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"Not My Head!" -- The Praetorian Guard in Julio-Claudian Rome
The name praetorian comes from the legion commander’s tent in the field, the praetorium. It was customary to have a force of hand picked legionaries to guard the commander’s headquarters and these men were the original Praetorian Guard.
Augustus took this idea and expanded upon it, seeing the need to have men who would look after the Imperial personage. Under his direction, nine cohorts were formed – each having 500 to 1,000 men -- and only three were kept on duty at any given time in the capital. During the days of the Republic, there were strong feelings against having soldiers patrolling around Rome, so the guard tried to remain inconspicuous, patrolling only the palace and major buildings. The did not wear the grand armor so often depicted in the movies, but something more akin to what lictor wore, although they did not carry the fasces. Augustus’ Praetorians were not centrally located in the city, but were stationed in the towns surrounding Rome, again to avoid the appearance of tyranny. The first Praetorians were recruited from the most deserving members of the legions of the regular army hailing from Etruria, Umbria, and Latium. They were better paid and better trained that the rank and file legionaries. Equipment and armor were also the same with one notable exception — they had specially decorated breastplates, used for when they weren’t in the city, and probably to strike terror into the masses. From Wikipedia, the ranks of the Praetorians from lowest to highest were as follows: Milites: Regular soldiers – lowest rank. Immunes: After five years these soldiers were allowed to serve in the Equite singulares (cavalry branch) or as Speculatores (special agents). Principales: Legionary administrators Evocati:: After 16 years of service, retirement was possible but most soldiers chose to stay in this honorary unit. Centuriones: Soldiers transferred to the Praetorian Guard after service in the legions, the Vigiles or the Urban cohort. Tribuni: These officers were also from the legions and usually of the Equestrian class, and commanded a cohort. Centurions could rarely be promoted to the Tribuneship. Procuratores: A rank of the Equestrians Praefectus: The highest rank in the Praetorian Guard, head of the Praetorian Guard. In keeping with the Republican ideals of checks and balances, Augustus appointed two men to serve as Praetorian Prefects. They were Quintus Ostorius Scapula and Publius Aper. They were appointed in 2 B.C. and as far as I can tell, did their jobs admirably without any designs upon the Imperial Throne. Valerius Ligur and Lucius Strabo next occupied the post, still serving under Augustus. Lucius Strabo – father of Lucius Aelius Sejanus – also served under Tiberius. His son was appointed to serve as his colleagues, but when he was appointed to the governorship of Egypt in 15 A.D, Sejanus became sole commander. Sejanus, and his successor, Quintus Naevius Cordus Sutorius Macro are probably the most infamous of the Praetorian commanders. Through the machinations of Sejanus, the Guard was brought from the Italian barracks into Rome itself, and installed into a single camp outside the Viminal Gate of Rome, in 23 A.D. One of these cohorts held the daily guard at the royal 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 Guard was the weapon Sejanus used to impose his will on the People of Rome, and he used his position as Prefect to go on a campaign against his enemies. Many members of the old patrician families were condemned and executed, often on trumped up charges of treason. “Sejanus was so great a person by reason both of his excessive haughtiness and of his vast power, that, to put it briefly, he himself seemed to be the emperor and Tiberius a kind of island potentate, inasmuch as the latter spent his time on the island of Capreae. There was rivalry and jostling about the great man's doors, the people fearing not merely that they might not be seen by their patron, but also that they might be among the last to appear before him; for every word and look, especially in the case of the most prominent men, was carefully observed.” (Dio Cassius, Roman History, LVIII)
It was also during the reign of Tiberius that “bribing” the Guard became common. Of course, it wasn’t called a bribe, but a donativum. The purpose of the donativum varied: some were expressions of gratitude for favors received, and others out right bribery for favors expected in return. Donativa were normally rendered at the beginning of each new emperor's reign, but also when the Guard’s action, or lack thereof, was needed. The Guard received such a gift for turning a blind eye when Sejanus fell from power. In 41 A.D., after the assassination of Caligula, the Guard supported Claudius. There is the famous story that they found him cowering behind a curtain, dragged him out and made him emperor. The inevitable result of such bribes was the Praetorian’s disgraceful auctioning of the Empire in 193 A.D.
Sejanus received his comeuppance, much to the delight of the populace. After he was executed, Macro took over as Prefect. He was previously Prefect of the Vigiles -- fire brigades and police. Macro was probably active in discrediting Sejanus. He retained his command under Caligula and rumors point to him having a hand in the death of the aging and ill Tiberius, acting under Caligula’s orders. Macro was forced from office in 38 and was either executed or committed suicide. His successor was Cassius Chaerea, who had served as a in the army of Germanicus. Disturbed by the increasingly unbalanced emperor, Chaerea plotted with several senators to assassinate Caligula. It seems Caligula took special delight in tormenting Chaerea, and this contributed to his hatred of the emperor. “Chaerea was an old-fashioned sort of man to begin with, and he had his own special cause for resentment. For Gaius [Caligula] was in the habit of calling him a wench, though he was the hardiest of men, and whenever it was Chaerea's turn to command the guard, would give him some such watchword as "Love" or "Venus."” (Dio, Roman History, LIX)
Matters came to a head on January 15, 41, when Caligula was murdered by the Guard, along with his wife and their infant daughter, Drusilla. Shortly afterwards, he was sentenced to death by the new emperor, Claudius and executed.
The men who served under Claudius were M. Arrencinus Clemens, Rufrius Pollio, Cantonius Justus, Rufius Crispinus, Lusius Geta, and Sextus Afranius Burrus. Burrus was also Nero's tutor and later advisor. For the first eight years of Nero's rule, he and Seneca the Younger helped to maintain a stable government. He looked the other way when Nero murdered Agrippina the Younger, and died in 62 A.D.
Nero’s Praetorian henchmen were Faenius Rufus, Gaius Ophonius Tigellinus, and Nymphidius Sabinus. Tigellinus was the most infamous of the lot. During the reign of Caligula he was banished in 39 A.D. for adultery with the emperor's sisters, but he was recalled by Claudius. Tigellinus was fond of breeding race-horses, and because of this, he gained the favor of Nero. Upon the death of Burrus in 62 A.D., he was promoted to Prefect and in 64 he made himself notorious for the orgies arranged by him in the Basin of Agrippa. He was also suspected of incendiarism in connection with the great fire, which, after having subsided, broke out afresh in his Aemilian gardens. |
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