Roman Armies and Tactics: Praetorians
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- Опубликовано: 22 май 2024
- Our new video in the animated historical documentary series on the evolution of the armies and tactics covers the Roman Praetorians, who served the emperors, but also were instrumental in the coups and intrigues.
Previous videos in the series: • Marian Reforms and the...
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We are grateful to our patrons and sponsors, who made this video possible: drive.google.com/open?id=1Jlq...
The video was made by our friend Cogito bit.ly/2CFCouA while the script was researched and written by Matt Hollis
This video was narrated by Officially Devin ( / @offydgg & / @gameworldnarratives )
Machinimas were made on Total War: Rome 2 engine by Malay Archer ( / mathemedicupdates )
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#Documentary #Augustus #RomanEmpire
Join the Roman Legions today: bit.ly/2Ra6E5b
You'll continue to 1453?!
HELL YEAH!!!!!!
Just bought the red legion shirt. I'm hyped for it.
Kings and Generals do one About Napoleons old guard and guard structure!
9:24 i heard age of empire 2 sound effect is this an easter egg?
Plz do the battle of brody 1941 the largest tank battle in human history
Jaime Lannister: I killed the king I swore to protect.
Praetorians: First time?
Well, Jaime was trying stop a mad man from destroying a city with wildfire.
Praetorians are just because someone promised them money or someone forgot to pay them off.
“Bravest and most competent”
- Brave enough to depose Emperors
- Competent enough to put the position up for sale for money
French Imperial Guard is one of the best guard
Well they were initially
They still selected well performed soldiers from regular legion, but power corrupt them absolutely.
@@DOSFS indeed . So that why you shouldn't gave guards more power and money than normal soldier or they will try to spread their corruption further and beyond .
@Khanet Preeteepveruriya The Praetorians were like Julius Caesar. Badass at the beginning, but eventually got corrupted in their lust for power.
the Preatoriams were a greater threat to the emperor than the actual enemies of rome.
Ya hay stand in my room with a sword so no one kills me.... what if i kill u. Idk don't fucking do that that be bogus I paid for all your elite assassin training wait I mean protection training
Italians...
The politicians/guards entrusted with the power to protect a country, who are the ones most guilty for its destruction. Sounds vaguely familiar...
*pReAtOrIaMs*
Well Praetorians and the Senate. Bunch of rich old men who think they're in charge. Domitian got the right idea to just screw them over.
Sulla: I've been an officer, a general, a consul, and a dictator. I will now retire to write my memoirs. I will travel unarmed and without body guards. I will not be murdered by my own troops, but succumb to failing health.
Succeeding rulers: I better surround myself with highly paid shock troops if I want to surv.... et tu praetorian?
Sulla was an ultra Chad whom no pleb would dare touch.
Praetorianus*
lol
Be fair, though, between Sulla and the later rulers, Caesar was once famously heard to say "Eh, this'll just be a quick stop at the Senate before I get back to planning the Parthian war. I won't need my bodyguards or...AHHH! MY GROIN!"
Many knows Cornelius Sulla is a Mad Men and cruel, but in fact he is a nobleman who try hard to save Republic, sadly forced to do so with Tyrannical mode
How to live long as a Roman Emperor:
Step 1: Make sure the Praetorian Guard is on your side
Step 2: Give "gifts" to the Praetorian Guard regularly. You can never be too generous
Step 3: Die assasinated anyway
Haha
no,no,no.. these lists work this way...
How to live long as a Roman Emperor:
Step 1: Make sure the Praetorian Guard is on your side
Step 2: Give "gifts" to the Praetorian Guard regularly. You can never be too generous
Step 3: ????
Step 4: Profit
see you lure m in with the profit part and a failsafe way to please the Praetorians and *dont* tell them about the assasination part!
"Be united with each other, enrich the soldiers, and spurn the rest." -Emperor Septimius to his sons
LOL
Or better yet be born during the republic and install the praetorian gaurd after reducing the republic to a figure head and then die before the praetorians figure out how to kill an emperor.
Without training, they lacked knowledge. Without knowledge, they lacked confidence. Without confidence, they lacked victory.
