Campaign History of The Roman Military: From Legion Formations to Conquest Strategies

By Fouad Sabry

What is Campaign History of The Roman Military

From its origin as a city-state on the peninsula of Italy in the 8th century BC, to its rise as an empire covering much of Southern Europe, Western Europe, Near East and North Africa to its fall in the 5th century AD, the political history of Ancient Rome was closely entwined with its military history. The core of the campaign history of the Roman military is an aggregate of different accounts of the Roman military's land battles, from its initial defense against and subsequent conquest of the city's hilltop neighbors on the Italian peninsula, to the ultimate struggle of the Western Roman Empire for its existence against invading Huns, Vandals and Germanic tribes. These accounts were written by various authors throughout and after the history of the Empire. Following the First Punic War, naval battles were less significant than land battles to the military history of Rome due to its encompassment of lands of the periphery and its unchallenged dominance of the Mediterranean Sea.

How you will benefit

(I) Insights, and validations about the following topics:

Chapter 1: Campaign history of the Roman military

Chapter 2: Mark Antony

Chapter 3: Pompey

Chapter 4: Punic Wars

Chapter 5: Roman Republic

Chapter 6: Second Punic War

Chapter 7: 70s BC

Chapter 8: Dacia

Chapter 9: Outline of ancient Rome

Chapter 10: List of Roman civil wars and revolts

(II) Answering the public top questions about campaign history of the roman military.

Who this book is for

Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of Campaign History of The Roman Military.

• Language: English
• Publisher: One Billion Knowledgeable
• Release date: Jun 22, 2024

Book preview

Chapter 1: Campaign history of the Roman military

The political history of Ancient Rome was intricately intertwined with its military history, beginning with its beginnings as a city-state on the peninsula of Italy in the eighth century BC, continuing through its rise to become an empire that encompassed a significant portion of Southern Europe, Western Europe, the Near East, and North Africa, and culminating in its fall in the fifth century AD. The core of the campaign history of the Roman military is an accumulation of various accounts of the Roman military's land battles. These battles range from the Roman military's initial defense against and subsequent conquest of the city's hilltop neighbors on the Italian peninsula to the ultimate struggle of the Western Roman Empire for its existence against invading Huns, Vandals, and Germanic tribes. Throughout the course of the Empire's history and after it had ended, these accounts were published by a great number of authors. After the First Punic War, maritime engagements were less essential to the military history of Rome than land battles. This was due to the fact that Rome's command of the Mediterranean Sea was unchallenged and that it encompassed lands that were on the perimeter of the empire.

The Roman army initially engaged in conflict with its neighboring tribes and Etruscan towns within Italy. Subsequently, it came to dominate the Mediterranean region and, at its peak, the provinces of Britannia and Asia Minor. The military of Rome fulfilled the threefold function of guarding its boundaries, exploiting peripheral territories through methods such as forcing tribute on conquered peoples, and keeping internal order. This is similar to the military of the majority of ancient civilizations. The second is the civil strife, which afflicted Rome from its foundation to its eventual demise.

The Roman armies were not invincible, despite their formidable reputation and the numerous victories they had achieved.

The knowledge of Roman history is distinct from that of other ancient civilizations in the world. Both military and non-military histories describe the city's history, beginning with its establishment and ending with its destruction. Despite the fact that certain histories have been lost, such as Trajan's account of the Dacian Wars, and others, such as Rome's earliest histories, are at least partially fictitious, the histories of Rome's military history that are still in existence are quite vast.

The beginnings of Rome's history, beginning with the time when it was established as a small and tribal village, Among the conflicts that the Romans engaged in during this legendary tale, the wars with a number of Latin cities and the Sabines are the first ones to be mentioned. Livy states that the Latin settlement of Caenina attempted to avenge the kidnapping of the Sabine women by invading Roman territory. However, they were ultimately defeated and their village was taken captive. The Latins of Antemnae and those of Crustumerium were finally vanquished in a manner that was analogous to the previous one. The surviving major body of Sabines launched an assault on Rome and briefly took control of the citadel. However, they were ultimately persuaded to enter into a peace with the Romans, which resulted in the Sabines becoming Roman citizens.

In the eighth century B.C., there was an additional conflict that took place against Fidenae and Veii. Over the course of the seventh century B.C., there was a conflict with Alba Longa, a second conflict with Fidenae and Veii, and a second conflict with the Sabines. According to the Fasti Triumphales, Ancus Marcius was the one who led Rome to triumph over the Latins, as well as over the Veientes and Sabines.

