07-06-2001, 05:27 AM
Salve,<br>
<br>
The service record of the praetorian guard is often underestimated. The <i> cohortes praetoriae</i> took to the field during campaigns involving the emperor, his relatives and the praetorian prefects. Thus praetorians served with the campaigns of Germanicus, with the invasion of Britain, in the civil war of the year of the four emperors, on the Danube under Domitianus and Traianus, against second century bandits in Italy and later on they supplied the backbone of the imperial field armies that saw much action in the third century CE against both other Romans and barbarians. At first this may have meant that troops may have seen only action in one major campaign in their years of service, though the same may have been true for many legionaries in this period. For the third century the praetorians can be expected to have seen at least as much action as the frontier forces, if not more. The legions (that is the officers, since the rank and file does not seem to have bothered much both in the legions and guards) were as much involved in political intrigues as the praetorians. There were plenty mutinies and usurpations originating in the provincial armies.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i></i>
<br>
The service record of the praetorian guard is often underestimated. The <i> cohortes praetoriae</i> took to the field during campaigns involving the emperor, his relatives and the praetorian prefects. Thus praetorians served with the campaigns of Germanicus, with the invasion of Britain, in the civil war of the year of the four emperors, on the Danube under Domitianus and Traianus, against second century bandits in Italy and later on they supplied the backbone of the imperial field armies that saw much action in the third century CE against both other Romans and barbarians. At first this may have meant that troops may have seen only action in one major campaign in their years of service, though the same may have been true for many legionaries in this period. For the third century the praetorians can be expected to have seen at least as much action as the frontier forces, if not more. The legions (that is the officers, since the rank and file does not seem to have bothered much both in the legions and guards) were as much involved in political intrigues as the praetorians. There were plenty mutinies and usurpations originating in the provincial armies.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst <p></p><i></i>
