectable civilian attire, the mark of a Roman citizen. Augustus, conscious of risking the only military force present in the city, often avoided concentrating them and imposed this dress code.

From the reign of Tiberius, their camp was situated on the [[Quirinal]] Hill, outside Rome. In 26 AD, [[Sejanus]], Praetorian prefect, and the favorite of emperor [[Tiberius]], united the [[Cohortes urbanae|Urban Cohorts]] with nine Praetorian Cohorts, dispersed at that time throughout Italy, in one large camp situated beyond the [[Servian Wall]], on the Esquiline Hill, the {{lang|la|[[Castra Praetoria]]}}.

For the 2nd century, calculations from lists of significant demobilisations suggest an increase in size to nearly 1,500 men per cohort (perhaps a doubling of 800 (since Vespasian), probably organized in 20 centuries) under [[Commodus]] in year (187–188) or under Septimius Severus (193–211), which matches the probable numbers of effectives for Urban Cohorts during the time of [[Cassius Dio]]. These figures suggest an overall size for the Guard of 4,500–6,000 men under Augustus, 12,800 under [[Vitellius]], 7,200 under Vespasian, 8,000 from Domitian until [[Commodus]] or Septimius Severus, and 15,000 later on.<ref name=Rankov>{{cite book|first=Boris|last=Rankov|title=The Praetorian Guard|publisher=Osprey Publishing|date=1994|isbn=978-1-85532-361-2}}</ref>

At the beginning of the 2nd century, Italians made up 89% of the Praetorian Guard. Under Septimius Severus, recruitment evolved to authorize the inclusion of legionaries of the Roman army, as well as of the battle hardened ''Army of the Danube''. Severus stationed his supporters with him in Rome, and the Praetorian Guards remained loyal to his choices.

==== Praetorian Cavalry ====
Initially each cohort included, as for a [[Roman legion]], a [[cavalry]] detachment; this should not be confused with the {{lang|la|equites singulares Augusti}} who appeared under the emperor Trajan. The Praetorian could become a cavalryman ({{lang|la|Eques}}) after almost five years service in the [[infantry]]. These Praetorians remained listed in their Centuries of origin, but operated in a {{lang|la|[[turma]]}} of 30 men each commanded by an {{lang|la|[[Optio equitum]]}}.

There was probably one {{lang|la|turma}} of cavalry for two centuries of infantry.<ref name=Rankov /> Hence, three {{lang|la|turmae}} per cohorts of the ''Augustan period'', five per cohort in 100 CE–200 CE, and ten per cohort after 200 CE, with a {{lang|la|[[vexillum]]}} (flag) as emblem for each {{lang|la|turma}}.

==== Speculatores Augusti ====
The {{lang|la|[[speculatores]] Augusti}} were cavalrymen assigned to the same tasks as the {{lang|la|[[Speculatores]]}} of the legions and the [[List of Roman auxiliary regiments|auxiliary units]] (messengers in charge of transmitting intelligence, and clandestine agents).

About 300 in total (30 per cohort), they formed a unit under the orders of the senior [[Centurion]], the {{lang|la|[[Trecenarius]]}}. Selected for their impressive physique, they were used by the Emperor for [[clandestine operations]] and tasks such as arrests, imprisonment, and executions.

One of their roles was to accompany the emperor on his foreign campaign journeys (a role which would later be handled by the {{lang|la|Singulares/equites singulares Augusti}}). [[Claudius]] was in the habit of surrounding himself with {{lang|la|Speculatores}} when attending dinners.

The close security protection detail of Galba, of [[Otho]] and the dynastic line of the Flavians appear to have been formed of {{lang|la|[[Speculatores]]}} (who replaced the [[Imperial German Bodyguard]] disbanded by [[Galba]]).

