The Roman Empire was repeatedly perceived as a role model. The elite of many states proclaimed themselves the successors of the Romans, entrusting themselves with the divine mission of restoring the world empire. She imitated state institutions, the customs of the Romans, and architecture. However, few were able to perfect their army. The famous Roman legions that created the largest state of the Ancient World relied on a rare combination of high skill and impeccable ability of each warrior to fight in any situation, regardless of the number of supporters. This was the secret of the greatest victories of Roman weapons.
The Romans knew how to quickly and clearly rebuild during battles. They could crumble into small units and gather together again, go on the attack and close in dead defense. At any tactical level, they consistently carried out the orders of the commanders. The amazing discipline and elbow feeling of the Roman legionnaires is the result of careful selection of physically developed young people in the army, the result of a system of training in perfect military art. The treatise of Vegetation "On Military Affairs" describes the discipline that prevailed among the Roman legionnaires. He wrote about automatic weapons skills, unquestioning obedience and accuracy in executing orders, a high level of tactical literacy for each of the legionnaires, as well as their interaction with other
military units. It was the greatest army that ever existed.
Initially, the whole Roman army was called the legion , which was a militia of free citizens selected on the basis of property. The army gathered only for military training and during the war. The word legion comes from lat. legio - "military call". But such an army could not provide reliable protection for a state constantly waging aggressive wars. Its reorganization was carried out by commander Guy Marius. Even poor Roman citizens were now drafted into the professional army for a term of service of 25 years. The procedure for supplying them with weapons was determined. Veterans received land plots and a cash pension as a reward for their service. Allies for service were granted Roman citizenship.
The Roman legions were given the opportunity to study according to uniform standards, to have uniform equipment. Legionnaire training took place throughout the year. One legion included about 6,000 people, 5,200 of whom were soldiers. It was divided into 10 cohorts of 6 centuries. The latter, in turn, were divided by 10 people on decuria. The cavalry was divided into turma. The army has become more mobile, disciplined. In the republican period, the military stood at the head of the legion, in the imperial period - the legate. Each legion had its own name and number. According to written sources that have survived to this day, there were about 50 of them.
Thanks to the reforms, the Roman legions in a rather short period of time became a professionally trained, unsurpassed army, which increased the military power of the empire. The Roman army was perfectly armed, distinguished by strict discipline, its commanders perfectly mastered military art. There was a special system of fines and punishments based on the fear of losing the respect of their colleagues, patron, and emperor. The Romans used a long tradition of punishing disobedient warriors: the execution of every tenth of the unit into which the soldiers were divided was practiced. For legionnaires evading military service in the 3rd century BC. the death penalty law was approved. Warriors who preferred suicide to captivity were glorified.
In the Roman army, infantry was the main
force. The actions of the
ground forces provided the fleet. But the main tactical and organizational unit was the legion, which from the IV century BC. e. consisted of 10 turm (cavalry) and the same number of maniples (infantry). It also included a convoy, throwing and wall-beaters. At some historical moments, the size of the legion increased.
Tactics, combat schedules, weapons, rare defeats and the highest victories are described in the book of Makhlayuk A., Negin A. “Roman legions in battle”. No wonder the legions called the backbone of the greatest ancient state. They are They conquered half the world for the empire and are rightfully considered the most advanced and powerful fighting machine of the time. Surpass legionnaires until the 18th century AD e. failed to anyone.
The history of Roman legions in all its grandeur is presented in the book of the Austrian writer Stephen Dando-Collins, “Legions of Rome. The complete history of all the legions of the Roman Empire ”, where he collected and systematized unique information about all these military units of Ancient Rome. Each of them has been described since its inception, their battle paths, successes and defeats in battles are traced. Roman legions were studied from selection conditions to military training methods for legionnaires. The book provides a description of weapons, equipment, military distinctions, the system of awards and salaries, features of discipline and punishment. The structure of the legions, the strategy and tactics of warfare are analyzed in sufficient detail. This is a complete history guide that includes charts, maps, battle plans, and photographs.