The Roman
Imperial German Bodyguard, also called the
Germanic bodyguard, (
Latin:
Germani corporis custodes or
Germani corpore custodes, in the literary sources also called the
numerus Batavorum or
cohors Germanorum) was a personal, imperial
guards unit for the
Roman emperors of the
Julio-Claudian dynasty (30 BC - AD 68) composed of
Germanic soldiers. Although the
Praetorians may be considered the Roman Emperor's main bodyguard, the German Bodyguards were a unit of more personal guards recruited from distant parts of the Empire, so they had no political or personal connections with Rome or the provinces.