Marian Roman army

Marian Roman army

The Marian Roman army refers to the armed forces deployed by the late Roman Republic between the Marian reforms (107 BC) and the establishment of the Roman Principate (early Roman Empire) by Augustus in 30 BC. [1]

The Marian army constitutes the transition from the Manipular Roman army (ca. 300-107 BC), which was a temporary force based on adult male conscription of citizens to the Imperial Roman army of the Principate, which was a standing, professional force based mainly on volunteer recruitment.

The creation of this new kind of army was a response to grave challenges posed by Germanic invasions and the war against Jugurtha which severely taxed the older Roman military organization. Indeed, as a purely military tool the Marian army turned out to be more than equal to its tasks. However, gradually, it became clear that the new army was in the final analysis loyal not to the Republic but to its commander, to whom the troops ultimately looked for rewards and spoils.

Marius himself had effectively abolished the allied legions. They were formally abolished after the end of the Social War, when Roman citizenship was granted to all of Rome's Italian socii, ending the dual structure of legions alongside non-citizen alae. The latter were abolished, and the Italian allies were henceforth recruited into the legions. The non-Italian allies that had long fought for Rome (e.g. Gallic and Numidian cavalry) continued to serve alongside the legions but remained irregular units under their own leaders.


References

  1. ^ The name "Caesarian Roman Army" had previously been used in this article, reflecting the fact that the most famous Roman military leader, Gaius Julius Caesar, commanded an army of this kind. However, the structure of the Roman army during the period 107-30 BC was by and large created by Gaius Marius when Caesar has not yet been born.

See also


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