Imperial Horse Guard

The names of the Regiment (30 BCE – 312 CE)

  • They were founded by the Julio Claudian Emperors.
  • Between 30 BCE – 68 CE, the ‘Imperial Horse Guard’ was also known as the Imperial German Bodyguard, in Latin, Germani Corpores Custodes or ‘Cohors Germanorum’.
  • They were also known as the ‘Batavi’, as they were mostly recruited from the Batavians (the modern Netherlands).
  • After 68 CE, they were briefly disbanded then reformed as the ‘Speculatores Augusti’ (68 – 98 CE)
  • After 98 CE, they were reformed as the ‘Equites Singulares Augusti’ 98-312 CE)

History of the Regiment (30 BCE – 312 CE)

  • They formed the personal Imperial Bodyguard unit of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, from Julius Caesar to Nero, and then continuing up until they were disbanded in 312 CE.
  • Most were recruited from the Rhine Delta, consisting mostly of the Batavi, but they also came from the Frisii, the Ubii and the Baetasii.
  • As they were not from Rome or Italy, they had no political or family ties, and were therefore considered to be completely loyal to the Roman Emperor.
  • The Roman Client Kingdom of Herod the Great (40-4 BCE) in Judaea, had a German Bodyguard organised on the same lines as that of the Emperor.
  • The later Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine Empire had a similar Imperial Guard called the Varangian Guard.

Size of the Regiment

Changes to the Regiment’s Organisation and Name

  • Speculatores Augusti: (68 – 98 CE)
    • After Nero‘s demise, Galba (69 CE) disbanded the Germani Corpores Custodes (the old Imperial Horse Guard), and replaced them with the Speculatores Augusti, using his own personal bodyguard.
    • The unit consisted of around 300 men in Cohorts of 30 men.
    • Its home base was on the Caelian Hill in Rome.
  • Equites Singulares Augusti: (98 – 312 CE)
    • The Speculatores Augusti were reformed by Trajan (98-117 CE) after the assassination of Domitian. The original speculatores were folded back into the Praetorian Cohorts.
    • Recruitment:
      • Instead, Trajan formed a new cavalry group, based on the Singulares of the Provincial Governor, probably his own bodyguard unit from when he was Governor.
      • Unlike the Praetorian legionaries who had to be Roman Citizens, the Singulares were recruited from serving cavalrymen in the Auxilia.
    • Numbers:
      • They were commanded by a Tribunus Militum, and consisted of 24 Turmae (squadrons) of 30 men each, totalling around 720 men.
      • Hadrian (117-138 CE) increased their numbers from 720 to 1,000.
        Septimius Severus (193-211 CE) increased their number to 2,000.
    • The emblem:
      • This was the scorpion, displayed on their standards and on their shields.
    • Uniform:
      • under Trajan their uniform was a short sleeved tunic, with knee breeches, caligae and a cloak fastened on the shoulder with a Fibula.
      • Under Caracalla, keeping the caligae and the cloak, the uniform changed slightly to a long sleeved tunic and long trousers.
    • Disbandment:

Organisation of the Regiment

  • Location
    • Housed in the Castra Priora, on the Caelian Hill, it was a separate fort from the Castra Praetoria, and held 1000 men.
    • After 193 CE, a new fort, the Castra Nova, was built by Septimius Severus beside the old fort, to house another 1000 more loyal men under a separate Tribune, from his Pannonian campaign. Totalling 2,000 men altogether.
    • Today, The Basilica of St John Lateran, built by Constantine I, stands on the site of the fort he had demolished when he disbanded the Praetorian Guard.
  • Structure
    • The Imperial Horseguard was not an Ala nor a Cohort: it was a Unit of the Auxilia, unlike the Praetorian Guard who were roman citizens. The men were totally loyal and trusted Provincials who wore their traditional local clothing and carried their own weapons. The majority were the Batavi from modern day Netherlands.
      • Turmae:
        The smallest unit of Cavalry consisting normally of 30 or 32 cavalrymen. Approximately 24 cavalry units totaling 720 men under Trajan.
  • The Commanders
    • Praefectus Alae:
      Commander of almost a thousand cavalrymen, a number doubled by Septimius Severus.
    • Tribunus Militum
      An Equestrian Tribunus functioned as overall commander of the Imperial Horse Guards. Although he ranked below the Praetorian Tribunes as head of an Auxiliary unit, they met the Emperor daily on their Palace watch duty; whereas the Praetorian Tribunes alternated with each other.The organisation of the Imperial Horse Guard resembled that of the cavalry in the Auxilia with Turmae commanded by Decuriones.
    • Decurion:
      Commanded a single Turmae
    • Duplicarius:
      Second in Command to the Decurion Sesquiplicarius:
      Third in Command to the Decurion

      • Centurio Exercitator:
        Cavalry Training Officers. They were however not drawn from the Auxilia, but were selected from the legionary cavalry.
  • The Cavalrymen
    • Eques or Eques Alaris:
      Cavalryman: Members were usually recruited from the Alae and Cohortes Equitatae, though at times men were directly recruited.The citizen guardsmen of the praetorian cohorts had their counterpart in the originally non-citizen horse guards.These consisted in the Julio-Claudian era of the Germani Custodes Corporis disbanded after Nero and the later Equites Singulares Augusti.
      Both these units were also known as Batavi after the tribal origin of many Imperial Horse Guards.
  • Duties
    • Ceremonial Duties and State events.
    • Daily Palace guard duties.
    • They were also used by the Emperor as messengers to carry secret intelligence signals. They were also used as undercover agents.
  • Citizenship
    • As the cavalry were recruited from the Auxilia, they did not have Roman Citizenship. However, they were not obliged to serve 25 years to obtain Citizenship, like their colleagues in the Auxilia, and so were probably granted Roman Citizenship on entry.

 

Basilica of St. John Lateran, site of the Castra Priora.

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30 BCE
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