Essay - The Praetorian Guard and the Political System the Praetorian Guard...

The Praetorian Guard and the Political system

The ***** Guard (cohors praetoria) was established in Rome as an elite squad of personal bodyguards of the Roman emperors. They accompanied the Emperor on all his campaigns. There are a number of f*****ctual reports regarding the involvement of ***** Praetorian ***** in the political system of Rome. In the ***** Empire, the ruler who c*****trolled the army, ***** legions and more importantly, the ***** Guard had better control over ***** empire.

***** emperor ***** to earn the respect of his subjects; and, at the same time, expect ***** commands to be obeyed. The Praetorian Guard acted as intermediaries between the emperor and the people. The Guard comm*****ed a st*****ture higher than the Roman legions and the auxiliaries. Their role was to maintain order in Rome. ***** also acted as the police force for the country of Italy. They were normally recruited from the city of Rome itself and not from its neighboring provinces—unlike the ***** ***** auxiliaries

Emperor Augustus Caesar started ***** ***** Guard in 367 B.C. following the murder of Julius ***** (Winnat, date unknown). As the Guard was primarily responsible for the emperors' safety, the Emperor could induct into the Guard any person he saw fit for ***** position. It was also at t***** *****'s discretion that any guard could be ousted as un*****. Members of the Praetorian Guard had a special uniform, received a double pay and also received bribes ***** the public and the elite, which were given to them in the guise ***** bonuses for their cooperation (RelicHunter Online, date unknown)

The ***** Guard consisted of nine cohorts of 500 men each (Roman Empire *****). A tribune, together with two equestrians, commanded a cohort. Praetorian Prefects, who were below senatorial rank, commanded the guard. The service ***** ***** the Praetorian Guard was sixteen years after ***** they were held back from discharge. ***** service time was much shorter that that ***** the other type of warriors in the Roman Empire.

********** was no effective system ***** select*****g the Emperor in ***** as there was in the Greek Empire. The old Emperor, the Senate, the Praetorian Guard and the army selected the new *****. The Praetorian Guard ga*****ed complete authority in ***** Emperor's selection. The Emperor, in turn, rewarded the guards. This increased the influence and the power of the Praetorian Guard in the Roman Empire. The ***** became an instrument of political repression and an engine ***** political change.

They eventually started killing the emperor and then giving the throne of Rome to ***** highest bidder in the ***** (His*****ry Alive Onl*****e, date unknown). The Praetorians and the regular legions ***** bonus payments to celebrate the new emperor's accession to the throne. Servius Sulpicius Galba (3 BC - AD 69) ***** ruled between A.D. 68-69 stated, "I choose my soldiers; I do not buy **********." He was however, one ***** the rare successors to ***** Roman throne who did not want to bribe the Praetorian Guard. The