Legions of Rome: the Definitive History of Every Roman Legion Free

FREE LEGIONS OF ROME: THE DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF EVERY ROMAN LEGION PDF

Led personally by him when he was governor of Hispania Ulterior, the legion was an alternative to cavalry auxiliaries, as Julius did not trust those from the territories recently conquered. It was founded in 65 B. Impressed by their courage and loyalty, as well as the proficiency that the hastily assembled legion had shown, Julius would use it later in the Gallic Wars. The biggest engagement the legion encountered was in Galicia. As it was instrumental and the decisive factor for victory, the legion had earned its fame and glory battling under the banner of the bull, personally headed by Julius himself into battle. Sadly, the legion had a shameful defeat and disbanding in the civil war that followed with Julius versus Pompey. In one battle, they were told to retreat by Julius, fearing they might be destroyed. But, this proved fatal, as this was the first time the legion had retreated at all, the rest of the army routed, causing the legion itself to be routed as well. For their cowardice, they asked to be disbanded, but Julius merely demoted their standard bearers. Not fulfilling their last chance to redeem themselves and their reputation, the legion disbanded in Rome as they sought payment. Highly regarded and one of the longest lasting legions was Legio III. This legion is debated for some inconsistencies for their appearance in history. The legion itself was founded by Mark Anthony in 36 B. If we were to take it as multiple legions bearing the number III, then this legion had been involved in most battles, conflicts and wars during the entire existence of Rome. It fought to secure the territories of Northern Africa for Rome, enforcing the law, as well as deterring would-be opposition by being stationed there. Later the legion would be used in securing the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula. The famous legion would find itself destroyed in the s A. The ironclad legion, the sixth, the victors, the veterans, these were some the names attributed to Legio VI. Founded by Pompey the Great during his campaign in Hispania, very little if any information has been gathered about the legion. Of note is that these were twin legions, the Ironclad Sixth and the Victorious Sixth. The legion saw its revival and replenishment in Gaul, under rule of Julius Caesar during his campaign to conquer the territory, and bring it under Roman rule. He had split the legion to fight in two fronts, one stationed for the campaigns in Britain, the other sent to fight in the Levant. For two centuries the legion had served under Rome, levying their veterans to lead newly-formed legions across the empire, as well as fighting countless battles and wars in their respective regions. Click here - to use the wp menu builder. Sign in. Log into your account. Forgot your password? Create an account. Sign up. Password recovery. Recover your password. About History Everything About History. Get help. Thursday, October 22, Home Historical Period Medieval History. Historical Period Medieval History. Top Three Great Roman Legions. By Hayden Chakra. April 21, Legio VI: The ironclad legion, the sixth, the victors, the veterans, these were some the names attributed to Legio VI. Previous article Wars of the Roses — Stay Connected. Latest Articles. What is Glima? Glima is a Scandinavian martial arts system used by the Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion Vikings. Strength wasn't the only way to dominate your opponent even Read more. The notorious Huns spread horror throughout Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion and Asia. Despite being nomadic people, they still conquered a good portion of land during their Golden period. The year of Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion 4 Emperors Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion place in 69 A. It signified the period in which three leaders had been changed over the Load more. Follow us on Instagram officialabouthistory. Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Imperial Roman Legion by Stephen Dando-Collins

This is a list of Roman legionsincluding key facts about each legion, primarily focusing on the Principate early Empire, 27 BC — AD legions, for which there exists substantial literary, epigraphic and archaeological evidence. Augustus and his immediate successors transformed legions into permanent units, staffed by entirely career soldiers on standard year terms. During the Dominate period near the end of the Empire, —legions were also professional, but are little understood due to Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion of evidence compared to the Principate. What is clear is that late legions were radically different in size, structure, and tactical role from their predecessors, despite several retaining early period names. This was the result of the military reforms of Emperors Diocletian and Constantine Iand of further developments during the 4th century. The legions were identified by Roman numeralsthough the spelling sometimes differed from the modern "standard". Usually