Kingbreakers: The Praetorian Guard
Conflicted: A History Podcast
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Roman Autocracy and the Pretorian Police
Archaeologists have found a funeral tablet for a pretorian guardsman who died fighting a fire. Augustus and his wife, livia had never been able to conceive a son. The couple's only pregnancy had resulted in an emotionally devastating still birth. Unless he could find a decent successor, this grand experiment with roman autocracy looked like it might be coming to an end. By the closing years of the first century b c, augustus's power was very well secured,. But despite all he'd managed to achieve, he had a big problem - no heir.
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