WI Roman Senate managed to gain control of Praetorian Guard?

The institution of the cohors praetoria had originally been that of a group of men acting as bodyguards to a general, but Augustus - most likely drawing on the experience of Julius Caesar's murder - created a large personal army.
Initially, the Praetorian guard consisted of nine cohorts of 500 men each. This was increased by emperor Caligula to twelve cohorts. Vitellius again increased their number to sixteen cohorts. Vespasian therafter reduced their number again to nine cohorts and Domitian increased them to ten cohorts of 500 men. A cohort was commmanded by a tribune, together with two equestrians.
The guard itself was commanded by the praetorian prefects, who were equestrians rather than of senatorial rank. A sign of the exclusion of the mighty senate from certain key positions by the emperor.
WI Senate persuaded some Emperor to appoint a Praetorian Praefect of Senatorial rank to the Guard? Could they gain its control that way? How is a Senate-controlled Praetorian Guard alters History? Any thoughts?
 
I suspect it would make the position quite dangerous and as a result add to the system's instability. A senatorial praetorian prefect would be a potential emperor, after all - much more likely, if he was to abandon his loyalty to the emperor, to take the next step up than to submit to the authority of the consuls. It is quite likely that, like the German bodyguards, the whole thing would be given up as a bad idea.

Any kind of stable basis this could run on would need the praetorian prefect to be one of the emperor's most loyal friends. The position would have to be outside any career structure, an apppointment entirely at the pleasure of the princeps and unlimited in time. Then it could work, of sorts - more 'bad' emperors deposed by their praetorian prefects, more influence accruing to the group of senators that hold high military commands. The senate as a body is unlikely to benefit much - on the contrary, this might destroy the bonds of internal cohesion even more, splitting the military functionary group from the noninvolved time-servers and traditional careerists. There wasn't much that held the senators together as it was.

If you want to spin the tale further, that puts two senior senatorials with military authority over troops in the city. The most likely response is to put more forces under an equestrian commander within striking distance in case either the urban praetor or the praetorian propraetor (as he might well be) got ideas. I'm thinking of beefing up the equites singulares (or an earlier equivalent, maybe the Germani Corporis Custodes are never dissolved?). And the naval contingent might also become more overtly a military counterweight. In the long run, that could boost the standing of the navy, especially if the boys from Misenum beat the praetorians in a stand-up fight once or twice.
 
Rome could really not be saved from itself at this point, and it's obvious if you don't stare yourself blind at emperors and plotters. The entire social and thus cultural basis of the Republic had vanished, the populace had been proletarized and de-politicized, the particular Roman ethnicity had dissappeared and the Italians themselves were too emasculate for the military, forcing the state to recruit legionnaires in ever more barbarian populations, populations with no loyalty to the emperor and even less to the long-gone republican order.

If you want to save the Republic, go abck to the Gracchians. Military reform, Italian emancipation and land reform could possible restore a healthy, property-owning, middle-class, forming the basis for a citizen (and not professional) army used to defend vital Roman interests (rather then, say, invading Danubia).
 
A Senate-controlled Praetorian Guard would turn the Principate into some form of constitutional monarchy i guess... The Emperor would be a mere figurehead while the Senate with army backing would exercise full power...
Of course there would be usurpers etc. but none would want to be a mere figurehead... so if some usurper succeeds in beating the Senate either becomes the power behind the throne or disbands the Senate and rules as King (a sacrilegious title for the Romans...)
 
Rome could really not be saved from itself at this point, and it's obvious if you don't stare yourself blind at emperors and plotters. The entire social and thus cultural basis of the Republic had vanished, the populace had been proletarized and de-politicized, the particular Roman ethnicity had dissappeared and the Italians themselves were too emasculate for the military, forcing the state to recruit legionnaires in ever more barbarian populations, populations with no loyalty to the emperor and even less to the long-gone republican order.

If you want to save the Republic, go abck to the Gracchians. Military reform, Italian emancipation and land reform could possible restore a healthy, property-owning, middle-class, forming the basis for a citizen (and not professional) army used to defend vital Roman interests (rather then, say, invading Danubia).

Even accepting the premise (which, incidentally, I would counsel against), what motivation would senators of all people have for restoring the political system of the earlier Republic? And if they tried, why wpould they choose to implement the one program that the popular party - and the Caesarians - had always supported and the optimates - and the supportes of a Sullan senate - had always opposed? Surely they would have entirely different priorities.
 
A Senate-controlled Praetorian Guard would turn the Principate into some form of constitutional monarchy i guess... The Emperor would be a mere figurehead while the Senate with army backing would exercise full power...
Of course there would be usurpers etc. but none would want to be a mere figurehead... so if some usurper succeeds in beating the Senate either becomes the power behind the throne or disbands the Senate and rules as King (a sacrilegious title for the Romans...)

The problem is that, despite what Tacitus and Suetonius imply, there doesn't ever appear to have been a 'senatorial' party to oppose the power of the emperor. The Senate could act as a unitary body at times, but I can't see it pursuing any cohesive policy over the long term. Not to mention it is near-impossible to see the appointment being in the Senate's gift. Bear in mind, the aerarium Saturni does not pay the military and the consuls do not command it. The Praetorian cohorts are personally loyal to the princeps by design and there is no legal way for the senate to appoint anyone without the consent of their imperium-holder. The best we can hope for here, IMO, is a senatorial command ranking with legionary or propraetorial legates.
 
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