Praetorian

Guy de la Bédoyère is author of a widely admired series of books on Romano-British history. He has appeared regularly on the UK’s Channel 4 archaeology series Time Team and is well known in the United States for his volume The Romans for Dummies. He lives in Grantham, UK.

“Any future researcher into the subject will certainly begin here.”—Peter Jones, Times (London)"This book is a lively and up-to-date history of the Praetorian Guard, the anti-coup divisions of the Roman emperors from Augustus to Constantine. De la Bédoyère tells their story with clarity and panache, and his book can be most warmly recommended both to aspiring tyrants and the ordinary armchair historian."—Peter Thonemann, Sunday Times"This is a fast paced and engaging history of the Praetorian Guard."—Harry Sidebottom, Sunday Telegraph"Aptly illustrated and impeccably referenced, with a helpful glossary and appendices. . . . It is an altogether impressive piece of compressed scholarship, a thorough study of its subject as well as an engaging history of imperial Rome."—Allan Mallinson, Spectator"[Praetorian] shows that even popular histories can illustrate the complexity of imperial power. . . . Conveying complexity, without subjecting the reader to the dozens of triple-barreled Roman names that make up the finer grain of imperial politics, has long been de la Bedoyere’s metier, as has been the easy charm with which good popular history distinguishes itself."—Michael Kulikowski, London Review of Books"A potted history of the Roman Empire, told through the triumphs and travails of the praetorians. . . . Praetorian is filled with engaging detail and grapples with the lacunae in the historical record with admirable assiduity. It will be a useful resource for any student of the tribulations of the Roman Empire."—Frank Brinkley, Literary Review"De la Bedoyere’s book on the Praetorian’s will likely become the definitive account of the rise and fall of the emperor’s bodyguards."—History of War"The dramatic story of the soldiers at the heart of the Roman empire. Lively and full of insight, de la Bedoyere traces the history of the praetorians and the emperors they served, murdered and made, through three hundred years of intrigue and drama."—Adrian Goldsworthy"A definitive and highly readable account of a key institution of the Roman Empire."—Tom Holland, author of Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic