Praetorian
The Rise and Fall of Rome's Imperial Bodyguard
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Narrated by:
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Malk Williams
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.
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The startling truth behind one of the most notorious dynasties in history is revealed in a remarkable new account by the acclaimed author of The Tudors and A World Undone. Sweeping aside the gossip, slander, and distortion that have shrouded the Borgias for centuries, G. J. Meyer offers an unprecedented portrait of the infamous Renaissance family and their storied milieu.
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Marvelous !
- By Cinders on 08-02-13
By: G. J. Meyer
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The Fall of the Roman Empire
- A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
- By: Peter Heather
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 21 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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The death of the Roman Empire is one of the perennial mysteries of world history. Now, in this groundbreaking book, Peter Heather proposes a stunning new solution: Centuries of imperialism turned the neighbors Rome called barbarians into an enemy capable of dismantling an Empire that had dominated their lives for so long. A leading authority on the late Roman Empire and on the barbarians, Heather relates the extraordinary story of how Europe's barbarians, transformed by centuries of contact with Rome on every possible level, eventually pulled the empire apart.
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A New HIstory but not a better history
- By Mario on 03-28-14
By: Peter Heather
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Bosworth 1485
- Psychology of a Battle
- By: Michael K. Jones
- Narrated by: Peter Wickham
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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On August 22, 1485, at Bosworth Field, Richard III fell, the Wars of the Roses ended, and the Tudor dynasty began. The clash is so significant because it marks the break between medieval and modern; yet how much do we really know about this historical landmark? Michael K. Jones uses archival discoveries to show Richard III's defeat was by no means inevitable and was achieved only through extraordinary chance. He relocates the battle away from the site recognized for more than 500 years.
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At last I am able to grasp this important history!
- By NC-N-NC on 03-29-16
By: Michael K. Jones
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By the Spear
- Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire
- By: Ian Worthington
- Narrated by: Phil Holland
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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For the first time, By the Spear offers an exhilarating military narrative of the reigns of these two larger-than-life figures in one volume. Ian Worthington gives full breadth to the careers of father and son, showing how Philip was the architect of the Macedonian empire, which reached its zenith under Alexander, only to disintegrate upon his death.
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Bueller..... Bueller...... Bueller...... Monotone
- By Jonathan Allen Beard on 02-15-15
By: Ian Worthington
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Ten Caesars
- Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine
- By: Barry Strauss
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling classical historian Barry Strauss tells the story of three-and-a-half centuries of the Roman Empire through the lives of 10 of the most important emperors, from Augustus to Constantine.
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Good for beginners
- By Richferguson1 on 03-01-20
By: Barry Strauss
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Mortal Republic
- How Rome Fell into Tyranny
- By: Edward J. Watts
- Narrated by: Matt Kugler
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
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In Mortal Republic, prize-winning historian Edward J. Watts offers a new history of the fall of the Roman Republic that explains why Rome exchanged freedom for autocracy. For centuries, even as Rome grew into the Mediterranean's premier military and political power, its governing institutions, parliamentary rules, and political customs successfully fostered negotiation and compromise. By the 130s BC, however, Rome's leaders increasingly used these same tools to cynically pursue individual gain and obstruct their opponents.
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A Well Written Timely Work
- By David I. Williams on 09-10-20
By: Edward J. Watts
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The Roman Games: A Captivating Guide to the Gladiators, Chariot Races, and Games in Ancient Rome
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
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If you want to discover the history of the Roman Games, then pay attention...What were the Roman games? What was it like for gladiators in the arenas of ancient Rome? How thrilling was it to see chariot races on the Roman race track? Were the condemned really thrown to lions at the Circus Maximus? These are a few of the questions that will be explored in this audiobook. The Romans were known for their extensive civilization, but at the heart of Roman power was a penchant for the Roman games.
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Fascinating!
- By P. A. Martin on 01-08-22
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Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome
- By: Anthony Everitt
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
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Acclaimed British historian Anthony Everitt delivers a compelling account of the former orphan who became Roman emperor in A.D. 117 after the death of his guardian Trajan. Hadrian strengthened Rome by ending territorial expansion and fortifying existing borders. And - except for the uprising he triggered in Judea - his strength-based diplomacy brought peace to the realm after a century of warfare.
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A Biography "too tall for the height of the cella"
- By Darwin8u on 08-23-12
By: Anthony Everitt
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Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician
- By: Anthony Everitt
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 15 hrs and 52 mins
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In this dynamic and engaging biography, Anthony Everitt plunges us into the fascinating, scandal-ridden world of ancient Rome in its most glorious heyday. Accessible to us through his legendary speeches but also through an unrivaled collection of unguarded letters to his close friend Atticus, Cicero comes to life here as a witty and cunning political operator.
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An eloquent man, and a patriot
- By Darwin8u on 01-19-15
By: Anthony Everitt
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The Norman Conquest
- The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
- By: Marc Morris
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
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An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.
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A Balanced, Entertaining, and Informative History
- By Jefferson on 06-01-14
By: Marc Morris
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What listeners say about Praetorian
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-09-18
An Interesting Idea Lacking In Sources
The central thesis of this book is that the roman empire was from its outset a military dictatorship, and that the true seat of military power lay in the hands of the praetorian guard. Unfortunately the author is robbed of a lot of power to slam this belief home by the lack of sources at crucial points in the story of rome, particularly when the empire changed hands multiple times over the course of a few decades.
