Usuario:Dpalma01/Traducción de Guardia Pretoriana
La Guardia Pretoriana (también, Guardia Praetoriana, en latín: praetoriani) era un equipo militar que servía de escolta a los emperadores romanos. Antes de los emperadores, esta escolta era usada por los líderes militares aún desde los días de la familia de los Escipiones alrededor del año 275 a. C. Los miembros de la Guardia Pretoriana estaban entre las más diestras y célebres fuerzas militares de la historia antigua.
Historia[editar]
El término "pretoriano" tiene su origen en la tienda de campaña del general o praetor de un ejército romano llamada praetorium. Muchos de los generales romanos tenían la costumbre de escoger entre las filas una fuerza privada de soldados para servir como escoltas (guardias) de la tienda o de la persona del general y consistía de una infantería y una caballería. Con el pasar del tiempo, esta unidad (cohorte) se llegó a conocer como la cohors praetoria y varias figuras notables incluyendo Julio César, Marco Antonio y César Augusto tuvieron una. Julio César se dio cuenta que se necesitaba una unidad más peligrosa que lás demás en el campo como la Legión X Equestris (Legio X Gemina). Cuando Augusto se convirtió en el primer gobernante del imperio en el 27 a. C., decidió que tal formación era útil no solamente en guerra pero en política. Así, de las filas de las legiones de todas las provincias, Augusto reclutó a la Guardia Pretoriana.
La Primera Guardia[editar]
The group that was formed initially differed greatly from the later Guard, which would murder emperors. While Augustus understood the need to have a protector in the maelstrom of Rome, he was careful to uphold the Republican veneer of his regime. Thus he allowed only nine cohorts to be formed, originally at 500 but increased to 1,000 men each, and only three were kept on duty at any given time in the capital. A small number of detached cavalry units (turma) of 30 men each were also organized. While they patrolled inconspicuously in the palace and major buildings, the others were stationed in the towns surrounding Rome; no threats were possible from these individual cohorts. This system was not radically changed with the arrival of two Praetorian prefects in 2 BC, Q. Ostorius Scapula and Salvius Aper, although organization and command were improved.
Augustus' death on August 19, AD 14, marked the end of Praetorian calm, the only time the Praetorian Guard did not use its military strength to play a part in the politics of Rome to force its own agenda. Augustus would be the sole emperor that would command the Praetorians' complete loyalty. From his death onward, the Praetorians would serve what was in their best interests. Through the machinations of their ambitious prefect, Lucius Aelius Sejanus, the Guard was brought from the Italian barracks into Rome itself. In 23, Sejanus convinced Tiberius to have the Castra Praetoria (the camp of the Praetorians) built just outside of Rome. One of these cohorts held the daily guard at the imperial palace. Henceforth the entire Guard was at the disposal of the emperors, but the rulers were now equally at the mercy of the Praetorians. The reality of this was seen in 31 when Tiberius was forced to rely upon his own cohors praetoria against partisans of Sejanus. Although the Praetorian Guard proved faithful to the aging Tiberius, their potential political power had been made clear.
While campaigning, the Praetorians were the equal of any formation in the Roman Army. Seldom used in the early reigns, they were quite active by 69. They fought well at the first battle of Bedriacum for Otho. Under Domitian and Trajan, the guard took part in wars from Dacia to Mesopotamia, while with Marcus Aurelius, years were spent on the Danubian frontier. Throughout the 3rd century, the Praetorians assisted the emperors in various campaigns.
Asuntos Políticos[editar]
Following the death of Sejanus, who was sacrificed for the Donativum (imperial gift) promised by Tiberius, the Guards began to play an increasingly ambitious and bloody game in the Empire. With the right amount of money, or at will, they assassinated emperors, bullied their own prefects, or turned on the people of Rome. In 41 Caligula was killed by conspirators from the senatorial class and from the Guard. The Praetorians placed Claudius on the throne, daring the senate to oppose their decision.
