The Praetorian Guard was the personal bodyguard of the Roman emperors, formally established by Augustus around 27 BC from earlier republican-era commanders' guard cohorts. Based at the Castra Praetoria in Rome, the Guard's proximity to the throne made it a political force in its own right: Praetorian prefects and cohorts repeatedly made and unmade emperors, most infamously auctioning the throne to Didius Julianus in 193 CE. Constantine I disbanded the Guard in 312 CE after it backed his rival Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Force TypeImperial bodyguard: elite infantry cohorts protecting the emperor and Rome itself, with unique privileges of pay, term of service and proximity to power 1 Founded Year CountryRoman Empire (Roman Republic origins) 1 Force Type
Force Type (category) Connections
Associated With
Gladius, Weapons Systems The Praetorian Guard, like other Roman military units, was armed with the gladius as its standard close-combat sword
Pilum, Weapons Systems Praetorian cohorts carried the pilum, the heavy javelin standard to Roman infantry, alongside their ceremonial duties
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Praetorian Guard
WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
The Praetorian Guard (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.
Wikidata: Praetorian Guard
Wikidata Q181733, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
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