The brainchild of Augustus Caesar, the Praetorian Guard was first formed in 27 BC with the specific task of protecting the emperor. The name derives from the Latin word praetor, a magistrate next in rank to the consul, and praetorium, which is the general's tent or governor's residence (see, e.g., Mt 27:27; Mk 15:16, where Jesus was brought to Pilate in the 'praetorium'). Members of the Praetorian Guard were hand-picked, and they wore distinctive uniforms and had higher pay and shorter term of service than regular soldiers. Wherever they may be posted, the Praetorian Guards represented, therefore, the best of the Roman army.
In 23 AD Tiberius ordered the setting up of a camp for them in Rome, and from that time on, and especially when it came under the command of Aelius Sejanus, the Praetorian Guard grew immeasurably in power and abuse, as when they became the agent in the assassination of Gaius-Caligula in 41. After that no emperor would think of reigning without their support; they had become in effect the king-makers of Roman politics. Their influence began to wane in the 3rdCent and was finally disbanded under Constantine in 312.
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