Legions Become Majority Non-italian

[fretensis10]

At what point do you think the legions to become majority non-Italian? My impression from readings is that it happened pretty early- perhaps by Augustus' reigh??!!

 

Tacitus talks about how the 'degenerate Romans' maimed themselves rather than serve in the army in the 60s AD.

[Primus Pilus]

Certainly some Italians avoided military service but we know that Nero recruited Legio I Italica in AD 66, Marcus Aurelius recruited Legio II and III Italica in about 165 AD, and the notitia dignatum indicates a Legio IIII Italica existing into the 4th century, but probably having been recruited in the early part of the 3rd century. At any rate, recruiting from Italia probably wasn't abandoned until the latter half of the 3rd century.

 

(Its important to note that these late legions, like IIII Italica were really just garrison armies, and not the same type of marching army we are familiar with in the earlier empire.)

[fretensis10]

To clarify: when did the backgrounds of the soldiers in the legions in general become more than 50% non-Italian? I have read books on the legions that say the armies were 90% non-Italian as early as first century AD.

 

If true its an amazing tribute to the strength of the institutions of the army that so many 'barbarian' peoples were effectively trained and disiplined as traditional legionaires. Though I wonder if part of it is that the 'non-Italians' included children of veterans in the colonies. Apparently alot of sons who grew up in the provinces followed their fathers into the legions.

[Germanicus]

I have read books on the legions that say the armies were 90% non-Italian as early as first century AD.

 

I think the hard core of the legions was Italian in origin through at least the first half of the 1st century AD. Could you advise what books you are talking about Fretensis ?

[Virgil61]

At what point do you think the legions to become majority non-Italian? My impression from readings is that it happened pretty early- perhaps by Augustus' reigh??!!

...

 

I'd venture to say that by 60 AD the legions were still predominately staffed by Italians or descendents of Italian colonists or retired legion colonies in the provinces--which seemed to have been quite a large number--based in other areas of the empire. Certainly not by Augustus' time so close to the fall of the Republic and franchisement of the non-latin Italic tribes.

 

Remember that legions were staffed by citizens and just over 90 years earlier the first Gallic senator caused quite a stir. I'm sure there were several Gallic tribes, especially in southern Gaul, that were citizens as well as strategically important client tribes in other areas of the empire and certainly quite a few tribal leaders as well. It's a guess of course, but by 60 AD the non-Italian portion of citizens hadn't yet over-whelmed the Italian portion.

Edited February 27, 2006 by Virgil61

[fretensis10]

Woops OK maybe not 90% non-Italian in first century- my mistake. Here are three views on the issue:

 

"Tiberius complaint reveals that Italy was no longer considered the major source of manpower for the Roman Army" (Cowan, Roman Legionary 58BC-69AD, [Osprey 2003], p.11).

 

"[by the time of Trajan] The proportion of Italians among the legionaries had now fallen from its first century figure of well over half to a mere 20 percent" (Grant, The Army of the Caesars [barnes and Noble Books 1974] p. 233)

 

"It has been conclusively shown that in the first century of the imperial period there was a gradual and steady decline in the number of of Italians in the legions and that in thei rplace Roman citizens were recruited from the provinces... By the time of Hadrian very few Italians served as legionary soldiers..." (Campbell, The Emperor and the Roman Army [Clarendon Press 1984], p. 11)

[LEG X EQ]

Woops OK maybe not 90% non-Italian in first century- my mistake.

Yes, that number must be wrong.

I agree with Virgil, that the drastic downfall began in the 60sAD. Its estimated that Before and during Nero(54-68 AD) around 75% of all legions were still italic.

Reiner Kleinschmidt,(german historian and professor in G

[tvihiocus]

Even though I'm far from being any sort of expert, it does seem though that the legions becoming in large part non-Italian was the beginning of the end. In the time of the fall of the Western Empire the legions were nothing like in times of Caesar - skill, discipline, equipment... it just wasn't near the same. From what I've read that was in part indeed because of the increasing "barbaric" influence on the whole Roman population as well as the army.

 

Although in all fairness, given the huge size of the empire I suppose it wouldn't have even been possible to keep a mainly Italian army of large enough numbers in the long run. Still, that doesn't change the fact that the Roman infantry legions were at their best when they were still mainly Italian, like in Caesar's and Octavian's time. Whether this had more to do with them being "true Romans" - instead of "barbarians" from all over - or something else, I still haven't determined for sure, but hey, I'm just starting to learn.