Gaius Julius Caesar
@Will224000 that just sounds like an excuse for you having either a shit memory or bad spelling. It's Caesar
Hmmm some of the dumbest people I know are also the most confident. Good quote though ;)
@@Khorane They have confident because they attack in big group. A humble man does not need to be back up by whole army, just him and some of his friends because for him he has nothing to lose. If he is wrong he will admit it, if he is right he will prove it.
I have the confidence...
THAT THE FUCKING TURKS ISLAMIES WON'T REACH TO THE PROMISED LAND BEFORE US CHRISTIANS DO! SET SAIL TO THE PORTAL MY BROTHERS!!! I SMELL FRESH UNCLAIMED LAND!!! >:D
Nice
Often told joke:
"The Praetorian Guard protects the Emperor against anyone who might want to harm him."
"But who would want to harm the Emperor?"
"Statistically speaking? ...the Praetorian Guard."
*NOBODY GETS TO KILL THE EMPEROR BUT US*
And the senators
@@Mars-ow4rf Nah the senators are powerless and useless in the Roman empire. Only Caesar I think that they killed but it was on the era of Roman Republic.
Yes ... wanna know ROME story, play RYSE THE SON OF ROME game
When you can't trust your own bodyguards so you get German bodyguards just to be safe
German are money 💴 pits ! !
@@matthiuskoenig3378 Or instill a culture that's bushido esk that has a well enforced law stating if the emperor dies it is dishonorable for you to remain alive and if you so choose the military will be ordered to enact protocol 66 and kill you.
@@theempiredidnothingwrong3227 pretty hard to do when you have people who don't even care about their own gods
@@theempiredidnothingwrong3227 just go full on Spartan and train them from birth
@@australianword3812 It's not that hard if sub religion for Roman Stoicism and the Janissaries were basically raised from birth as suggested and still betrayed their emperor when it became convenient.
It seems under Constantine, the Praetorians didn't have a prayer.....
Liquidsback yup
I c wut u did there :)
@Badr eddin Constantine was the first roman emperor 2 convert 2 christianity, openly, in a big way. Plus, he claimed he won that battle bcuz he had help from the christian god.
@Ancient Skeptic On what are u basing this? I didn't say he put any cross on any arch of triumph.
Constantine was a great emperor and the type of Christianity that he embraced had nothing to do with the Pope or Catholics.
Take a shot every time the Praetorian Guards assassinated an emperor
I am Drunk
I prefer my liver intact thank you very much
Did that last night, really bad idea holy fuck
My liver just finished processing all that alcohol.
You trying to kill me faster than the Praetorians kill a Ceasar?
Wow, didn't know Patreon started all the way back in the Roman Empire. The more you know
Lol
4:18
"Performing assassinations on -behalf of- the Emperor."
And more than occasionally on the Emperor.
Oh yes, the Praetorians. the worst backstabbing bastards in Rome’s history.
They were elite soldiers though.
@Vae Victis You forgot one important point, The Praetorians were veteran legionnaires who were handpicked to serve the guard, sure they expent most of the time looking good in their over-polished armor in the safety of the palace, but when they went on campaign, their experience and superior training would come into play.
The fact that they were palace guards doesn’t mean they weren’t capable fighters.
Ealry Preatorians were picked from hard soldier. Later Preatorians fought in every defense of Rome. During the times of a split empire they were often used by the ruler of Italy as a Leigon.
"If an Empire can't protect it's Emperor, then that Empire is deemed a failure." ~ Emperor Palpatine
Sejanus, the head of the Praetorian Guard in the early 1st century, attempted a coup against Tiberius, and failed. He and his family were executed, and their rotting corpses were placed on display next to the Gemonian Stairs that led out of the Forum next to the Tabularium, at the base of the Capitoline hill.
Fact:His douther was still a virgin and it was against a law to execute a virgin.So they decided that she should be rape first and then exsecuted.Chilling!
@@vman1694 they can kill virgins just fine. It's against the law to kill the VESTAL virgins. Nor is it legal to rape them. So they just starve them
@@RexOedipus. I thought they buried them alive.
