Greatest Legion

[Samhain31]

Hi,

 

I am doing research on the Legions & Legionnaires for a work of fiction and I would like to know what your thoughts are as to which Legion was actually the greatest of all.

 

It seems I am finding conflicting views on the web and even in some historical literature and therefore I can't be positive enough to make a choice yet. Maybe it was Nero's 14th, or one one of Caesar's? It seems that people speak from bias a lot as opposed to actually choosing a historically fitting Legion, as if it were a personal choice instead of a historical one. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Also any historical and scholarly works that anyone can recommend for reading would be helpful as well.

 

Thanks in advance.

[sonic]

Hi,

 

I am doing research on the Legions & Legionnaires for a work of fiction and I would like to know what your thoughts are as to which Legion was actually the greatest of all.

 

It seems I am finding conflicting views on the web and even in some historical literature and therefore I can't be positive enough to make a choice yet. Maybe it was Nero's 14th, or one one of Caesar's? It seems that people speak from bias a lot as opposed to actually choosing a historically fitting Legion, as if it were a personal choice instead of a historical one. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Also any historical and scholarly works that anyone can recommend for reading would be helpful as well.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Probably the most famous legion would be Caesar's Tenth, which went all over Gaul and into Britain with him. Most of the so-called 'famous' legions are only famous because a certain Emperor raised them, not for any specific deeds of bravery etc. You could also investigate the legions in a certain battle, for example those that took part in the assault on Masada during the Jewish rebellion.

 

For historical works, try Adrian Goldsworthy 'The Complete Roman Legion' for the general period feel, and maybe his biography of Caesar for the Tenth Legion, and then work your way from there.

[Crastinus]

Stephen Dando Collins has written books on specific legions. He follows the legion from its raising til its end, i think so far hes only done Caesar's 10th, Pompey's 6th and the 13th which was annihilated in Gaul under Caesar's legates Sabinus and Cotta and rose to fame figting in Britian against Boudicca. They arent bad reads, good books if u dont mind him calling the officers Colonel's and such.

[Kosmo]

The greatest legion was Gemina because it was double sized

 

(actually just made from two legions that had not full size)

[Sulla Caesar]

X and the V, The V because they took on the elephants, and even thought not a legion, the republican fimbriani legions who fought in the east were also highly trained and experienced.

[Primus Pilus]

Stephen Dando Collins has written books on specific legions. He follows the legion from its raising til its end, i think so far hes only done Caesar's 10th, Pompey's 6th and the 13th which was annihilated in Gaul under Caesar's legates Sabinus and Cotta and rose to fame figting in Britian against Boudicca. They arent bad reads, good books if u dont mind him calling the officers Colonel's and such.

 

Do be careful on the history of the Dando-Collins books. They are well researched, but they are quite filled with presumption and historical fictional.

 

As for "the Greatest Legion", I'll nominate Legio VII Claudia Pia Fidelis. This legion was founded by Julius Caesar and took part in the Gallic War and as such was one of the oldest legions in the imperial Roman army.

 

In addition to the Gallic war, during the civil war with Pompey and the Republicans it participated at Dyrrhachium, Pharsalus and Thapsus in North Africa. After Caesar's death it served Octavian and was present at Mutina against Antony, Philippi, and probably against Sextus Pompey in Sicily. While unconfirmed, it quite possibly was also present at Actium.

 

It served Tiberius in the Pannonian campaigns and earned the name Claudia Pia Fidelis by putting down a revolt against the emperor of the same name.

 

It was engaged in Corbulo's Parthian campaigns and was instrumental at Cremona to aid Vespasian's victory over Vitellius. It was involved in Domitian's Danubian and Dacian campaigns of the late 1st century and was again instrumental in Trajan's Dacian conquest.

 

Legio VII was heavily involved in both Lucius Verus' Parthian campaign and the Danubian wars of Marcus Aurelius. It sided with Severus against his rivals after the death of Commodus and served the Severan dynasty in various eastern campaigns. It most certainly had it's ups and downs against invaders such as the Visigoths from the 3rd century on, but the legion was still present and attested for on the Danube in the late 4th century.

[Vibius Tiberius Costa]

It is a difficult question. Can any legion be specifically better than another, or is it the general that leads them or the fights they get in?

 

If I had to choose one. The 'prima gena' or the 'first born' was the famous legion that Gaius Marius had. The lgion went to Numidia and all over the place. This was a legion that also changed the Romans and in turn the world forever. This legion is like the root of all other good legions.

 

vtc

[Primus Pilus]

If I had to choose one. The 'prima gena' or the 'first born' was the famous legion that Gaius Marius had. The lgion went to Numidia and all over the place. This was a legion that also changed the Romans and in turn the world forever. This legion is like the root of all other good legions.

 

vtc

 

There is no surviving source material identifying any legions by name prior to the imperatorial period. There are two known imperial legions carrying the name Primigenia (XV and XXII), but both date to Caligula (AD 39). Suffice to say that some of the Marian legionaries who served the Jugurthan war may have been individually recruited for the Cimbri-Teutonic war, but Marius recruited new legions upon returning from Africa to deal with the Cimbric threat. The Marian legionary reforms occurred after the Jugurthine War.

 

If there is some material suggesting more detail about the Marian legions that I am unaware of, I'd certainly like to read it. Though I suspect that this comes from a novel? (Iggulden I fear )

[Samhain31]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to me.

 

I know I have my work cut out for me as far as legions go. It's amazing how we have to do mounds of research to just create one character. I always feel that historical accuracy is important and I try to keep it as close to factual as possible when writing fiction.

 

I have been reading other threads on the forum and gaining great information for thinking on. I am going to look into the books mentioned here and in other threads.

 

Indeed it does look like the greatest legion and the greatest general (as I was reading that thread) all come down to us, or for me - where I end up placing my main characters in history.

 

Thanks again!