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Author De la Bédoyère, Guy, author.

Title Praetorian : the rise and fall of Rome's imperial bodyguard / Guy de la Bédoyère
Published New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2017]

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Description 1 online resource (vii, 336 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations
Contents 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
Summary "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 Bedoyere provides a compelling first full narrative history of the Praetorians, whose dangerous ambitions ceased only when Constantine permanently disbanded them. de la Bedoyere 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"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-325) and index
Notes Print version record
SUBJECT Römisches Reich Prätorianer gnd
Subject Praetorian Guard -- History
Special forces (Military science) -- Rome -- History
HISTORY -- Ancient -- Rome.
HISTORY -- Military -- Other.
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING -- Military Science.
Armed Forces
Praetorian Guard
Special forces (Military science)
SUBJECT Rome -- Army -- History
Rome -- History -- Empire, 30 B.C.-476 A.D. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85115128
Subject Rome (Empire)
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9780300226270
0300226276