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==Introduction==
The Praetorian Guard was very important in the politics and government of Imperial Rome for approximately 300 years. This military unit was unique, and it for extended periods of time, had great power and influence. The Praetorian Guards was not only a military force but also carried out a number of roles in Roman Italy. They were the guardians of the Emperors and sometimes their masters. This article will examine the role of the Guards in the history of the greatest Empire in Antiquity. It will demonstrate that they had the power to remove weak Emperors and became important power brokers in the Empire, yet for most of their history, they were the loyal protectors of the leader of the Roman World. The Guards were also an important military unit who played a significant role in maintaining peace and security in Rome and throughout Italy. The guards also played a very important role in the administration and policing of the capital of the Empire and Italy.
[[File: Praetorian Guard One.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Praetorian Guards from the 1st century AD]]
==The Praetorian Guard Composition==
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 a number of cohorts, that numbered typically several hundred men. 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 very important 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 and from a higher social status than the average legionnaire, 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.
