praetorians
Inner circle enforcers
Praetorians were elite soldiers in ancient Rome who served as the emperor's personal bodyguard.
The term now refers to any group fiercely loyal to a leader, especially one that wields disproportionate political influence: The president surrounded himself with praetorians who answered to no one else.
The word often carries sinister overtones of unaccountable power.
Group sharing circumstances
- centurionRoman army officer
- legionGreat number, or soldiers
- imperialRelating to supreme rule
- CaesarRoman imperial title
Augustus · Tiberius · Caligula · Claudius · Nero · senate · forum · empire
Paid personal security agent
- prefectStudent given official authority
- emperorMale ruler of empire
- palaceMonarch's official residence
- throneCeremonial chair for sovereigns
cloak · dagger · conspiracy · assassination · usurper · coup · treachery · intrigue
Those who decide leadership
- powerbrokersThose controlling political outcomes
- gatekeepersThose controlling entry
- handlersThose who manage or control
- enforcersThose who impose obedience
loyalists · insiders · cronies · fixers · operatives · apparatchiks · cabal · junta
Roman military infantrymen
- auxiliariesSupporting or helper elements
- infantryGround combat troops
- cavalryMounted military force
- tacticsMethods to achieve goals
campaign · battlefield · commander · formation · drill · discipline · standards · eagle
cohort
Group sharing circumstances
Caesar · Augustus · Tiberius · Caligula · Claudius · Nero · senate · forum · empire · Rome
bodyguard
Paid personal security agent
- prefectStudent given official authority
- emperorMale ruler of empire
- palaceMonarch's official residence
throne · cloak · dagger · conspiracy · assassination · usurper · coup · treachery · intrigue · barracks
kingmakers
Those who decide leadership
- powerbrokersThose controlling political outcomes
- gatekeepersThose controlling entry
- handlersThose who manage or control
enforcers · loyalists · insiders · cronies · fixers · operatives · apparatchiks · cabal · junta · regime
legionaries
Roman military infantrymen
- auxiliariesSupporting or helper elements
- infantryGround combat troops
- cavalryMounted military force
tactics · campaign · battlefield · commander · formation · drill · discipline · standards · eagle · armor
- Ancient RomansJulius Caesar, patricians, consuls, Marcus Aurelius, Nero
- guards and soldiersbodyguards, sentries, watchmen, sentinels, gatekeepers
- Ancient RomeRome, Julius Caesar, Caesar, gladiator, gladiators
- Roman EmpireAugustus, emperors, Roman Empire, Roman emperors, imperial
- Roman Espionagespies, informants, scouts, couriers, agents
praetoriansrank and file
Ordinary members collectively
foot soldiers · legionaries · auxiliaries · conscripts · enlisted men
praetorianscitizen soldiers
Armed civilians in wartime
minutemen · people's army · national guard · freedom fighters
- Praetorian GuardAncient Rome's imperial security force