The Latins were the adversaries against whom Lucius Tarquinius Priscus fought his first war. In the course of his conquest, Tarquinius ravaged the Latin town of Apiolae and brought a significant amount of loot back to Rome. There is evidence in the Fasti Triumphales that the conflict took place before the year 588 BC.

His military prowess was put to the test when the Sabines launched an assault against him. To aid in the war effort and to achieve victory over the Sabines, Tarquinius increased the number of equites by a factor of two. During the subsequent peace negotiations, Tarquinius awarded the town of Collatia to his nephew, Arruns Tarquinius, who was also known as Egerius. He also appointed his nephew to the position of commander of the garrison that he stationed in that city. Tarquinius made his way back to Rome, where he celebrated a victory for his conquests, which, according to the Fasti Triumphales, took place on September 13th, 585 BC.

Following this, the Latin cities of Corniculum, old Ficulea, Cameria, Crustumerium, Ameriola, Medullia, and Nomentum were conquered and transformed into Roman cities.

During the early stages of his rule, Servius Tullius engaged in conflict with Veii and the Etruscans. It is reported that he shown bravery during the campaign and that he was successful in defeating a large army of the adversary. As a result of the conflict, he was able to strengthen his position at Rome. As stated in the Fasti Triumphales, Servius claimed victory over the Etruscans on three separate occasions, including the 25th of November in the year 571 BC and the 25th of May in the year 567 BC (the date of the third victory is not indicated on the Fasti).

At the beginning of his reign, Tarquinius Superbus, Rome's seventh and final king, convened a gathering of the Latin leaders. During this gathering, he was successful in convincing them to renew their treaty with Rome and become Rome's allies rather than her enemies. It was also agreed upon that the troops of the Latins would gather at a grove that was sacred to the goddess Ferentina on a specific day in order to form a unified military force with the troops of Rome. In order to do this, Tarquin assembled a coalition of Roman and Latin troops into integrated battalions. According to the Fasti Triumphales, Tarquin was also victorious in a battle against the Sabines.

After some time, Tarquinius engaged in combat with the Rutuli. As far as Livy is concerned, the Rutuli were a very prosperous nation during that same time period. In the event that Tarquinius was victorious over the Rutuli, he was eager to acquire the spoils that would accompany the triumph.

The first Roman wars that were not legendary were wars of expansion and defense. The primary objectives of these conflicts were to protect Rome from the cities and nations that were located in its immediate vicinity and to establish Rome's territory in the region. In this point in time, the majority of Italy was still under the control of the Latin, Sabine, Samnite, and other peoples who lived in the center portion of the country, the Greek colonies that were located to the south, and the Celtic people, which included the Gauls, who lived to the north.

As the culture of the Gallic people spread throughout Europe, it was around the year 390 BC when various Gallic tribes began invading Italy from another part of Europe. Most of this was unknown to the Romans at this time, who still had purely local security concerns, but the Romans were alerted when a particularly warlike tribe, the Battle of Faesulae in 225 BC, the Battle of Telamon in 224 BC, the Battle of Clastidium in 222 BC, the Battle of Cremona in 200 BC, the Battle of Mutina in 194 BC, the Battle of Arausio in 105 BC, the Battle of Aquae Sextiae in 102 BC, and the Battle of Vercellae in 101 BC. Rome would not be able to find a solution to the Celtic problem until the culmination of the conquest of all Gaul, which occurred after the Battle of Alesia in 52 BC.

After quickly recovering from the sacking of Rome, the Latins continued to submit to Roman rule for the next two hundred years in a manner that was mainly amicable.

During the Second Samnite War, which lasted from 327 BC to 304 BC, the Romans and Samnites engaged in a conflict that was significantly more protracted and serious. This conflict also included the Battle of Lautulae. After that, the Romans emerged triumphant at the Battle of Bovianum, and the tide began to turn severely against the Samnites beginning in 314 BC. This caused the Samnites to attempt to negotiate a peace treaty with terms that were gradually less favorable. By the year 304 B.C., the Romans had successfully established several colonies and had effectively acquired the greater portion of the Samnite country. This pattern of responding to aggression with force and, as a result, simultaneously gaining territory through strategic counterattacks was to become a frequent characteristic throughout the history of Roman military operations.

