The Praetorian Guard and the Senate: On Opposite Sides of the Barricades?

As is well known, the political system of the early Roman Empire is defined by the complex relationship between the emperor and the Senate. For both sides, it was a forced cooperation, which sometimes resulted in covert dynamics and, less frequently, open confrontations. Researchers have long studied (and continue to study) various aspects of this closest to the emperor – the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard. In the context of the political development of the empire, Praetorians are usually perceived as mere executors of the ruler’s will, a view that holds some truth, but mainly on a “large scale”. However, the dynamics within the triangle of “Senate – Emperor – Guard” are far more complicated. High-ranking members of the guard occasionally cultivated various types of relationships with senators, including those who opposed the emperor. In contrast, the lower ranks, drawn from diverse social backgrounds, often did not share the same political ambitions as their superiors. As a result, the Praetorian Guard has become a tangible factor in the relationship between the emperor and his primary political opponent, the Senate.