Following the assassination of emperor Domitian, his successor [[Nerva]] was placed under the protection of Trajan, to counter possible revenge attempts and mutinies. Trajan was commander of the most important army of the time, that of the Army of Germania, and he nominated him as his heir. Accordingly, and following such an act, Trajan, aiming to reinforce his security detail in relation to the {{lang|la|Speculatores}} who had remained loyal to Domitian, replaced them as close protection security detail with the {{lang|la|Singulares/equites singulares Augusti}} (modelled on the {{lang|la|Singulares}} of a provincial governor, a post held by Trajan). The some 300 {{lang|la|[[Speculatores]]}} were reassigned by Trajan to the corps of Praetorian cohorts.<ref name=Bohec21 />

They were distinguished by a special (but unknown) style of boots, the {{lang|la|Speculatoria Caliga}} (according to [[Suetonius]]) and they received special honorific diplomas in bronze at demobilization. They had their own Equestrian instructors ({{lang|la|Exercitatores}}).<ref name=Rankov />

=== Service in the Praetorian Guard ===
[[File:Q.PomponiusPoeninus.jpg|thumb|Funeral inscription of Quintus Pomponius Poeninus, soldier of the IV Praetorian Cohort<ref>Musée de [[Cáceres (Espagne)|Cáceres]]. ''Q(uintus) Pomponius Potentinus / Ser(gia) h(ic) s(itus) e(st) / C(aius) Pomponius Potentinus / mil(es) c(o)hor(tis) IIII praet(oriae) / test(amento) fieri iussit''.</ref>]]

Originally, the Praetorian Guard was recruited from the populations of central Italy ([[Etruria]], Umbria and [[Latium]] according to [[Tacitus]]). Recruits were between 15 and 32 years of age, compared to legionary recruits who ranged from 18 to 23 years of age. According to [[Cassius Dio]], during the first two centuries AD and before the reform of [[Septimius Severus]], the Praetorians were exclusively limited to Italy, Spain (Roman province), [[Macedonia (Roman province)|Macedonia]] and [[Noricum]] (current [[Austria]]).

Under the reign of [[Vitellius]], and starting from Septimius Severus, men were transferred from the [[Vigiles Urbanus|Urban Vigiles]], [[Cohortes urbanae|Urban cohorts]], and the various [[Roman legion|legions]]. This recent method and manner of recruitment at the corps of the legions became the normal procedure to recruit in the 3rd century after Septimius Severus dealt with the undisciplined Praetorians who assassinated [[Pertinax]] in 193, and replaced them with men from his own Danube legions.

At that time, the Praetorians represented the best soldiers from the legions (principally from Illyria). They were a group of elite of soldiers starting from the 3rd century, and not a category of socially privileged soldiers (such as the Italians at the time of Augustus). The Italians formed the base of the recruitment of the {{lang|la|Legio II Parthica}}, a new legion created and stationed in Italy.

To be admitted to the Guard, a man had to be in good physical condition, have a [[good moral character]], and come from a respectable family. In addition, he had to make use of all sorts of patronages available to him in order to obtain letters of recommendations from important leading figures in society. Once past the recruitment procedure he was designated as {{lang|la|Probatus}}, and assigned as a {{lang|la|Miles}} (soldier) to one of the centuries of a cohort. After two years, if he attracted the attention of his superiors by influence or merit, he could attain the post of {{lang|la|Immunis}} (similar to corporal), perhaps as a {{Lang|la|commis}} (junior chief) at general headquarters or as a technician. This promotion exempted him from daily chores. After another two years he could be promoted to {{lang|la|Principalis}}, with a double salary, in charge of delivering messages ({{lang|la|Tesserarius}}) or as an assistant centurion ({{lang|la|Optio}}) or standard bearer ({{lang|la|Signifer}}) at the corps of the century; or, if literate and numerate, he could join the administrative staff of the prefect.

Only a few soldiers could attain the rank of {{lang|la|Principalis}}; however those who did, during the course of their service, were designated {{lang|la|Evocati Augusti}} by the emperor. This designation allowed them to be promoted to technical administrative posts, or instructors in Rome, or to a century in a legion, and accordingly extend their career. Certain {{lang|la|principalis}} could at the end of their career be promoted to [[Centurion]] in the Guard; this would be the peak of his career. Anyone ambitious for further promotion would need to transfer to a legion.