they were authorized by the Roman Senateand were later disbanded. Gaius Marius ' reforms transformed legions into standing units, which could remain in being for several years, or even decades. This became necessary to garrison the Republic's now far-flung territories. Legionaries started large-scale recruiting of volunteer soldiers enlisted for a minimum term of six years and a fixed salary, although conscription was still practiced. The property requirements were abolished by Marius, so that the bulk of recruits were henceforth from the landless citizens, who would be most attracted to the paid employment and land offered after their service. In the last century of the Republic, proconsuls governing frontier provinces became increasingly powerful. Their command of standing legions in distant and arduous military campaigns resulted in the allegiance of those units transferring from the Roman state to themselves. These imperatores lit: victorious generals, from the title imperator they were hailed with by their troops frequently fell out with each other and started civil wars to seize control of the state. In this context, the imperatores raised many legions that were not authorised by the Senate, sometimes having to use their own resources. As civil wars were resolved, many of these "private" units would be disbanded, only for more to be raised to fight the next civil war. The legions included in the following list had a long enough history to be somehow remarkable. Most of them were levied by Julius Caesar and later included into Octavian 's army, some of them were levied by Marc Antony. The numbering of the legions is confusing, since several legions shared the same number with others. Augustus numbered the legions he founded himself from I, but also inherited numbers from his predecessors. Each emperor normally numbered the legions he raised himself starting Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion I. However, even this practice was not consistently followed. For example, Vespasian kept the same numbers as before for legions he raised from disbanded units. Trajan 's first legion was numbered XXX because there were 29 other legions in existence at the time it was raised; but the second Trajanic legion was given the sequential number II. These three legions are without titles, suggesting that in disgrace their titles may have been deliberately forgotten Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion left unmentioned. As a result of this somewhat chaotic evolution, the legion's title became necessary to distinguish between legions with the same number. Legions often carried several titles, awarded after successive campaigns, normally by the ruling emperor e. XII Fulminata was also awarded: paterna fatherlyvictrix victoriousantiqua venerablecerta constans reliable, Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion and Galliena Gallienus '. Pia fidelis loyal and faithfulfidelis constans and others were titles awarded to several legions, sometimes several times to the same legion. Only the most established, commonly used titles are displayed on this table. Legions bearing the personal name of an emperor, or of his gens clan e. AugustaFlavia were either founded by that Emperor or awarded the name as a mark of special favour. This shows the castra base where the legion spent the longest period during the Principate. Legions often shared the same base with other legions. Detachments of legions were often seconded for lengthy periods to other bases and provinces, as operational needs demanded. Legions often sported more than one emblem at the same time, and occasionally changed them. Legions raised by Caesar mostly carried a bull emblem originally; those of Augustus mostly a Capricorn. For legions that are documented into the 4th century and beyond, we do not know when or how they were terminated. For legions disappearing from the record beforethe reason certain or likely is given as:. Province names and borders are assumed throughout the Principate period as atduring the rule of Trajanand after the annexation of Dacia and Arabia Petraea. The map above shows provinces at the end of Trajan's reign, They are the same as inexcept that Armenia and Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion have been annexed they were abandoned soon after Trajan's death ; and Pannonia has been split into two the split occurred c. Diocletian reorganized the Roman army, in order to better counter the threat of the Germanic peoples of northern Europe as well as that of the Persians from the East. The army was formed by border and field units. The border limitanei units were to occupy the limesthe structured border fortifications, and were formed by professional soldiers with an inferior training. The field units were to stay well behind the border, and to move quickly where they were needed, with both offensive and defensive roles. Field units were formed by elite soldiers with high-level training and weapons. They were further divided into:. These units usually numbered between and 2, soldiers and some of them kept their original numbering schemes. The primary source for the legions of this era is the Notitia Dignitatuma late 4th-century document containing all the civil and military offices of both halves of the Roman Empire revised in c. