Imagine hiring the most elite, highly-paid security force in the world to protect you, only for them to be the ones who murder you.
Welcome to the life of a Roman Emperor. 😬
The Praetorian Guard was the ultimate paradox. They were the emperor's personal bodyguards, hand-picked for their loyalty and skill. They got double the pay of a regular legionary, received special bonuses, and lived in a fortress right inside Rome. Their job was to protect the emperor at all costs.
Instead, they became the single biggest threat to an emperor's life. Over their 300-year history, the Praetorian Guard assassinated or were involved in the overthrow of at least 13 emperors.
It all started with Caligula. After four years of his madness, the Praetorians got tired of his insults and abuse. In 41 AD, they cornered him in a palace corridor and stabbed him 30 times. Then they found his terrified uncle, Claudius, hiding behind a curtain and proclaimed him the new emperor—after he promised them a massive bonus, of course. 🤑
This set a dangerous precedent. The Guard realized they held the ultimate power. If they didn't like an emperor, they could just... get rid of him.
Their most shameless act came in 193 AD, after they murdered Pertinax. Two different rich senators wanted to be emperor. So what did the Praetorian Guard do?
They held an auction. 🤯
They stood on the walls of their camp and let the two men bid for the throne of the Roman Empire. The winner, Didius Julianus, paid a staggering 25,000 sesterces per soldier. He was emperor for a glorious 66 days before a general marched on Rome and had him executed.
It was a perfect storm of greed, power, and proximity. They were the only army allowed in Rome, so they had a monopoly on force. They were close to the emperor, so they knew his weaknesses. And they were constantly being bribed and manipulated by ambitious senators and generals.
Ultimately, the Praetorian Guard became a symbol of the corruption and instability that plagued the Roman Empire. It took until 312 AD for Emperor Constantine the Great to finally get fed up, crush them in battle, and disband the unit for good.
And not a single emperor was murdered by his bodyguards ever again. (Just kidding, it totally kept happening, but at least not by the Praetorians). 🔥
