Praetorian cover art

Praetorian

The Rise and Fall of Rome's Imperial Bodyguard

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Praetorian

By: Guy de la Bédoyère
Narrated by: Malk Williams
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

A riveting account of ancient Rome's imperial bodyguard, the select band of soldiers who wielded the power to make - or destroy - the emperors they served.

Founded by Augustus around 27 BC, the elite Praetorian Guard was tasked with the protection of the emperor and his family. As the centuries unfolded, however, Praetorian soldiers served not only as protectors and enforcers but also as powerful political players. Fiercely loyal to some emperors, they vied with others and ruthlessly toppled those who displeased them, including Caligula, Nero, Pertinax, and many more. Guy de la Bédoyère provides a compelling first full narrative history of the Praetorians, whose dangerous ambitions ceased only when Constantine permanently disbanded them.

De la Bédoyère introduces Praetorians of all echelons, from prefects and messengers to artillery experts and executioners. He explores the delicate position of emperors for whom prestige and guile were the only defenses against bodyguards hungry for power. Folding fascinating details into a broad assessment of the Praetorian era, the author sheds new light on the wielding of power in the greatest of the ancient world's empires.

©2017 Guy de la Bédoyère (P)2017 Audible, Inc. Ancient Military Rome Ancient Rome Italy Bodyguard Ancient History Solider

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Warrior: The Epic Story of Caratacus, Warrior Briton and Enemy of the Roman Empire cover art
Domina cover art
Brutus cover art
Trajan cover art
Cleopatra: A Biography cover art
Constantine the Emperor cover art
In Search of the Dark Ages cover art
The Five Good Emperors cover art
Under the Eagle cover art
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich cover art
Alexander’s Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors cover art
The Hope cover art
Ancient Rome cover art
Hitler cover art
The Looming Tower cover art
By the Spear cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
About half way through I changed the speed and slowed the narrator down, after which I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Before this is was like having facts about Romans flung at you far to fast to absorb them.

Good but read far too fast

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
if your looking for a good introduction to the history of the praetorians then this is a good and interesting book to listen to. Well worth it.

Good Overview of the Praetorians

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Greta book for those who think they have read / listened to just about everything about the Roman Empire. In the beginning maybe a bit too detailed / technical but it is highly interesting to understand the power and the schemes of the Praetorian leaders and their contribution to the fall of Rome.

For the Romaficionados

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
this was a really engaging and well written survey piece covering the history of the Praetorians. it's real strength is in busting many myths about them and clarifying what we do and don't know about them. it's especially helpful to separate them put from wider discussion of the Roman Military

A Fascinating Insight into a pivotal Roman Institution

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An object lesson in how to make Roman history into a tedious flow of facts. At least up to the point I gave up.

Tedious

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.