Marcus Arrecinus Clemens ( 1st century AD) was a prefect of the Roman imperial

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...

, known as the Praetorian Guard. Born in Pisaurum, Italy, Clemens came from obscure origins and according to the historian

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies ...

, his family were of equestrian rank. He was the son of Arrecinus and wife Tertulla. His wife is usually identified as Julia, the sister of

Julius Lupus The gens Julia (''gēns Iūlia'', ) was one of the most prominent patrician families in ancient Rome. Members of the gens attained the highest dignities of the state in the earliest times of the Republic. The first of the family to obtain the ...

; Clemens' sister was Arrecina Clementina, also born in Pisaurum, Italy, c. 12, who became the wife of Titus Flavius Sabinus. His children were Marcus Arrecinus Clemens and

Arrecina Tertulla Arrecina Tertulla (died in 62 or 63) was a Roman woman who lived in the 1st century. She was the first wife of Titus and mother of his daughter Julia Flavia. Biography Early life Tertulla came from an Equestrian-rank family of obscure origin. Her ...

, who became the first wife of the future Emperor Titus. Clemens served as prefect from 38 to 41, during the reign of Emperor

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

. Suetonius says that Caligula bullied Clemens, often in front of the guards.Suetonius, ''Caligula'' 56.2 On 24 January 41, Clemens participated in the murder of Caligula, the Empress Caesonia, and their daughter, as well as in the proclamation of the next emperor

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arrecinus Clemens, Marcus 1st-century Romans Ancient Roman assassins Clemens, Marcus Flavian dynasty People from Pisaurum Praetorian prefects