Monday, September 24, 2007

Praetorian Guard

Preliminary research for a story I'm planning to write... more to follow...

From Wiki:

"The group that was formed initially differed greatly from the later Guard, which would assassinate emperors."

"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 Praetorians) built just outside of Rome. One of these cohorts held the daily guard at the imperial 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 partisans of Sejanus. Although the Praetorian Guard proved faithful to the aging Tiberius, their potential political power had been made clear."

"Lucius Aelius Seianus (20 BC – October 18, 31 AD), commonly known as Sejanus, was an ambitious soldier, friend and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. An equestrian by birth, Sejanus rose to power as prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard, of which he was commander from 14 AD until his death in 31.

While formally established under emperor Augustus, Sejanus introduced a number of reforms to the Praetorians which saw the unit evolve beyond a mere bodyguard into a powerful and influential branch of the government involved in public security, civil administration, and ultimately political intercession; changes which would have a lasting impact on the course of the Principate.

During the 20s, Sejanus gradually accumulated power by consolidating his influence over Tiberius and eliminating potential political opponents, including the emperor's son, Julius Caesar Drusus. When Tiberius withdrew to Capri in 26, Sejanus was left in control of the entire state mechanism as de facto ruler of the empire. For a time the most influential and feared citizen of Rome, Sejanus suddenly fell from power the same year his career culminated with the consulship in 31. Amidst suspicions of conspiracy against the emperor, Sejanus was arrested and executed, along with his followers."


From: ttp://www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/praetorian.htm
An excellent article that explains the nuts and bolts of the Praetorians...

"The Praetorian Guard was formed by the emperor Augustus to help prevent assassins from reaching the emperor and murdering him as Brutus and his companions had murdered Julius Caesar. It was called by that name in imitation of the Praetoria Cohors, or select troop, which attended the person of the praetor or general of the Roman army. This cohort is said to have been first formed by Scipio Africanus out of the bravest troops, whom he exempted from all their duties except guarding his person.

Emperor Augustus made the praetorians a standing force after the battle of Actium in 31 BC. He divided them into nine cohorts (groups) of 500 soldiers each, just as with the regular legions. Augustus, in accordance with his general policy of avoiding the appearance of despotism, stationed only three of these cohorts in the capital, and dispersed the remainder in the adjacent towns of Italy. Before 2 BC each individual cohort was lead by a tribune of equestrian rank. Afterwards, Augustus created two posts for overall command of the guard, the Praetorian Prefects.

The primary role of the Praetorians was to act as a bodyguard to the emperor and serve as a police force in the city. However, they did take to the battlefield when the need arose. Members of the guard received much higher pay than other soldiers. The scorpian appears as a symbol on much of the Praetorian equipment, possibly due to the fact that the birthsign of emperor Tiberius was scorpio. In the city, they wore no armor and carried no shield. They wore a plain tunic and carried a sword. On the battlefield they were outfitted with the same equipment as the normal legions.

Tiberius, under pretence of introducing a stricter discipline among them, assembled them all at the great Praetorian Camp [the Castra Praetoria] in Rome. In AD 23 this huge and strongly fortified camp was established in the eastern suburbs of the city by their notorious commander, Lucius Aelius Sejanus. Tiberius gradually gave much of his power to Sejanus, the commander of the Praetorian Guard. Sejanus used his position to murder his enemies, accusing them of plotting to assassinate the emperor and other acts of treason. Caligula, who succeeded [and may have assasinated] Tiberius, paid the Praetorian Guard one thousand sesterces each which was bequeathed to them in Tiberius’ will, but Cassius Dio claims that a generous amount was given to them out of the pocket of Gaius himself probably for the purpose of maintaining their loyalty.
Caligula became so dangerous and unstable that he was in turn murdered by a detachment of the Praetorian Guard. Caligula was assassinated because he had made a mockery of the military and alienated the leaders of the Guard.

The Praetorians soon became the most powerful body in the state, and like the janissaries at Constantinople, frequently deposed and elevated emperors according to their pleasure. After the Praetorian Guard murdered Caligula, they made a significant contribution to the imperial appointment of Claudius, who was the first of the Caesars who purchased the submission of the soldiers with money. Even the most powerful of the emperors were obliged to court their favor; and they always obtained a liberal donation upon the accession of each emperor.

The Praetorian Guard's number was increased by Vitellius to sixteen cohorts, or 16,000 men. Vitellius transferred many experienced soldiers into the Guard in 69 but they were generally recruited from among the young sons of the landed Italian gentry. By the reign of Domitian the praetorian guard had been increased to ten cohorts, each structured like the primary cohort of a legion (i.e. containing five double-strength centuries).

In A.D. 193 the Praetorians assasinated the emperor Pertinax, who had ruled for eighty-seven days after the assasiantion of Commodus. Thus ensued a most disgraceful business and one unworthy of Rome. For, just as if it had been in some market or auction-room, both the city and its entire empire were auctioned off to Didius Julianus, a wealthy member of the Senate. Didius Julianus ruled only sixty-six days, and upon his assasination he was replaced by Septimius Severus (A.D. 193-211).

Septimius Severus disbanded the Praetorian Guard as unreliable and seditious, on account of the part they had taken in the death of Pertinax, and banished from the city. The emperors, however, could not dispense with guards, and accordingly the Praetorians were restored on a new model by Severus, and increased to four times their ancient number. Until the reign of Septimius Severus, only soldiers recruited in Italy could serve in the guard. Instead of being levied in Italy, Macedonia, Noricum, or Spain, as formerly, the best soldiers were now drafted from all the legions on the frontiers; so that the praetorian cohorts now formed the bravest troops of the empire.

Instead of protecting the emperor from assassination, many times the Praetorian Guard were the very ones to murder an emperor, especially during the political chaos of the Third Century.
After the murder of Severus Alexander in 235, the empire entered a period of almost continuous civil war and campaigns against barbarian attacks which lasted until Aurelian restored order between 273 and 275. Some emperors held the throne for a few years, some only for a few days, and often the Praetorian Guard would put one of its favorites on the throne only to become dissatisfied with him later and choose another candidate. This pattern of murder and military rule by the Guard continued until the reign of Diocletian.

The Guard's effective destruction came at the battle of Milvian Bridge in AD 312. Constantine finally disbanded the Guard for good, deeming it more a dangerous nuisance than imperial protection. In its place, he instituted the SCHOLAE PALATINAE, or palace guard. They were organized differently and better regulated than the Praetorian Guard.

The Praetorian Guard has become a byword for any military force which is used to prop up a ruthless regime."

Labels: Rome

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