While the Guard had the power to kill off emperors, it had no role in government administration, unlike the personnel of the palace, the Senate, and the bureaucracy. Often after an outrageous act of violence, revenge by the new ruler was forthcoming. In 193 Didius Julianus purchased the Empire from the Guard for a vast sum, after the Guard auctioned it off. Later that year Septimius Severus marched into Rome, disbanded the Praetorians and started a new formation from his own Pannonian Legions. Even Vespasian in 69, who relied upon the disgruntled cohorts dismissed by Vitellius, reduced their rank in number when ascending the throne. Unruly mobs in Rome fought often with the Praetorian in Maximinus Thrax's reign in vicious street battles.
In 271 Aurelian sailed east to destroy the power of Palmyra, Syria with a force of legionary detachments, Praetorian cohorts, and other cavalry units. The Palmyrans were easily defeated. This led to the orthodox view that Diocletian and his colleagues evolved the sacer comitatus (the field escort of the emperors) which included field units that utilized selection process, command structure, and modeled after the old Praetorian cohorts, but was not of uniform composition and was much larger than a Praetorian cohort.
Los Últimos Años de la Guardia[editar]
In 284 Diocletian reduced the status of the Praetorians; they were no longer to be part of palace life, as Diocletian lived in Nicomedia, some 60 miles from Byzantium in Asia Minor. Two new corps, the Jovians and Herculians (named after the gods Jove, or Jupiter, and Hercules, associated with the senior and junior emperor), replaced the Praetorians as the personal protectors of the emperors, a practice that remained intact with the tetrarchy. By the time Diocletian retired on May 1, 305, their barracks (Castra Praetoria) seems to have housed only a minor garrison of Rome.
The final act of the Praetorians in imperial history started in 306, when Maxentius, son of the retired emperor Maximian, was passed over as a successor: the troops took matters into their own hands and elevated him to the position of emperor in Italy on October 28. Caesar Flavius Valerius Severus, following the orders of Galerius, attempted to disband the Guard but only managed to lead the rest of them in revolting and joining Maxentius. When Constantine the Great, launching an invasion of Italy in 312, forced a final confrontation at the Milvian Bridge, the Praetorian cohorts made up most of Maxentius' army. Later in Rome, the victorious Constantine definitively disbanded the Praetorian Guard. The soldiers were sent out to various corners of the Empire, and the Castra Praetoria was demolished. For over 300 years they had served, and the destruction of their fortress was a grand gesture, inaugurating a new age of imperial history and ending the Praetorians.
El Legado de la Guardia Pretoriana[editar]
Although its name has become synonymous with intrigue, conspiracy, disloyalty and assassination, it could be argued that for the first two centuries of its existence the Praetorian Guard was, on the whole, a positive force in the Roman state. During this time it mostly removed (or allowed to be removed) cruel, weak and unpopular emperors while generally supporting just, strong and popular ones. By protecting these monarchs, thus extending their reigns, and also by keeping the mobs of Rome and the Senate in line the guard helped give the empire much needed stability which lead to the period known as the Pax Romana. It was not until after the reign of Marcus Aurelius, when this period is generally considered to have ended, that the guard began to deteriorate into the ruthless, mercenary and meddling force for which it has become infamous. However, during the Severan dynasty and afterwards during the Crisis of the Third Century, the legions, the senate and the emperorship along with the rest of Roman government were falling into decadence as well.
