What were the Roman Emperor's personal bodyguards called?

The Praetorian Guard was an elite unit of the Imperial Roman Army whose members served as personal bodyguards and intelligence for the Roman emperors. They originated during the Roman Republic. They served as emergency firefighters. They acted as a secret police force. They played a role in assassinating several emperors. They famously auctioned the emperorship to the highest bidder. They once fought against one another in battle. And in one final act, they were disbanded for supporting a pretender to the Roman throne.

Today, historians and scholars note that the Praetorian Guard was equal parts secret service, special forces, and urban administrators. Rome’s Praetorian Guard was one of the ancient world’s most prestigious military units ever to exist. The legionaries known as the Praetorian Guard were first hand-picked veterans of the Roman army. First established by Emperor Augustus, members of the Guard accompanied him on every active military campaign. This special unit of the army was ultimately dissolved by Emperor Constantine I in the 4th century.