n 193 C.E., the Praetorian Guard did not like the emperor they were sworn to protect. Emperor Pertinax tried to issue strict reforms aimed at restoring discipline in the Guard. But they were having none of it, so the elite bodyguards executed him.
Now in de facto control of the empire, the Praetorians decided to auction off the imperial throne. Two powerful Romans competed to bribe their way into power. Senator Didius Julianus offered each Praetorian a massive sum of 25,000 sestertii – around five years’ pay.
The Praetorians agreed to the bribe, and Didius became emperor. But when the money never arrived, the Praetorians turned against the new ruler. An assassin snuck into Didius’s house and beheaded him. He was the second emperor killed by the Praetorians in less than 70 days during what would become known as the Year of Five Emperors.