La Relación entre los Emperadores y la Guardia Pretoriana[editar]
| Emperador | Año | |
| César Augusto | 27 a. C. - 14 | Creador de la Guardia Pretoriana, contó con lealtad total |
| Tiberio | 14 - 37 | Permitió que Sejano tomará poder como el Prefecto de la Guardia |
| Calígula | 37 - 41 | Asesinado por la Guardia |
| Claudio | 41 - 54. | Fue proclamado emperador por la Guardia |
| Nerón | 54 - 68 | La Guardia lo desertó |
| Galba | 68 - 69 | Asesinado por la Guardia |
| Otón | 69 | Elegido por la Guardia |
| Vitelio | 69 | Depuesto y ejecutado por la Guardia |
| Vespasiano | 69 - 79. | Redujo el número de la Guardia después de su victoria en el 69 |
| Tito | 79 - 81 | Fue Prefecto de la Guardia antes de convertirse en emperador |
| Domiciano | 81 - 96 | Tuvo el apoyo de la Guardia al ser elegido, pero después fue asesinado por sus Prefectos |
| Nerva | 96 - 98 | Fue humillado por la Guardia y murió durante un sitio contra él |
| Trajano | 98 - 117 | |
| Adriano | 117 - 138 | Fundó la policía secreta (espías) llamados Frumentarii |
| Antonino Pío | 138 - 161 | |
| Marco Aurelio | 161 - 180 | |
| Lucio Vero | 161 - 169 | |
| Cómodo | 180 - 192 | Asesinado por su Prefecto |
| Pertinax | 193 | Asesinado por la Guardia |
| Didio Juliano | 193 | Ofreció dinero por el imperio a la Guardia |
| Pescennius Niger | 193 | |
| Septimio Severo | 193 - 211 | Disolvió la Guardia y creó una de las legiones de Panonia |
| Caracalla | 211 - 217 | Asesinado en un complot por su Prefecto, Macrino |
| Macrino | 217 - 218 | |
| Heliogábalo | 218 - 222 | Asesinado en la Castra Praetoria por la Guardia |
| Alejandro Severo | 222 - 235 | Elegido por la Guardia |
| Maximino Trax | 235 - 238 | |
| Gordiano I | 238 | |
| Gordiano II | 238 | |
| Balbino | 238 | Asesinado por la Guardia |
| Pupieno | 238 | Asesinado por la Guardia |
| Gordiano III | 238 - 244 | Fue proclamado emperador por la Guardia pero fue asesinado por su Prefecto, Filipo el Árabe |
| Filipo el Árabe | 244 - 249 | |
| Decio | 249 - 251 | |
| Herrenio Etrusco | 251 | |
| Hostiliano | 251 | |
| Treboriano Gallo | 251-253 | |
| Emiliano | 253 | |
| Publio Licinio Valeriano | 253-260 | |
| Galieno | 260-268 | |
| Claudio II | 268-270 | |
| Quintilo | 270 | |
| Aureliano | 270-275 | Asesinado por las tropas pretorianas |
| Marco Claudio Tácito | 275-276 | |
| Floriano | 276 | |
| Probo | 276 - 282 | Asesinado por las tropas pretorianas después de una revuelta |
| Caro | 282-283 | |
| Carino | 283-285 | |
| Numeriano | 283-284 | |
| Diocleciano | 284 - 305 | Acabó con el poder de los pretorianos |
| Maximiano | 286 - 305, 307 - 308 | |
| Galerio | 305-311 | |
| Constancio Cloro | 305-306 | |
| Flavio Valerio (Severo II) | 306-307 | |
| Majencio | 306-312 | Último emperador al mando de la Guardia |
| Constantino I | 306-337 | Disolvió la Guardia y destruyó la Castra Praetoria (Castillo Pretoriano) |
Organización y Condiciones de Servicio[editar]
Although the Praetorians have similarities, they are unlike any of the regular Legions of the Roman Empire. Their 9 (1 less than a legion) cohorts were larger, the pay and benefits were better, and its military abilities were reliable. They also received gifts of money called Donativum from the emperors. As conceived by Augustus, the Praetorian cohorts totaled around 9,000 men, recruited from the legions of the regular army or drawn from the most deserving youths in Etruria, Umbria, and Latium (three provinces in central Italy). Over time the pool of recruits expanded to Macedonia, Hispania Baetica, Hispania Tarraconensis, Lusitania and Illyricum. Vitellius formed a new Guard out of the Germanic legions, while Septimus Severus did the same with the Pannonian legions. He also chose replacements for the units' ranks from throughout the Roman Empire.