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia list article. Structural history. Army Unit types and ranks Decorations and punishments Legions. Auxilia Generals. Fleets Admirals. Campaign history. Wars and battles. Technological history. Military engineering Castra Siege engines. Triumphal arches Roads. Political history. Strategy and tactics. Infantry tactics. Frontiers and fortifications. Main articles: Roman armyImperial Roman armyand Roman legion. Main article: Late Roman army. Ancient Rome portal War portal. A manual of Roman coins. Archived from the original on Retrieved Roman legions. Ancient Rome topics. Outline Timeline. Foundation Kingdom overthrow Republic. Categories : Military units and formations of ancient Rome Roman legions Roman legionary fortresses. Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata. Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Download as PDF Printable version. Part of a series on the. Campaign history Wars and battles. Strategy and tactics Infantry tactics. Hispania Tarraconensis. Was raised from marines of Classis Misenensis. Disbanded for cowardice in Batavi revolt. Failed to engage Boudica Capitoline Wolf Rome's national emblem. Ras al-AynSyria. BelgradeSerbia. Disbanded in Batavi revolt. XX during Batavian rebellion in 70 or at the first Battle of Tapae in XX at Battle of Edessa ? Only 1 record. XX at Battle of Abrittus ? KostolacSerbia. Was X EquestrisCaesar's "mounted" legion. Thunderbolt 12th lost aquila in Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion Jewish War. Top Three Great Roman Legions - About History Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion is not enabled in your browser. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. NOOK Book. The complete history of every Imperial Roman legion and what it achieved as a fighting force, by an award-winning historian. In this landmark publication, Stephen Dando-Collins does what no other author has ever attempted to do: provide a complete history of every Imperial Roman legion. Based on thirty years of meticulous research, he covers every legion of Rome in rich detail. In the first part of the book, the author provides a detailed account of what the legionaries wore and ate, what camp life was like, what they were paid, and how they Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion motivated Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion punished. Part two examines the histories of all the legions that served Rome for three hundred years starting in 30 BC. The book's final section is a sweeping chronological survey of the campaigns in which the armies Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion involved, told from the point of view of the legions. Featuring more than maps, photographs, diagrams and battle plans, Legions of Rome is an essential read for ancient history enthusiasts, military history experts and general readers alike. He is the author of several highly acclaimed works on ancient history. He lives in Tasmania. The history of the legions is the collective story of those individuals, not just of Rome's famous generals. Men such as Titus Flavius Virilis, still serving as a centurion at the age of And Titus Calidius, a cavalry decurion who missed military life so much after retiring he re-enlisted, at the reduced rank of optio. And Novantius, the British auxiliary from today's city of Leicester, who was granted his discharge thirteen years early for valiant service in the second century conquest of Dacia. Any analysis of the legions must begin with the men, their organization, their equipment, and their service conditions. Each of the two consuls, 'who were charged both singly and jointly to take care to preserve the Republic from danger', commanded two of these legions. Legio, the origin of the word 'legion', meant 'levy', or draft. Service ordinarily ended with the Festival of the October Horse on 19 October, which signalled the termination of the campaigning season. Men of 'military age' - 16 to 46 - were selected by ballot for each legion, with the 1st Legion considered to be the most prestigious. Rome's field army was bolstered by legions from allied Italian tribes. Legionaries of the early Republic were appointed to one of four divisions within their legion, based on age and property qualifications. The youngest men were assigned to the velitesthe next oldest to the hastatimen in the prime of life to the principes and the oldest to the triariiwith the role and equipment of each group differing. By Julius Caesar's day, the conscripted infantry soldier of the Republic was required to serve in the legions for up to sixteen years, and could be recalled in emergencies for a further four years. Originally, republican legions had a strength of 4, men, which in times of special danger could be Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion up to 5, Rutilius introduced arms drill and reformed the process of appointment for senior officers. Marius simplified the requirements for enrolment, so that it was not only property owners who were required to serve. Failure to Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion for military service would result in the conscript being declared a deserter, a crime subject to the death penalty. A legionary would be paid for the days he served - for many years, this amounted to ten asses a day. He was also entitled to the proceeds from any arms, equipment or clothing he stripped from the enemy dead, and was entitled to a share of the booty acquired by his legion. If a legion stormed a town, its legionaries received the proceeds from its contents - human and otherwise - which were sold to traders who trailed the legions. If a town surrendered, however, the Roman army's commander could elect to spare it. Consequently, legionaries had no interest in encouraging besieged cities to surrender. Marius focused on making the legions independent mobile units of heavy infantry. Supporting roles were left to allied forces. To increase mobility, Marius took most of the legionaries' personal equipment off the huge baggage trains which until then had trailed the legions, and put it on the backs of the soldiers, greatly reducing the size of the baggage train. With the items hanging from their baggage poles weighing up to pounds 45 kiloslegionaries of the era were nicknamed 'Marius' mules'. Until that time, the maniple of - men had been the principal tactical unit of the legion, but under Marius' influence the man cohort became the new tactical unit of the Roman army, so that the legion of the first century BC comprised ten cohorts, with a total of 6, men. Half a century later, Julius Caesar fashioned his legions around his own personality and dynamic style. Of the twenty-eight legions of Augustus' new standing army in 30 BC, some had been founded by Caesar, others moulded by him. The civil war, between the rebel Caesar and the forces of the republican Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion led by their commander Pompey the Great, created an insatiable demand for military manpower. In the professional army of Augustus, the legionary was a full- time soldier, sometimes a volunteer but more often a conscript, who signed on, initially for sixteen and later twenty years. Towards the end of his forty-three-year reign, Augustus was to boast: 'The number of Roman citizens who bound themselves to me by military oath was aboutOf these I settled in colonies or sent back into their own towns more than , and to all I assigned lands or gave money as a reward for military service. After the completion of his enlistment, an imperial legionary could be recalled in an emergency to the Evocati, a militia of retired legionaries. On Antony's death, Augustus controlled approximately sixty legions. Many of these were promptly disbanded. He also created a navy with two main battle fleets equipped with marines, and several smaller fleets. In AD 6, Augustus set up a military treasury in Rome, initially using his own funds, which were given in his name and that of Tiberius, his ultimate successor. To administer the military treasury he appointed three former praetors, allocating two secretaries to each. The ongoing shortfall in the military treasury's funds was covered by a death duty of 5 per cent on all inheritances, except where the recipient was immediate family or demonstrably poor. The selection criteria established by Augustus required men in their physical prime. A recruit's civilian skills would be put to use by the legion, so that blacksmiths became armourers, and tailors and cobblers made and repaired legionaries' uniforms and footwear. Unskilled recruits found themselves assigned to duties such as the surveyor's party or the artillery. When it was time for battle, however, all took their places in the ranks. A slave attempting to join the legions could expect to be executed if discovered, as happened in a case raised with the emperor Trajan by Pliny the Younger when he was governor of Bithynia-Pontus. Conversely, during the early part of Augustus' reign it was not uncommon for free men to pose as slaves to avoid being drafted into the legions or the Praetorian Guard when the conquisitorsor recruitment officers, periodically did the rounds of the recruitment grounds. This became such a problem that Augustus' stepson Tiberius was given the task of conducting an inquiry into slave barracks throughout Italy, whose owners were accepting bribes from free men to harbour them in the barracks when the conquisitors sought to fill their quotas. Velleius Paterculus, who served under Tiberius, made a sycophantic yet revealing statement about legion recruitment in around AD 'As for the recruiting of the army, a thing ordinarily looked upon with Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion and constant dread, with what calm on the part of the people does he [Tiberius] provide for it, without any of the usual panic attending conscription! Legionaries were not permitted to marry. Recruits who were married at the time of enrolment had their marriages annulled and had to wait until their enlistment expired to take a wife officially, although in practice there were many camp followers and many de facto relationships. The emperor Septimius Severus repealed the marriage regulation, so that from AD serving legionaries could marry. For