It's often a matter of debate if Sejanus was a major cause of Caligula's rise due to assassinating the other possible heirs of Tiberius.
4:35 "You were expecting any other roman historian BUT IT WAS ME, DIO"
Daniel Vasquez Yes, I was waiting for this reference
Praetorians, Rome’s elite assassins more like it.
At their height, they were legitimately the best field units of the Roman Empire.
@LKVideos The Praetorians were, undoubtedly, elite soldiers. But soldiers whose loyalties are questionable aren’t reliable, even elite soldiers.
@@luisarruda3061 That *highly* depends on the period and who led them. They haven't been like that all the time and also not consistently bad in later periods.
Jurgen Hoffeinschnitz Elite King slayers heck the roman emperor should have send them to assassinate other kings and emperors cuz they are the best at it l
@@karandullet380 They were indeed deployed as envoys and assassins.
Once again, I just love that you're covering Rome all the way to 1453.
Thanks for watching!
"power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." - Lord Acton
A miscellaneous Human
“Absolute power does not corrupt absolutely, absolute power attracts the corruptible.” -Frank Herbert
As history has shown us: if you're not a great general with a strong force of well-selected soldiers from your troups who are utterly loyal to you, nothing better than an elite force of pride foreign mercenaries.
The bizantines had the Varangian Guard(norses principally)
The Pope has the swiss guard.
Spanish Habsburg monarchy had the Guardia Valona(Flandes)
Some roman emperors who used those batavian corps...
@Brechum Oh forgot the late emperors of the Western Roman Empire, who used primarily Germanic bodyguards.
Varangians did the same stuff as the praetorians later though.
Augustus wasn't a great general (why he never wanted to have a battle with Antonius on land) but a great politician and charismatic leader (+heir to Julius)
Several popes still got abducted or/and forced into submission by Europeans royalties despite the swiss guards
You have to find the balance between pleasing your guards and keeping their influence to a minimum while leaving them powerful enough to protect you. But more importantly to establish your and your heirs rule in stone, Rome never was a true monarchy thus why anyone could become Emperor.
The Kheshig would like to have a word with you.
The U.S. President has the United States Secret Service
The Queen of England has the Royal Protection Group plus the guards
The PM of India has the SPG
Auxilia palatina always fought till the bitter end whilst the native Romans routed…
You should definetly make a video about Trajan invasion in Dacia !
this
+1
@@mrxmry7763 Exactly. I wonder where the name Alin Toma comes from... Probably somewhere between Ukraine and Bulgaria.
@@mrxmry7763 so let's just ignore an important conflict of the 2nd century than? Maybe we shouldn't do any alexander the great videos either cus it will trigger macedonians?
@@alexisvannuffel5516 please see my comment below. In that case let's not talk about alexander the great because it will trigger north macedonians.
Macchiavelli: " The emperors commanded the Pretorian, whom stayed next to the walls of Roma like a fortress close to that city"
9:24 that AoE2 touch is simply brilliant
Where?
@@BaHaEzZz 9:24 you hear Aoe 2 recruiting sound or rather training a unit from barracks :D
God I love their stuff because of those small details :)
I think the funniest thing about the Praetorian Guard is that they would often be so unreliable as actual bodyguards, Roman Emperors would create entirely new bodyguard units to protect them from their Praetorian bodyguards. If I recall, that's basically how the Herculanii and Jovianii became a thing.
Emperor: Praetorians are the most loyal and elite unit.
Praetorians: Yes! **Stabs knife in the back**
PRAETORIAE DELENDA EST
Remember that the Praetorians were also punished for showing loyalty; following the assassination of Domitian in AD96 by one praetorian tribune and some of his court officials, the guard as a whole was outraged and asked Nerva to punish the murderers, and when he refused/hesitated they took it upon themselves and executed the murderers. The first thing Trajan did when he became emperor was to call for them and got rid of them, either by exile or death.
It's crazy how similar the janissaries effected the ottoman empire. Elite bodyguards inevitably become political players
It did not happen with the Old Guard of Napoleon. Loyal even in death.
@@francissemyon7971 Yeah, because they didn't get to win the war. 😂
@@LuizAlexPhoenixDid the Praetorians, Janissaries or Kesig ever won awar by themselves you moron ?
