1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910162707503321

Autore

De la Bédoyère Guy

Titolo

Praetorian : the rise and fall of Rome's imperial bodyguard / / Guy de la Bédoyère

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Haven, Connecticut : , : Yale University Press, , [2017]

©2017

ISBN

0-300-22627-6

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (352 p.) : 16 pp. b-w illus

Classificazione

HIS002020HIS027130

Disciplina

356.160937

Soggetti

Praetorian Guard - History

Special forces (Military science) - Rome - History

Rome Army History

Rome History Empire, 30 B.C.-476 A.D

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages [317]-325) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- Plan of Castra Praetoria -- Introduction -- 1. Evolution (44-31 BC) -- 2. Foundation (31 BC-AD 14) -- 3. Ambition (14-37) -- 4. Making History (37-51) -- 5. A Tale of Two Prefects (51-68) -- 6. Civil War (69) -- 7. To the Victor, the Spoils (69-98) -- 8. Concordia Exercituum (98-180) -- 9. The Age of Iron and Rust (180-235) -- 10. Decline and Dissolution (235-312) -- Epilogue -- Appendix 1: Key Dates -- Appendix 2: Praetorian Pay and Organization -- Appendix 3: Praetorian Prefects -- Appendix 4: Glossary of Terms -- Notes -- Bibliography and References -- Index of Emperors -- General Index -- Illustration Credits

Sommario/riassunto

A riveting account of ancient Rome's imperial bodyguard, the select band of soldiers who wielded the power to make-or destroy-the emperors they served Founded by Augustus around 27 B.C., the elite Praetorian Guard was tasked with the protection of the emperor and his family. As the centuries unfolded, however, Praetorian soldiers served not only as protectors and enforcers but also as powerful political players. Fiercely loyal to some emperors, they vied with others and ruthlessly toppled those who displeased them, including Caligula, Nero, Pertinax, and many more. Guy de la Bédoyère provides a compelling



first full narrative history of the Praetorians, whose dangerous ambitions ceased only when Constantine permanently disbanded them.   de la Bédoyère introduces Praetorians of all echelons, from prefects and messengers to artillery experts and executioners. He explores the delicate position of emperors for whom prestige and guile were the only defenses against bodyguards hungry for power. Folding fascinating details into a broad assessment of the Praetorian era, the author sheds new light on the wielding of power in the greatest of the ancient world's empires.