The donativum (plural donativa) was a gift of money by the Roman emperors to the soldiers of the Roman legions or to the Praetorian Guard. The English translation is donative.
The purpose of the donativa varied. Some were expressions of gratitude for favors received, and others outright bribery for favours expected in return. Donativa were normally rendered at the beginning of each new emperor's reign. During the 2nd and 3rd centuries, that form of bribery became a crucial part of any successful ruler in Rome. Such was the case with many of the soldier-emperors from 235 to 248.
The Praetorian Guard, intimate to the emperor's person, was an even greater threat to security. The cohorts stationed in Rome were difficult to appease and quick to assassinate. The donativum thus provided a significant way to purchase the Guard's support and loyalty.
Emperor Augustus bequeathed the Praetorian Guard a substantial sum in his will, but it was not until the reign of Tiberius that gifts of money were thought to be mandatory. The Praetorian Guard received such gifts for turning a blind eye when Sejanus, the praetorian prefect, fell from power. Each Praetorian Guard received 10 gold pieces in return for not defending Sejanus.
In 41, after the assassination of Caligula, the Guard supported Claudius, and the Senate briefly learned that the Guard had installed him on the throne. Claudius gave them 150 gold pieces, or some 3,750 denarii to which the senators' 100 sesterces were added annually to commemorate Claudius's accession. The inevitable result of the custom of the donativum was the Guard's auctioning of the empire to Didius Julianus in 193.
The donativum (plural donativa) was a gift of money by the Roman emperors to the soldiers of the Roman legions or to the Praetorian Guard. The English...
he lost the favor of the Praetorian Guard when he refused to pay their donativum and began revoking their privileges under Commodus. When confronted by...
Guard and the legions. To secure their loyalty, several emperors paid the donativum, a monetary reward. In theory, the Senate was entitled to choose the new...
Septimius Severus raised the pay of legionaries, and gave substantial donativum to the troops. The large and ongoing increase in military expenditure...
Ancient writers detail how the Praetorian Guard expected a generous donativum on his ascension, and when they were disappointed, agitated until he produced...
of the massive tribute owed to the Persians, as well as the necessary donativum to the army to secure its acceptance of his accession, made Philip desperately...
every new emperor since Claudius, Lucius promised the troops a special donativum. This donative, however, was twice the size of those past: 20,000 sesterces...
upon the citizens, while the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard received a donativum which may have amounted to as much as 5000 denarii per person. This was...
and a half times that of a legionary, augmented by prime additions of donativum, granted by each new emperor. This additional pay was the equivalent of...
Agentes in rebus Comitatenses Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary) Congiarium Donativum Fiscus Mund (law) Rationalis A rationibus Realencyclopädie der classischen...
Justinian's successors. Ancient Rome portal Agentes in rebus Comes Congiarium Donativum Rationibus Roman commerce Roman economy Walter Scheidel (8 November 2012)...
she's all heart and tough as well". Winning the Timform Million with Donativum allowed Gosden to supplement the two-year-old for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile...
soldiers. The "gift" in Asterix and Caesar's Gift was a honesta missio. Donativum, a cash "gift" from a new emperor to secure the loyalty of troops Economics...
is no evidence that auxiliaries received the substantial cash bonuses (donativum) handed to legionaries on the accession of a new emperor and other occasions...
the military treasury at Rome from which veterans' benefits were funded donativum, a bonus paid by emperors to secure soldiers' loyalty The Impact of the...
khilʿet behā ('price of khilʿa'); most commonly this referred to the donativum received by the Janissaries on the accession of a new sultan. Tiraz Chelengk...
younger Pliny was a prefect of the military treasury appointed by Domitian. Donativum, a cash "gift" from a new emperor to secure the loyalty of troops Economics...
est. Ex hoc Hosed clarus et insignis habitus. Merces tam famosi gesti donativum imperiale cum reditu viginti mansuum. Eo die castra hostium invasa, et...
international horse racing championships in the USA. Wilko, Raven's Pass and Donativum were others that won at Great Yarmouth en route to future Breeders Cup...
May Ball (1997) Prix Maurice de Gheest Toylsome (1999) Prix de la Forêt Donativum (2006) Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Red Cadeaux (2006) Hong Kong Vase He...
Global Information
Ancient Rome portal