![]() The number of legions remained close to that level throughout the Principate (varying between 25 and 33 in number). The Emperor retained just over half his legions, disbanding the rest and settling their veterans in no less than 28 new Roman colonies. Fifty legions implied too high a recruitment burden for a male citizen-body only about two-million strong, especially as Augustus intended to create a long-term career force. The first priority was to reduce the number of legions to a sustainable level. Most would only be available for particular campaigns before returning home or disbanding. Led by their own aristocrats and equipped in their own traditional fashion, these native units varied widely in size, quality and reliability. To remedy the deficiencies in capability of the legions (heavy and light cavalry, light infantry, archers and other specialists), the Romans relied on a motley array of irregular units of allied troops, both composed of subject natives of the empire's provinces (called the peregrini by the Romans) and of bands supplied, often on a mercenary basis, by Rome's allied kings beyond the Empire's borders. Legions were recruited from Roman citizens only (i.e., from Italians and inhabitants of Roman colonies outside Italy), by regular conscription, although by 88 BC, a substantial proportion of recruits were volunteers. The legion's light infantry ( velites) which had been deployed in earlier times (see Roman army of the mid-Republic), had been phased out as had its contingent of cavalry. The army of the late Republic that Augustus took over on becoming sole ruler of the Empire in 27 BC consisted of a number of large (5,000-strong) formations called legions, which were composed exclusively of heavy infantry. 284–305).Īfter the Empire's borders became settled (on the Rhine- Danube line in Europe) by AD 68, virtually all military units (except the Praetorian Guard) were stationed on or near the borders, in roughly 17 of the 42 provinces of the empire in the reign of Hadrian (r. ![]() 400,000 (but probably not to their 211 peak) under Diocletian (r. Numbers were restored to their early 2nd-century level of c. From this peak, numbers probably underwent a steep decline by 270 due to plague and losses during multiple major invasions by the Germanic Tribal Folk. By then, auxiliaries outnumbered legionaries substantially. The numbers grew to a peak of about 450,000 by 211, in 33 legions and about 400 auxiliary units. ![]() By the end of Augustus' reign, the imperial army numbered some 250,000 men, equally split between 25 legions and 250 units of auxiliaries. Under Augustus ( r. 27 BC – AD 14), the army consisted of legions, eventually auxilia and also numeri. This period is sometimes split into the Principate (27 BC – 284 AD) and the Dominate (284–476) periods. The Imperial Roman army was the military land force of the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 476 AD, and the final incarnation in the long history of the Roman army. ![]()
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