When are we going to see the Varangian Guard?
I believe they are going chronologically.
@@suyashbhagwat5615 I know but I can't wait.
Would be amazing that this channel would make a video about the Cohortes Hamiorvm, the most effective and requested archers in the Roman world who were sent and deployed to guard the most dangerous and volatile borders, including the Adrian's wall in the north of England.
Thank you for all your amazing work!
_Kings & Generals,_ better than _Game of Thrones,_ less budget, and shiiieet actually happened in real life.
this is so sad and unfortunately true
To soon
These guys do seem to be huge Game of Thrones fans. Maybe they will do a video about the Kingsguard next.
Hei du! Kan du vær så snill og spørre Kings & Generals kanalen om å lage en video om "Didgori slaget" Slaget er virkelig spennende og har en interessant historie. Setter stor pris på hvis du gjør! Jeg har allerede spurt og nå prøver jeg og rekruttere flere til å spørre/be om det samme :)
Takk og mvh Gio!
Kek, a mgtow loser in the wild.
ah yes the praetorian guard, the guards that killed the most emperors
No,it does not.It served well to most Emperors and when some Emperor was murdered by Praetorians it was rarely action of entire guard.In most cases just of some segments of it.
@@paprskomet indeed if they where not good they would not have used them, but that does not change the fact that most emperors where also killed by them or at least a lot of them
@@akaneonee-chan2241 They killed a small handful of emperors. Usually, they killed the really terrible emperors, like Caligula.
"FOR THE EMPEROR!" i swear, every time a terminology is named off, my mind goes straight to WH40k
As a Romanian, I'd love to see a video on Decebal the last king of the Dacians and his war with Rome! Being that he fought Rome at the pinnacle of there power .
As a minor note, the use of the Germans alongside the Praetorians was probably more simple and practical; royal guards, the bodyguards anyway, tend to be people who cannot themselves wield power. This is true for the Almohadian Christian Guard, the Mamluks, the Janissaries, and the Varangian Guard.
By the time of Constantine that distinction really didn't exist for anyone in the empire, after the Barracks emperors at any rate, so it makes sense he'd dispose of the antiquated relic.
Praetorians:"Ha!! This Roman Emperor can't stop us, we have the power'
Constantite "Thanos" The Great:"Fine!! I'll do it myself" *snaps fingers*
Praetorians:"Mr. Money, I don't feel so good"
5:22
Subtle jokes like this are why I love this channel so much
hurr durr me barbarian me no tact/nuance/subtlety me want you explain joke hurrrr me no understand
sovietroulette
the fuck are you on about?
@@johndavenport2847 It's also a joke.
SilverRain
k
@@silverrain530 wrong, legit didn't get joke. want explanation pls...
Constantine never really disbanded the Praetorian guard. He simply replaced them with the Palatini, which literally means palace guard, and was mostly composed of former Praetorians.
For those interested, you can read more here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatini_(Roman_military)
Auxilia palatina>praetorian.
Had to do an exam on this for imperial succession, more Rome videos please guys they're great!
There will be more!
The way you used that soundtrack at the end of the video to signify the end of the Guards was marvelous!
Praetorian Guard was replaced by the newly formed Constantinian Scholae Palatinae or Palatina. They were household palace guards and could number up to 30,000 strong during the post Constantine era, a far larger sized elite guard unit that is in the mould of the praetorian guard. The Scholae Palatina were known to be cavalry units and could also act as infantry units.
The Praetorian Guard, the Horse Guard and the Urban Cohorts altogether numbered more than 20,000. If the Praetorian cavalry were supernumeraries then the maximum nominal strength would be some 26,000, and all of them came under the command of the Praetorian Prefects.
Very good, Kings and Generals. Knowledge of the Praetorian Guard was very informative and helpful.
I love how you bring the ancient world back to life. Another great video, thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for making this video. Absolutely love it! Keep it up. Cheers
Love this!!! Thanks for sharing Kings and Generals!!!
