Roman Republic

[Guest Trojans]

In the Roman Republic who controlled the army and directed the government during peace time?

[Quintus Artemis Sertorius]

during the republic the control of the armies, and the running of the state was in the hands of the elected magistrates. first, unless they were needed, the legions weren't a standing army. it was almost like the modern day reserves, except that the leggionaries owned their own armor and weapons. the romans had something calle the cursus honorum, which is the progression of political offices you hold on your way to the top. each year, the elected officials from the last year would be given a province to govern. the provinces weren't all totally pacified yet, so sometimes a governor would also be given a war chest and the authority to raise a legion. they would go out and recruit anyone that wanted to do some military duty, and then they would go off to the province. the main idea though is that the legions were led by elected magistrates during peace and war untill the imperial age.

[Favonius Cornelius]

The answer to your question ultimately lay with the two consuls elected each year. They were the chief executive officers of the state somewhat like president and vice president in America. They directed the senate and had control of the military forces, a command which rotated each month between the two. If a certain theater of war, say Cisalpine Gaul, required action, then a resolution was passed by the senate with regard to how many forces could be used in the campaign, and the presiding consul would take the command.

 

If a war should drag on like many did, the consul usually became a proconsul with his imperium extended, and for the new year two new consuls were elected.

 

Governors of provinces or praetors also had a more limited command of forces located in a given province, but their imperium was localized to those borders unlike a consul.

 

At a lower level, military tribunes are also elected by the people, and they have officer duties within an assigned legion on par with that of a legatus depending on experience. Usually used as a way to give aristocratic youth some command experience.