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The
Praetorians (cohors praetoria) were the imperial guards
who protected Rome and the emperor. They were a crack unit whose
members wore a special uniform and received double pay, in
addition to the bribes which they came to be offered in the
guise of bonuses for their allegiance.
(Traditional teaching is that the Praetorians were crack
soldiers, chosen for their fighting ability. There are however
those who claim that the Praetorian guard, rather than being a
body of select men, were merely an army drawn from Italy,
rather than from the provinces.)
When the emperor went on campaign, the imperial guard went
with him.
The institution of the cohors praetoria had originally
been that of a group of men acting as bodyguards to a general,
but Augustus - most likely drawing on the experience of Julius
Caesar's murder - created a large personal army.
Initially, the Praetorian guard consisted of nine cohorts of
500 men each. This was increased by emperor Caligula to twelve
cohorts. Vitellius again increased their number to sixteen
cohorts. Vespasian therafter reduced their number again to
nine cohorts and Domitian increased them to ten cohorts of 500
men. A cohort was commmanded by a tribune, together with two
equestrians.
The guard itself was commanded by the Praetorian prefects, who
were equestrians rather than of senatorial rank. A sign of the
exclusion of the mighty senate from certain key positions by
the emperor.
Soldiers of the Praetorian guard served only for sixteen
years, a term much shorter that the service of an ordinary
legionary. But after their sixteen year term they became
so-called evocati, which meant that they were held back
from discharge. Their service in the Praetorians meant they
either went on to perform specialist military duties or it
simply qualified them either for service as centurions. These
centurionates would usually be taken up in praetorian guard
itself or in the city cohorts and the vigiles. Though
some also took commands as centurions in the regular legion.
Praetorians (cohors praetoria) were the imperial guards
who protected Rome and the emperor. They were a crack unit whose
members wore a special uniform and received double pay, in
addition to the bribes which they came to be offered in the
guise of bonuses for their allegiance.
(Traditional teaching is that the Praetorians were crack
soldiers, chosen for their fighting ability. There are however
those who claim that the Praetorian guard, rather than being a
body of select men, were merely an army drawn from Italy,
rather than from the provinces.)
When the emperor went on campaign, the imperial guard went
with him.
The institution of the cohors praetoria had originally
been that of a group of men acting as bodyguards to a general,
but Augustus - most likely drawing on the experience of Julius
Caesar's murder - created a large personal army.
Initially, the Praetorian guard consisted of nine cohorts of
500 men each. This was increased by emperor Caligula to twelve
cohorts. Vitellius again increased their number to sixteen
cohorts. Vespasian therafter reduced their number again to
nine cohorts and Domitian increased them to ten cohorts of 500
men. A cohort was commmanded by a tribune, together with two
equestrians.
The guard itself was commanded by the Praetorian prefects, who
were equestrians rather than of senatorial rank. A sign of the
exclusion of the mighty senate from certain key positions by
the emperor.
Soldiers of the Praetorian guard served only for sixteen
years, a term much shorter that the service of an ordinary
legionary. But after their sixteen year term they became
so-called evocati, which meant that they were held back
from discharge. Their service in the Praetorians meant they
either went on to perform specialist military duties or it
simply qualified them either for service as centurions. These
centurionates would usually be taken up in praetorian guard
itself or in the city cohorts and the vigiles. Though
some also took commands as centurions in the regular legion.
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