The [[Military tribune]]s ({{lang|la|Tribuni Militum}}) at the head of the cohorts were [[Roman cavalry]]men. In contrast to many superior cadres of the Army, who originated from the Equestrian Order, these tribunes started their career in the ranks of the Guard and were promoted from the ranks in the hierarchy. Next after becoming [[Centurion]]s, they had to serve for a period of one year as superior centurions in one or several legions before achieving the status of {{lang|la|[[Primus pilus]]}} (the highest ranked Centurion in a legion). Upon return to [[Rome]], they occupied successively the positions of Tribunes of the Vigiles, Tribune of the Urban Cohort and finally Tribune of the Guard.<ref name=Rankov /><ref name=Petit180>{{cite book|author-link=Paul Petit (historian)|first=Paul|last=Petit|title=Histoire générale de l'Empire romain|trans-title=General history of the Roman Empire|language=fr|publisher=[[Éditions du Seuil]]|date=1974|isbn=2020026775|pages=180}}</ref>

Other leading paths towards the tribunate were possible, including service entirely made in the legions, attaining the rank of {{lang|la|[[Primus pilus]]}} before departing to Rome. Nevertheless, all tribunes were combat veterans with extensive military experience.<ref name=Rankov /><ref name=Petit180 /> Each tribune served in Rome for one year, following which, a certain number of the men would retire.

A few of them, ranking placement at the top of the hierarchy, could obtain a second term as {{lang|la|Primus Pilus}} and advance towards the superior echelons of the equestrian career, possibly becoming the Praetorian prefect.<ref name=Rankov /><ref name=Petit180 />

The majority of the prefects, however, were ordinary men of the equestrian rank by birth. The men who attained the command of the Guard following year 2 BC were [[equites]] with an elevated seniority, classifying right behind the prefect of Egypt. Starting from Vespasian, whose son, Titus was himself a Praetorian prefect, they were ranked first.

=== Equipment and traditions ===
The Praetorian Guard, like all legionnaires, disposed of various [[Roman military personal equipment|equipment]] to execute different missions. More particularly as bodyguard, escort or reserve military force, they housed adaptable equipment for each function.
[[File:Prätorianer.jpg|upright|A Praetorian soldier armed with standard Roman weapon in 2nd century AD|thumb|left]]

For heavy packed combat infantry lines ([[Roman infantry tactics|Triplex Acies System]]), they mounted helmets, armor ([[Lorica segmentata]], [[Mail (armour)|Lorica hamata]], [[Lorica squamata]] specially in the 2nd and 3rd centuries), heavy colorful shields ([[Scutum (shield)|scuta]]), heavy javelins ([[Pilum|pila]]), and later even long spears and lighter javelins ([[hasta (spear)|hasta]], [[lancea (weapon)|lancea]]).

Praetorian Guard helmets included tall [[Galea (helmet)|Galea]] with elaborate detail worked into the metal. Shields were ovoid and more robust compared with the regular rectangular shape sometimes used by the legions. Each legion had its own emblem displayed on its [[Scutum (shield)]] and the Praetorian Guard were probably the only unit to include additional insignia on their shields.{{Cn|date=March 2023}} Each cohort had their own version of Praetorian insignia. Praetorian Guard units could wear lion skin capes and their colours were so decorated with awards, that the men had difficulty in carrying them on long marches.

The Praetorian Guard colours included the winged [[Victoria (mythology)|goddess of victory]].

For escorts, the oval shields and lances replaced the scuta and pila. Missions in Rome at the heart of the city in principle were forbidden to soldiers, so they wore a toga.