To sum up the story in total, when the empire's borders were secure, the praetorian guard held the most power, being a military force stationed within the city walls who had their own centralized leadership and fortified base of operations. When the borders came under threat however, and the limitations of a single ruler exposed the need for not only a warrior emperor constantly traveling but a fellow emperor based outside of rome, the praetorians lost their key leverage--proximity. They could no longer threaten the emperor's life. Because of their lack of power and potential for being swayed, they were eventually disbanded by Constantine.
Is this a story worth telling? Of course. Should it take so many words? Of course not.
Like many historical authors, Bedoyere uses excessive and long-winded phrasing--"In the extreme" rather than extremely, "not dumb" instead of smart, and "in the event," a phrase which has no recognizable impact on any sentence I've ever read other than to make the sentence three words longer. This makes the narrative a little hard to follow, but isn't as bad as his biggest failing: order of events.
Until now I'd never read a book where the author will spend an hour telling you about a thirty-year civil war between characters whose names are only slightly different, and then at the end start describing the behaviors of an unmentioned character back toward the beginning of said war. Bodeyere has become the first. Enjoy listening to, for a made up example, twenty minutes about how Gordian III gave up power to Philip the Arab, another 20 minutes of how he gave up power to Philippus, and then a random ten minute diversion into the life of a senator whose actions will be described in detail until the author calls out randomly that he served under emperor Gordian II. "Wait isn't the current emperor Philipus? Don't you mean Gordian III? Why are you giving me this information now!? I've moved on from all the Gordians!"
Aside from those issues, the book is good. Its little missteps are more annoying than deal-breaking. What may break the deal for you is your expectations. The Praetorians aren't nearly as cool as you might have imagined, and because of the lack of sources in the 2nd century, the author is forced to fill the time with fairly useless analyses of how exactly they dressed, what exactly they earned in salary, and what their particular marriage laws were, none of which is consequential to the overall story or his opening thesis besides in a minor way.
That said, even though it feels long, it's actually quite short. Worth checking out the audiobook for under $20. Would not buy a print copy in any format, as my eyes would glaze over after every sentence. But as an audiobook it's a good enough satisfier of any curiosity about the praetorians, and a reasonable summary of the first 300 years of the emperial era for anyone like me who specializes in the republican era.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Charles
- 08-07-17
Buy it
When I read books about Rome I do not often learn anything. In this case I did. The author also does a great job of reminding me what might have happened, what we can't or at least don't know and why this matters.
I went ahead and gave it five stars despite mispronunciations. I've lost hope in this regard.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-13-20
Fantastic! Great representation of the history of the Praetorians
Very well written and has broadened my knowledge of the beginnings, machinations and death of the great Roman institution. Very good. Lots of linear knowledge and antics of the guard in dealing with the Imperators. Makes me need to reread a number of texts.
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- Nathan Phipps
- 12-22-17
love it
throughout my studies I've always heard the praetorian guard in the narrative but this book shed light into exactly who they were, very entertaining
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- Dimitri M.
- 10-19-17
Very detailed and interesting
Very detailed and interesting account of Roman Praetorians. I would recommend for anyone interested in the subject.
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- Ladybug
- 08-04-23
Excellent
Great book and adds an enlightening perspective on Roman history. The narrator was great, but reads a little too fast. I slowed it down to 95 percent and it was fine. I read the hard cover of this book also, which has a few pictures, but I think audio is the better overall experience. I'll be listening to this at least one or two more times.
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Story
- B. Coleman
- 05-08-20
Not for me.
I wanted to like this book, I really did. What a fascinating topic! But I just couldn’t get in to it. I’m not sure how much of this is because of the narration, and how much because of the text. Either way, it was just flat and dry.
The text feels like a dissertation, built from blocks of facts, one right after the other. There is no narrative thread, no deeper context. No framework that ties it together, makes it interesting, or memorable.
The narrator seems a bit excitable, but it doesn’t come across as engaging. It comes across as strange. If feels as though he has never encountered this topic before and isn’t familiar with the text. Just sentence after sentence spat out with, generally for no discernible reason, an eager intonation.
Not much else to say really. Maybe it’s for you. It’s regrettably not for me.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jacob M.
- 11-09-23
Exactly what I was looking for
A very helpful text giving a broad view of the history of the Praetorian guard.
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Overall
- Jim
- 03-01-18
Enthralling History of the Praetorian Institution
To begin with, as the author states in the forward this is not a look at the Praetorian Guard at an individual level though a fair amount of this does take place in the guise of personal diplomas and tombstones but rather a broader look at the institution as a whole. From it's inception at the begining of the imperial age of Rome to it's downfall which coincidentally was brought on in part from the guard's own meddling in imperial affairs; this book follows the institution's course as it runs parallel to and often redirects the life of the Caesars they were meant to protect. The book is well written and spiced with allusions to other works both ancient and contemporary and may be more properly enjoyed if the listener has some previous knowledge of Imperial Rome. Exceedingly well read. 5 out of 5.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Maxwell
- 11-28-17
well rounded audiobook
insightful story. narrator was wonderful, the tempo of narratio a little fast for me. good background to the broader histories and bio's.
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1 person found this helpful