Praetorian Guard

Lore & Background

The Praetorian Guard originated as bodyguards for Roman generals in the period of the Roman Republic (509–27 BC). The first historical record of the praetorians is as bodyguards for the Scipio family, ca. 275 BC. At the end of 40 BC, two of the three co-rulers of the Second Triumvirate, Octavian and Mark Antony, had Praetorian Guards. Octavian installed his praetorians within the pomerium, the religious and legal boundary of Rome; this was the first occasion when troops were permanently garrisoned in Rome proper. According to the historian Orosius, Octavian commanded five cohorts at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. Later, as Augustus, the first Roman emperor (27 BC–AD 14), Octavian retained the Praetorians as his imperial bodyguard. Under the empire, the legionaries known as the Praetorian Guard were first hand-picked veterans of the Roman army. First established by Augustus, members of the Guard accompanied him on active campaign. They were distinct from the Imperial German Bodyguard which provided close personal protection for the early Roman emperors. Their mandatory service was shorter: 12 years with the Praetorians instead of 16 years in the legions starting year 13 BC, then carried to 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 donativum granted by each new emperor. The Praetorians received substantially higher pay on a system known as sesquiplex stipendum, or by pay-and-a-half. So if the legionaries received 250 denarii, the guards received 375 per annum. Domitian and Septimius Severus increased the stipendum 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 sandal of a Praetorian rushing by him.

In Their Own Story

In ancient Rome, praetors were either civic or military leaders. The praetorians were initially elite guards for military praetors, under the republic. Augustus 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 (turmae) 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 BC of two Praetorian prefects, Quintus Ostorius Scapula and Publius Salvius Aper. Tacitus reports that the number of cohorts was increased to twelve from nine in AD 47. In AD 69 it was briefly increased to sixteen cohorts by Vitellius, but Vespasian quickly reduced it again to nine. In Rome, the guards' principal duty was to mount the Guard at the house of Augustus on the Palatine, where the centuries and the turmae 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, and the Statores Augusti). Every afternoon, the tribunus cohortis would receive the password from the emperor personally. After the construction of the Praetorian camp in 23 BC, another similar serving tribune was placed in the Praetorian camp. The guards' functions included escorting the emperor and the members of the imperial family and, if necessary, to act as a sort of riot police. Certain 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. 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 14, his successor Tiberius was confronted by mutinies in the two armies of the Rhine and Pannonia. The forces of Pannonia were dealt with by Drusus Julius Caesar, son of Tiberius, accompanied by two Praetorian cohorts, the Praetorian Cavalry, and Imperial German Bodyguards. 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 legionary eagles which had been lost at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. 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 15.

Reader's Guide

The Praetorian Guard serves as the personal bodyguard unit for the Roman Emperor, operating directly under his command rather than the Senate or field legions. In the turbulent political landscape of the early Empire, they represent a concentrated force capable of shifting power dynamics through sheer presence and loyalty to their commander. Their primary goal is the physical safety of the Princeps, but this duty often intertwines with enforcing imperial will against rivals. Members are selected for their discipline and combat prowess, wearing distinctive armor that sets them apart from regular legionaries. Under the leadership of Prefect Sejanus during the later seasons, the Guard evolves into a political instrument used to intimidate opponents and secure succession plans. They stand at the center of conspiracies, often knowing more than they reveal about imperial deaths and transitions. Their role in the conflict is dual-edged: protectors of stability yet potential catalysts for chaos if their loyalty shifts. While outwardly serving Tiberius or Augustus, their true allegiance frequently lies with whoever commands them effectively. This makes them a critical faction to watch, as their movements often signal impending coups or purges within the heart of Rome itself.

Did You Know?

• The first historical record of the praetorians is as bodyguards for the Scipio family, ca. 275 BC.
• Octavian installed his praetorians within the pomerium, the religious and legal boundary of Rome, the first time troops were permanently garrisoned in Rome proper.
• Under Nero, the pay of a Praetorian was three and a half times that of a legionary.
• The Praetorian Guard was ultimately dissolved by Emperor Constantine I in AD 312, who destroyed their barracks at the Castra Praetoria.
• Sejanus held the title of Praetorian prefect jointly with his father under Augustus, but became sole prefect in AD 15.