The Praetorian Guard, like all legionaries, shared similar insignia, mainly on their shields. Praetorian Guard shields included [[Aquila (Roman)|wings]] and [[thunderbolt]]s, referring to [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]], and also uniquely included [[scorpion]]s, [[star]]s and [[crescent]]s.
{{clearleft}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Ancient Rome}}
* [[Janissary]] - bodyguard corps composed of [[Human trafficking|abducted]] [[Greeks|Greek]] & [[South Slavs|Slavic]] [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox Christians]] from the [[Balkans]] who had been [[Forced conversion|forcibly converted]] to [[Sunni Islam]], employed to guard the [[List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire|sultans]] of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire]]
* [[Praetorianism]]
* [[Pushtigban]] - bodyguard corps of the [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanian Empire]] 
* [[Scholae Palatinae]] - replacement of the Praetorian guards, composed of [[Germanic peoples|Germanic people]] in the [[Christianization|Christianised]] Roman empire and later [[Goths]], [[Armenians]] & [[Isauria|Isuarian]] tribes in early Byzantine Empire 
* [[Varangian Guard]] - bodyguard corps composed of [[Vikings]], [[Anglo-Saxons]] & [[Christianization of Kievan Rus'|Christianised]] [[Rus' people|Rus]] mercenaries employed to guard the [[List of Byzantine emperors|emperor]] of the [[Byzantine Empire]]
* [[Equites]]
* [[Hippeis]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{EB1911 poster|Praetorians}}
* {{Cite book|last=Cowan|first=Ross|title=Roman Guardsman 62 BC-AD 324|publisher=Osprey|location=Oxford|date=2014|isbn=9781782009252}}
* {{Cite book|last=Goldsworthy|first=Adrian|title=The Complete Roman Army|publisher=Thames & Hudson|location=London|date=2007|isbn=978-0-500-05124-5}}
* Sandra J. Bingham, ''The Praetorian Guard: A History of Rome's Elite Special Forces'' (Waco 2012). Reviewed ''[http://www.bmcreview.org/2013/09/20130966.html here]''.
* {{Cite book | last=de la Bédoyère | first=Guy | author-link=Guy de la Bédoyère |title=Praetorian: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Imperial Bodyguard | publisher=Yale University Press |year=2017 | location=Yale | isbn=978-0-300-21895-4}}
* {{ill|Marcel Durry|fr}}, ''Les cohortes prétoriennes'' (Bibliothèque des Écoles françaises d'Athènes et de Rome, 146), Paris, De Boccard, 1938
* {{ill|Lawrence Keppie|de}}, "The Praetorian Guard Before Sejanus", ''Athenaeum'' 84 (1996), 101–124, ''Legions and Veterans'' (Stuttgart 2000), 99–122 & addenda at 319–320
* L. Passerini, ''Le Coorti Pretorie'' (Rome 1939)
* {{Cite book|first=Boris|last=Rankov|title=The Praetorian Guard|publisher=Osprey|location=Oxford|date=2004|isbn=1855323613}}
* [[Michael P. Speidel|M.P. Speidel]], "[http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/mefr_0223-5102_1988_num_100_1_1588 Les prétoriens de Maxence]", ''[[Mélanges de l'École française de Rome]], Antiquité'' 100 (1988), 183–188
* M.P. Speidel, "Maxentius' Praetorians" in ''Roman Army Studies II'' (Stuttgart 1992), 385–389 – a revised English version of [http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/mefr_0223-5102_1988_num_100_1_1588 Speidel 1988]
* {{cite book|first=M.P.|last=Speidel|title=Riding for Caesar|location=Cambridge|date=1994}}

==External links==
{{commonscat}}
* [https://www.worldhistory.org/Praetorian_Guard/ Praetorian Guard – World History Encyclopedia]
* [https://www.academia.edu/97062892/Roman_Guardsman_62_BC_AD_324_proof_ ''Roman Guardsman'']

{{Ancient Rome topics}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Praetorian Guard| ]]
[[Category:4th-century disestablishments in the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in the 1st century BC]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Protective security units]]