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The Praetorian Guards were an elite unit in the Imperial Army, and their role was to protect the person of the Emperor, a task they shared with the Imperial German bodyguard<ref>Bingham, Sandra. The Praetorian Guard: A History of Rome's Elite Special Forces (London, IB Tauris, 2013), p 118</ref>. They were the only army unit allowed to bear arms in Rome, but out of respect to Republican sensibilities, they never wore armor in the city’s precincts. The Guards were divided into some cohorts, that numbered several hundred men typically. The various cohorts were composed of infantry and cavalry. For the first few centuries, they were mainly recruited from central Italy, and many were able to secure admission because of family or political connections.<ref>Bingham, p 119</ref>.  Over time more and more experienced legionnaires joined the Guards. The Praetorians were organized under a Praetorian Prefect, who became a vital military and political figure. The Prefect was eventually to command not only the guard but the urban militia of Rome. The individual cohorts were under the command of a tribune. Those who served in the Guards had better pay, conditions and a shorter service than regular legionnaires. They were usually members of the Equestrian Order, which meant that they were from a high social class until at least 195 A.D when Septimius Severus reformed the Guard .<ref> Bingham, p 201</ref>. The Guards was seen as a great way to advance the career of the ambitious and its members had a great deal of social prestige.