I love this channel and the nostalgia hit me when i heard the sound of the trained unit from aoe2 you're my favourite historical channel from RUclips
Good :-)
Nice video
It would be so good if you made a video about three persian dynastys' military organization or tactics there isnt any video about it .
@@mortezamohammadi505 yesss!!!!!!
Absolutely ! Amazing how time time I’ve spent reading Greek, Roman, and Byzantine history yet know little about the Parthians, and Persian Empire.
Make Persia Great Again !!!
عرفان قدسی
I love this so much. Keep up the good work!
Love your content. I just joined. I would love to see a tactical breakdown of the American Revolution
Thank you very much for this video, I really appreciate your work and I hope you continue your videos :)
Yes finally a new video!!!
Another good vid, thanks for uploading!
9:05 So that's how the Adeptus Custodes from Warhammer 40k got their name from.
Not just name. The Custodes are always plus minus 10.000 men just like the Praetorians, and also have specialized elite units within their already super elite ranks.
@@lkvideos7181 I've always though they were based on Emperor Palpatine's Royal Guards who in Legends were far more fleshed out with inter agency hierarchies and positions and being drawn from the best stormtroopers in the Empire.
@@barbiqueareaNo the way Custodes are created is very different.
You are basicaly picked at late infancy, a child of Terran nobility and from that pool exclusively. Otherwise you disqualify.
Under the custody of a Custodes you grow up and are constantly subjected to very painful genetic augmentations and enhancements using the Emperor's very gene matrix.
If you survive that ordeal, which only like maybe 1% do, you are then send on endless brutaly difficult trials by your Custodes patron, who will also train and test your abilities non-stop until you've proven yourself worthy enough, after maybe several decades, to bear the right to stand among their ranks.
What is also different is that the creation of Custodes is not entirely uniform. The process also builds on individual strenghts. Like, every single Custodes is crafted to be an incredibly formidable warrior by default, even for transhuman standarts. But they have all unique levels of skill, perception etc. One can be their greatest tactician, or blade master, marksman, diplomat, envoy, assassin etc.
However that only makes them stand out within their *own* ranks.
Like if you compare the avarage Custodes with some of the greatest Space Marines, he will still be superior to the Space Marine, in every perceivable way. Smarter, faster, stronger, more durable.
On top of that, every single Custodes is a walking vessel of vast knowedge. He doesn't just undergo brutal training but has every existing and perceivable principle of warfare, politics / diplomacy, languages history and cultures imprinted in him. That might also be due to the Emperor's gene-seed somehow translating a fraction of their gene father's memory but that's just a personal speculation. The reasons are sadly not elaborated in the lore so far.
It's always interesting to see the rise and fall of the elite guards in history. Good job as always.
It would have been nice to mention how the Imperial guard units functioned as officer-training institutions. In that sense, they were a link between the Emperor in Rome and the legions at the frontiers, ensuring the loyalty of the army. The Praetorian Guard can be extremely loyal, which is why some emperors decided to enlarge the guard - to fill it with their own men.
AHH! JUST CANT GET ENOUGH OF THIS CHANNEL ! GREAT CONTENT AS ALWAYS !
Do next an insightful take on the Urban Cohorts! Love you guys! ❤️
I love the Praetorian guard! Awesome video. I’d love to see a video on Napoleons Old Guard and there Evolution from The beginning all the way to Waterloo.
“The guard dies and does not surrender.”
Thanks for this amazing content!
@0:08 Pertinax was murdered in 193AD, not 192AD. 193AD is the Year of the Five Emperors, not 192AD
"If power lies with the men who carry swords, why do we pretend that kings hold the power?" - Varys
This was well done! I feel like I have more knowledge on this elite guard.
Great video, as always.
This one I particularly enjoyed because studying the Praetorian Guard gives some clues as to how elite military units of the Hellenistic Kingdoms functioned as well. It is fitting that it was Africanus that instigated the creation of elite units in the roman army, as he was among the first deeply hellenized Romans. We have so few details of the Peltasts of the Antigonids, the Silver Shields of the Seleucids, and whatever the Ptolemies had as elite forces.