A victory over the Romans at the Battle of Camerinum in 298 BC marked the beginning of the Third Samnite War. This victory came seven years after the Samnites had been crushed, and it was at a time when Roman authority of the region appeared to be solidified. They were able to gather together a coalition of various former adversaries of Rome, all of whom were undoubtedly eager to prevent any one faction from controlling the entire region. With this success in hand, they were able to accomplish this achievement. During the Battle of Sentinum, the Roman army that went up against the Romans After the Roman army achieved a decisive victory over these combined forces, it must have become abundantly evident that there was little that could stop the Romans from establishing their domination over Italy. In the Battle of Populonia, which took place in 282 BC, Rome eradicated the remaining remnants of Etruscan supremacy in the region.

In 282 BC, Rome had already established itself as a great power on the Italian Peninsula. However, at the beginning of the third century, Rome had not yet come into battle with the dominant military powers in the Mediterranean at the time, which were Carthage and the Greek kingdoms. Rome had nearly achieved complete victory against the Samnites, had taken control of its brother Latin towns, and had significantly diminished the authority of the Etruscans in the region. His armies were joined by some Greek colonists and a portion of the Samnites who revolted against Roman sovereignty, taking up arms against Rome for the fourth time in seventy years. While this was going on, the southern region of Italy was under the control of the Greek colonies of Magna Grecia.

Pyrrhus realized that his army had been worn and depleted by years of foreign campaigns, and believing that there was little hope for additional wins, he withdrew completely from Italy. The Roman army had not yet seen elephants participating in battle.

Rome would be significantly impacted by the hostilities that occurred with Pyrrhus. It had demonstrated that it was able to successfully pit its soldiers against the leading military powers of the Mediterranean, and it had also demonstrated that the Greek kings were unable to defend their colonies whether they were located in Italy or elsewhere. An immediate advance by Rome into southern Italy resulted in the subjugation and division of Magna Grecia.

The Punic wars against Carthage, a former Phoenician colony, marked the beginning of Rome's first wars outside of the Italian peninsula. These wars led to Rome becoming the most powerful state in the Western Mediterranean region, with territory in Sicily, North Africa, and Iberia. Additionally, with the conclusion of the Macedonian wars, which occurred concurrently with the Punic wars, Greece was also included in Rome's territory. Following Rome's victory against the Seleucid Emperor Antiochus III the Great in the Roman-Syrian War (Treaty of Apamea, 188 BC) in the eastern sea, Rome emerged as the dominant force in the Mediterranean region and the most powerful city in the classical world.

When cities in Sicily began to appeal to Rome and Carthage, the two powers between which they lay, in order to alleviate internal disputes, this marked the beginning of the First Punic War, which took place in the year 264 BC.

With Hannibal ravaging the Italian countryside but unwilling or unable to attack Rome itself, the Romans boldly sent an army to Africa with the purpose of threatening the Carthaginian capital. This was done since the Romans were unable to fight Hannibal himself on Italian soil. - The army of Hannibal in North Africa, which brought an end to the Second Punic War.

Following the Second Punic War, Carthage was never able to recoup from its losses.

As a result of Rome's war with the Carthaginians during the Punic Wars, the Romans were able to expand their territory across the Iberian peninsula, which is now comprised of Spain and Portugal. There were regions in Iberia that were part of the Punic empire, which was ruled by the Carthaginian Barcid family. During the Punic Wars, Rome succeeded in gaining control of several of these territories. For a significant portion of the Second Punic War, Italy continued to serve as the primary theater of operations; however, the Romans also had the objective of destroying the Barcid Empire in Iberia and preventing key Punic allies from establishing connections with forces in Italy.

In the years leading up to the year 211 B.C., Rome had been expanding down the southern coast of Iberia until it finally took control of the city of Saguntum. As a result of two significant military excursions to Iberia, the Romans were finally successful in destroying Carthaginian rule of the peninsula in 206 BC, after the Battle of Ilipa. This resulted in the peninsula becoming a Roman province known as Hispania. Beginning in the year 206 B.C., the only opposition to Roman authority of the peninsula came from among the local Celtiberian tribes themselves. Their lack of cohesiveness prevented them from being able to protect themselves from Roman invasion. It was in the year 144 BC when the commander Quintus Fabius Maximus Aemilianus was victorious in his battle against the Lusitani; nevertheless, he was unsuccessful in his attempts to arrest Viriathus.

In 144 B.C., Viriathus, along with many other Celtiberian tribes, established a league in opposition to Rome.

As a result of Rome's concern with its war with Carthage, Philip V of the kingdom of Macedon in northern Greece had the opportunity to attempt to push his dominion a little further to the west. Ambassadors were dispatched by Philip to Hannibal's camp in Italy in order to arrange an alliance between the two opposing forces of Rome.

The usurpation