Prætorian Guard

Prætorian Guard (Lat. Prætoriae Cohortes and Prætoriani), a body of soldiers organised for the purpose of protecting the person and maintaining the power of the emperors. We read of a prætoria cohors, or select guard of the most valiant soldiers, attached to the person of Scipio Africanus, but it is to Augustus that the institution of them as a separate force was owing. He formed nine or ten cohorts, each consisting of a thousand men (horse and foot), but kept only three of them in Rome, the rest being dispersed in cities not far off. Tiberius, however, assembled the nine cohorts at the capital in a permanent camp, and Vitellius increased their number to sixteen. The Prætorians served at first for twelve, and afterwards for sixteen years; they received double pay; the privates were held equal in rank to the centurions in the regular army, and on their retirement each received 20,000 sesterces. They soon acquired a dangerous power, which they exercised in the most unscrupulous manner, deposing and elevating emperors at their pleasure. Aspirants for the imperial dignity found it advisable, and even necessary, to bribe them largely; while those who acquired that dignity without their assistance were accustomed on their accession to purchase their favour by liberal donations. The Prætorians, however, had no political or ambitious views; they were simply an insolent and rapacious soldiery, fond of substantial gratifications, and careless how they got them. After the death of Pertinax (193 A.D.) they actually sold 'the purple' for a sum of money to Didius Julianus; but in the same year their peculiar organisation was entirely broken up by Severus, who formed new cohorts altogether out of the best legions serving on the frontiers, which he increased to four times the number of the old. After several other changes Constantine (312) dispersed them among his regular legions.