Around the time of Augustus (c. AD 5) each cohort of the Praetorians numbered 1,000 men, increasing to a high-water mark of 1,500 men. As with the normal legions, the body of troops actually ready for service was much smaller. Tacitus reports that the number of cohorts was increased to twelve from nine in 47. In 69 it was briefly increased to sixteen cohorts by Vitellius, but Vespasian quickly reduced it again to nine. Finally in 101 their number was increased once more to ten, resulting in a force of 5,000 troops, whose status was at least elite.
The training of guardsmen was more intense than in the legions because of the amount of free time available, when a cohort was not posted or traveling with the emperor. The Guard followed the same lines as those elsewhere. Equipment and armour were also the same with one notable exception — specially decorated breastplates, excellent for parades and state functions. Insignia of the "Moon and Stars" and the "Scorpion" were particularly associated with the Praetorians. Thus, each guardsman possessed two suits of armor, one for Roman duty and one for the field.
- The Praetorians received substantially higher pay than other Roman soldiers in any of the legions, on a system known as sesquiplex stipendum, or by pay-and-a-half. So if the legionaires received 225 denarii, the guards received 375. Domitian and Severus increased the stipendum (payment) to 1,500 denarii, distributed three times a year in January, May and September.
On special occasions they received special donativum from the emperor.
Upon retiring, a soldier of the Praetorians was granted 20,000 sesterces (5,000 denarii), a gift of land, and a Diplomata reading 'to the warrior who bravely and faithfully completed his service." Many chose to enter the Evocati, while others reenlisted in the hopes of gaining further promotion and other possible high positions in the Roman state.
Rango y Jerarquía[editar]
| Rangos de la Guardia Pretoria en Orden Ascendente | |
|---|---|
| Milites | Soldados regulares |
| Immunes | Después de 5 años se les permitía servir en la caballería (Equites singulares) o como agentes especiales (Speculatores) |
| Principales | Administradores legionarios |
| Evocati | Después de 16 años de servicio, se les otorgaba el jubileo pero la mayoría decidían quedarse. |
| Centuriones | Eran soldados que habían sido transferidos a la Guardia Pretoriana después de haber servido en las legiones, los vigiles o la cohorte urbana. |
| Tribuni | Estos oficiales también provenían de las legiones y casi siempre de la clase ecuestre y comandaban una cohorte. Casi nunca se promovía a los centuriones al puesto de tribuni. |
| Procuratores | Un rango de la clase ecuestre |
| Praefectus | Cargo disponible a los vigiles y las cohortes urbanas; era el rango mayor de la Guardia Pretoriana y el líder de tal |
- Prefecto(s) al mando de la Guardia Pretoriana
See the article Praetorian prefect, which also lists the incumbents of the post of Praefectus praetorio and covers the essentially civilian second life of the office, since ca 300 AD, as administrator of a quarter of the empire),
Usos Modernos Análogos del Término[editar]
- In common language, the phrase "praetorian guard(s)" designates an exclusive, unconditionally loyal group personally attached to powerful people, especially dictators such as Napoleon I's Imperial Guard, Adolf Hitler's SS troops or Romania's communist leader Ceauşescu's Securitate (secret police).
- However, the term is also used in unarmed, even private contexts: for example, a corporate officer or politician may have a small group of associates or followers whom a journalist may describe as a "praetorian guard". Such use is often pejorative, meant to indicate that the followers are fanatics or extremists and/or that the leader is tyrannical or paranoid.
- Praetorianism is used to mean the advocacy or practice of military dictatorship.
- John Stockwell, a former member of the CIA, used the title The Praetorian Guard for his book about the negative aspects of U.S. foreign policy.