It's interesting to note that the Praetorians had the same ending as the Silver Shields of Alexander the Great, who were dispersed by Seleucos I Nikator inside his vast empire. Most of them were disposed of by being sent to perilous missions. I supposed those who survived died a few years later, as many of these men served in that corps since the days of Philip II.
Roman Emperor: You've got a lot of nerve coming in here
Praetorian Guard: You've got a lot of nerve being alive
Its simple if it has to do with Rome I click
Fantastic video
One of my favorite well i mean all your videos are awesome
Praetorian guard: actually does their job as elite soldiers and bodyguards without killing an emperor for a while
Everyone: omg they’re doing so good this must be the golden age of the guard
one of my favorite videos ever
I love this documentaries!
Great video!
Great! as always :)
Can you make a video upon the impact of Christianity on the roman army after constantine?
@@alexanderchristopher6237 If they are a pious army, they do good. Even if they are religious, if they aren't good worshippers they don't have God's blessing. They can sometimes win without it, but they eventually lose.
Instances of pious armies winning: Romans painting cross on shields, Iran beating Saddam Hussein who had support of America Europe and USSR in the Iran-Iraq War, many battles in the early history of Islam. Only exception is the Battle of Karbala because that was meant to be an example for us. If Imam Hussein (AS) survived we would learn nothing and be lazy and complacent.
@@Moses_VII Not necessarily. The Iran-Iraq War was more of a draw in the end.
I think an interesting subject would be a series on the entire expansion of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire from Christ to Constantine. And perhaps beyond to the Christian persecution of the Pagans in the 5th century. This would be a very exciting series.
Well, confidence is very important for victory, and religious fervor can help to be sure, as well as good generalship, experience, and a host of other things.
Now, what a video do you make about this ?
From what I remember, Emperor Heraclitus used Christianity as a way to motivate his soldier to fight against the Sassanid Persians.
Nice use of that battle simulator game in the video. Bout time someone did that on a history RUclips channel. Compliments!
Always love the subtle Age of Mythology and AOE sounds in videos
:-)
Intresting video as usual
Thank you!
Hey Kings and Generals, will you ever do a video covering the later Roman army and the weapons and tactics it used?
Amazing as always , maybe Varangian guard next ?
Thanks! We'll see!
Beautiful themes.
Brilliant stuff. Real history. Who needs the old History Channel?
Imagine being that guy in the room blurting out let's sell it and everyone goes along w it
To watch this video from the inside of Castra Praetoria it's priceless :)
Ahh the Praetorian Guards, seem like a good idea at the time but like the Ottoman Janissary would later be a pain in the rear to the later rulers that eventually they were disbanded.
Subbed. Great video .
Auxillary, Centurion and etc
The rome has the finest military system but uncontrollable and bring more liability. Thus reliable for the royal and romans.
Thanks for the documnetary.
please create a separate series/playlist for INDIA and about its historical events. a very humble request , thank you!
this channel is so much fun
This channel knows what makes me tick.
I get a happy feeling when i see a kings and generals video pop up on my youtube home page, its like a warm chill that goes from my brain down my spine to my ass and out of my asshole, its so good please release more videos
I’d love to see a mini series on Majorian and his attempt to save the West.
Hey nice vid, can you make a similiar video but speaking about the lictor guild guards? :D
Thank you for the explanation. I was not aware that Constantine I dissolved the guard.
A channel about the greatest empire in history? Hell yeah!
3:14 "Father Mars Strider. This man has done faithful vigil for you. We therefore ask you to take him under your protection. May his enemies flee from him, may their city walls crumble, may their cattle and women be taken. This man is now Evocati"
I was wondering around 9:19 when you talk about the secret German forces that background scene is that from the game Total War Rome 2?
love that subtle use of the patreon symbol :P
The maps you use in your videos look great.... can I download it somewhere, I'ld like to use it as a screensaver or something.
PS.: Is there a reason why Ephesos isn't on the map? Especially during the time of the Antonine Dynasty it would be much more important than Magnesia and at some point even Pergamon. The struggle for hegemony between the cities in Asia Minor is quite an interesting topic. :)
Very interesting indeed
Awesome!
Does anyone know the name of the song at the end ? Please 🥺