Praetorian is an adjective derived from the ancient Roman office of

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...

. It may refer to:

Government and military

Legatus A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer ...

(Praetorian legate), the title of a high military rank in the Roman Empire *

Praetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard (Latin: ''cohortēs praetōriae'') was a unit of the Imperial Roman army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for the Roman emperors. During the Roman Republic, the Praetorian Guard were an escort fo ...

, a special force of skilled and celebrated troops serving as the personal guard of Roman Emperors * Praetorian prefect, the title of a high office in the Roman Empire

Places

* Praetorian prefecture, the largest administrative division of the late Roman Empire, above the mid-level dioceses and the low-level provinces ** Praetorian prefecture of Africa, division of the Eastern Roman Empire established after the reconquest of northwestern Africa from the Vandals **

Praetorian prefecture of Gaul The Praetorian Prefecture of Gaul ( la, praefectura praetorio Galliarum) was one of four large prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided. History The prefecture was established after the death of Constantine I in 337, when the ...

, included Gaul, Upper and Lower Germany, Roman Britain, Spain and Mauretania Tingitana in Africa **

Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum ( la, praefectura praetorio per Illyricum; el, ἐπαρχότης/ὑπαρχία �ῶν πραιτωρίωντοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ, also termed simply the Prefecture of Illyricum) was one of four ...

, included, in its greatest expanse, Pannonia, Noricum, Crete and most of the Balkan peninsula except Thrace **

Praetorian prefecture of Italy The praetorian prefecture of Italy ( la, Praefectura praetorio Italiae, in its full form (until 356) ) was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided. It comprised the Italian peninsula, the Western Balkans, ...

, included the Italian peninsula, the Western Balkans, the Danubian provinces and parts of North Africa **

Praetorian prefecture of the East The praetorian prefecture of the East, or of the Orient ( la, praefectura praetorio Orientis, el, ἐπαρχότης/ὑπαρχία τῶν πραιτωρίων τῆς ἀνατολῆς) was one of four large praetorian prefectures into whic ...

, included the larger part of the Eastern Roman Empire

Arts, entertainment, and media

* ''Praetorian'' (novel), book by Simon Scarrow * ''Praetorians'' (album), a 2008 black metal album by Naer Mataron * ''Praetorians'' (video game), a 2003 real-time strategy computer game * '' The Praetorian'', a conservative newspaper at the University of California, Riverside * ''Praetorian'' (novel), book by Simon Scarrow * Praetorians are the primary antagonist group in '' The Net'', 1995 film featuring Sandra Bullock

Buildings

* Praetorian Building, one of the first high-rise buildings to be constructed in Dallas, Texas *

Praetorian Palace The Praetorian Palace ( sl, Pretorska palača, it, palazzo Pretorio) is a 15th-century Venetian Gothic palace in the city of Koper, in southwest Slovenia. Located on the southern side of the city's central Tito Square (at ''Titov trg/piazza T ...

, a 14th-century Venetian palace in the city of Koper, Slovenia

Other uses

* Pax Praetoriana, the relative stability of modern South Africa and its encouragement of democratic governments in other African states * Glyphid Praetorian, an acid-spitting creature in the cooperative first-person shooter video game Deep Rock Galactic *

Praetorians Roma The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

, an Italian rugby union team scheduled to begin play in the Magners League in 2010 * Torsus Praetorian, a 4x4 off-road bus from Ukraine {{disambiguation