What is Praetorian Guard?
[[File:Prätorianer.jpg|thumb|right|Roman statue of a praetorian guard]] [[File:Praetorian CohIII.jpg|thumb|In costume of a praetorian guard of the 1st century AD]] The '''Praetorian Guard''' <ref>{{lang-la|Praetoriani}}</ref> was a force of [[bodyguard]]s used by [[Roman Emperor]]s. The title was first used for the guards of generals in the [[Roman Republic]]. Their commander, the '''Praetorian Prefect''', was often an important figure in the [[political]] planning in [[Rome]]. The Guard was stopped and disbanded by Emperor [[Constantine I]] in the fourth century AD. ==History== The term ''Praetorian'' derived from the tent of the commanding general or [[praetor]] of a [[Roman army]] in the field, known as the ''praetorium''. It was a habit of many Roman generals to choose from the ranks a private force of soldiers to act as bodyguards. This elite group of Roman [[citizen]]s consisted of both [[infantry]] and [[cavalry]]. In time, this [[cohort (military unit)|cohort]] came to be known as the ''cohors praetoria'', and various notable figures had one of those guard groups, including [[Julius Caesar]], [[Mark Antony]] and [[Augustus]] (Octavian). As Caesar discovered with the 10th Legion ''Equestris'', a powerful mounted unit was desirable in the field.<ref>They saved the day in the battle against the Nervians in 57 BC.</ref> When Augustus became the first ruler of the [[Roman Empire]] in 27 BC, he decided such a formation was useful not only on the battlefield but in politics also. Thus, from the ranks of the legions throughout the provinces, Augustus recruited the Praetorian Guard.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bingham |first=Sandra J. 1997 |title=The praetorian guard in the political and social life of Julio-Claudian Rome |year=1997 |url= http://www.zumodrive.com/share/bT2kNTIxNT |format=[[Portable Document Format|PDF]] |accessdate= 2007-05-23 |publisher= National Library of Canada |location= Ottawa |isbn=0-612-27106-4 }}</ref> == Entry into politics == Through the cunning of their ambitious prefect, [[Sejanus]],