Imperial Guard
An imperial guard describes any group of troops or military organisation that formed a part of armed forces of any state which claimed to be an empire, ruled by a monarch who in English would be titled an Emperor, Empress or Imperial Prince or Princess. Usually these troops embody a more elite status then other imperial forces, including the regular armed forces, and maintain special rights, privileges and traditions.
Because the head of state often wishes to be protected by the best soldiers available, their numbers and organisation may be expanded to carry out additional tasks. Napoleon's Imperial Guard is an example of this. Some empires maintained ceremonial guard units, such as the British Empire, which still exist.
In the post-colonial period, the term has been used colloquially and derisively to describe the staff of a person, usually a politician or corporate executive officer, that acts to prevent direct communication with the person (also called a palace guard in this context).
List of Imperial Guards
- Persian Immortals
- Iranian Imperial Guard
- Praetorian Guard of the Roman Empire (from around 275 B.C. until 284 A.D.)
- Jovians and Herculians, elite Guards legions, Roman Empire (from 284 A.D. until 7th century)
- Scholae Palatinae, Imperial Guards in Constantinople (ca. 312 until ca. 1080)
- Tagmata, elite Byzantine Guards units (8th century-11th century)
- Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Empire
- Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire
- Imperial Guards (Tang Dynasty), formed initially as honour bodyguards of the emperor and garrison of the capital, and evolved to reflect the era's transition of reliance on professional soldiery over conscriptions.
- Imperial Guards Brigade of Manchu Banner soldiers, entrusted with guarding the person of the Emperor of China and the Forbidden City during the Qing dynasty
- Imperial Guard of Manchukuo
- Imperial Guard of Napoleon I and the First French Empire
- Imperial Guard (Napoleon III) of the Second French Empire
- Russian Imperial Guard, also known as the Leib Guard, of the Russian Emperor
- Garde du Corps (Prussia) of the German Empire
- Imperial Guard of Japan
- Kebur Zabangna (Ethiopian empire)
- Emperor's Bowmen of the Guard (Ancient Korea)
- Household Cavalry and the Foot Guards of the British Empire
Fiction
The term has been used in fiction:
- Imperial Guard (comics), a group of alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe.
- Emperor's Royal Guard, Emperor Palpatine's personal protectors in the Star Wars universe.
- Imperial Guard (Warhammer 40,000), a faction from the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniature wargame.
See also
- List of empires
- List of largest empires
- List of extinct countries, empires, etc.
- Imperialism
- Colonialism
- Royal Guard
External Links
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Imperial Guard (disambiguation)". Image Credit.
Extended Definition: IMPERIAL GUARD
Imperial Guard
An imperial guard describes any group of troops or military organisation that formed a part of armed forces of any state which claimed to be an empire, ruled by a monarch who in English would be titled an Emperor, Empress or Imperial Prince or Princess. Usually these troops embody a more elite status then other imperial forces, including the regular armed forces, and maintain special rights, privileges and traditions.
Because the head of state often wishes to be protected by the best soldiers available, their numbers and organisation may be expanded to carry out additional tasks. Napoleon's Imperial Guard is an example of this. Some empires maintained ceremonial guard units, such as the British Empire, which still exist.
In the post-colonial period, the term has been used colloquially and derisively to describe the staff of a person, usually a politician or corporate executive officer, that acts to prevent direct communication with the person (also called a palace guard in this context).
List of Imperial Guards
- Persian Immortals
- Iranian Imperial Guard
- Praetorian Guard of the Roman Empire (from around 275 B.C. until 284 A.D.)
- Jovians and Herculians, elite Guards legions, Roman Empire (from 284 A.D. until 7th century)
- Scholae Palatinae, Imperial Guards in Constantinople (ca. 312 until ca. 1080)
- Tagmata, elite Byzantine Guards units (8th century-11th century)
- Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Empire
- Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire
- Imperial Guards (Tang Dynasty), formed initially as honour bodyguards of the emperor and garrison of the capital, and evolved to reflect the era's transition of reliance on professional soldiery over conscriptions.
- Imperial Guards Brigade of Manchu Banner soldiers, entrusted with guarding the person of the Emperor of China and the Forbidden City during the Qing dynasty
- Imperial Guard of Manchukuo
- Imperial Guard of Napoleon I and the First French Empire
- Imperial Guard (Napoleon III) of the Second French Empire
- Russian Imperial Guard, also known as the Leib Guard, of the Russian Emperor
- Garde du Corps (Prussia) of the German Empire
- Imperial Guard of Japan
- Kebur Zabangna (Ethiopian empire)
- Emperor's Bowmen of the Guard (Ancient Korea)
- Household Cavalry and the Foot Guards of the British Empire
Fiction
The term has been used in fiction:
- Imperial Guard (comics), a group of alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe.
- Emperor's Royal Guard, Emperor Palpatine's personal protectors in the Star Wars universe.
- Imperial Guard (Warhammer 40,000), a faction from the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop miniature wargame.
See also
- List of empires
- List of largest empires
- List of extinct countries, empires, etc.
- Imperialism
- Colonialism
- Royal Guard
External Links
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Imperial Guard". Image Credit.