many decades, each imperial legion had its own dedicated recruitment Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion. The 3rd Gallica Legion, for example, was for many years recruited in Syria, despite its name, while both 7th legions were recruited in eastern Spain. By the second half of the first century, for the sake of expediency, recruiting grounds began to shift; the 20th Legion, for instance, which had up to that time been recruited in northern Italy, received an increasing number of its men from Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion East. When a legion was initially raised, its enlistment took place en masse, which meant that a legion's men who survived battle wounds and sickness were later discharged together. As a result, as Scottish historian Dr Ross Cowan has observed, Rome 'had to replenish much of a legion's strength at a single stroke'. Although the official minimum age was 17, the average age of recruits tended to be around Some old hands stayed on with the legions after their discharge was due, and were often promoted to optio or centurion. There are numerous gravestone examples of soldiers who served well past their original twenty-year enlistment. Based on such gravestone evidence, many historians believe that all legionaries' enlistments were universally extended from twenty to twenty-five years in the second half of the first century, although there is no firm evidence of this. Legions rarely received replacements to fill declining ranks as the enlistments of their men neared the end of their twenty years. Tacitus records replacements being brought into legions on only two occasions, in AD 54 and AD 61, in both cases in exceptional circumstances. Accordingly, legions frequently operated well under optimum strength. The heavy losses suffered by the legions during the wars of Marcus Aurelius, Septimius Severus and Caracalla meant that the legions needed to be regularly brought up to strength again or they would have ceased to be effective fighting units. The short-lived emperor Macrinus AD - deliberately staggered legion recruitment, for 'he hoped that these new recruits, entering the army a few at a time, would refrain from rebellion'. From the reign of Augustus, initially on 1 January, later on 3 January, the men of every legion annually renewed the oath of allegiance at mass assemblies: 'The soldiers swear that they will obey the emperor willingly and implicitly in all his commands, that they will never desert, and will always be ready to sacrifice their lives for the Roman Empire. Once in the military, his life was governed by military law, which in many ways was more severe than the civil code. The latter, called benificiari, were excused normal legion duties and were frequently older men who had served their full enlistment but who had stayed on in the army. Roman military training aimed not only to teach men how to use their weapons, it quite deliberately set out to make legionaries physically and mentally tough fighting machines who would obey commands without hesitation. As one of the indications of his rank, every centurion carried a vine stick, the forerunner of the swagger stick of some modern armies. Centurions were at liberty to use their sticks to Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion any legionary mercilessly for minor infringements. A centurion named Lucilius, who was killed in the AD 14 Pannonian mutiny, had a habit of brutally breaking a vine stick across the back of a legionary, then calling 'Bring another! Polybius described the crimes for which the death penalty was prescribed in BC - stealing goods incamp, giving false evidence, homosexual offences committed by those in full manhood, and for lesser crimes where the offender had previously been punished for the same offence three times. The death penalty was later additionally prescribed for falling asleep while on sentry duty. Execution also awaited men who made a false report to their commanding officer about their courage in the field in order to gain a distinction, men who deserted their post in a covering force, and those who through fear threw away weapons on the battlefield. Guilty legionaries had to draw lots. One in ten would die, with the other nine having to perform the execution. Decimation sentences were carried out with clubs or swords or by flogging, depending on the whim of the commanding officer. Survivors of a decimated unit could be put on barley rations and made to sleep outside the legion camp's walls, where there was no protection against attack. Although both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony decimated their legions, this form of punishment was rarely applied during the imperial era. First-century general Corbulo had one soldier brought out of the trench he was digging and executed on the spot for failing to wear a sword on duty. After this, Corbulo's centurions Legions of Rome: The Definitive History of Every Roman Legion their men that they must be armed at all times, so one cheeky legionary went naked while digging, except for a dagger on his belt. Not famed for his sense of humour, Corbulo had this man, too, pulled out and put to death. This was increased to 1, by Domitian in AD