The Legions Made the Roman Republic Master of the Mediterranean – Then Destroyed the Republic
Roman legions used maniples for over two centuries, until they were replaced by larger cohorts of 480 soldiers in the Marian Reforms of Gaius Marius (157 – 86 BC). Germanic tribes had crossed the Alps, entered southern Gaul, threatened Italy, and wiped out two Roman armies sent to meet them. That threw the Italian Peninsula into a panic. To meet the crisis, Marius opened the Roman legions’ ranks, hitherto restricted to propertied citizens who could afford to arm and equip themselves, to all citizens, including the poorest. The Roman government now furnished their weapons and armor, and paid them salaries. The army’s character was transformed from a middle class and patrician institution, into a professional force for whose legionaries military service became a career.
The soldiers began to depend upon their generals, not the government in Rome, for rewards during service, and for severance pay and retirement benefits upon discharge. Unscrupulous generals exploited that, and used legions more loyal to their commanders than to the state against Rome. The result was a chaotic century of civil wars that finally ended with the collapse of the Roman Republic and its replacement with the Roman Empire. One of Augustus’ first acts when he consolidated power was to further professionalize the legions, and break the legionary’s dependence on his general. Enlistment terms were extended from 10 years to 25, pay was standardized, and the legionary was guaranteed a land grant or cash payment at the end of his service. The legionary’s oath of allegiance, the sacramentum, was also switched from the general to the emperor.
