Role of Roman Legions in Republic and the Empire

The role of roman legions in creating the majority rule first and then the empire has been widely acknow leadged. Legions emerged from the early Roman array which was composed of levied citizens and developed into a full fledged force with a modern infantry and well organized cavalry. (McCall, 2002). The first person to enlist soldiers into legions to the advantage of the state was Servius Tullius.By introducing the census, Tullius made it incumbent for all early days to be organized in various classes based on their income and too made it incumbent for them to join the army as a specialise of being Roman citizens. This tradition of use of the legions for political consolidation has and then been the hallmark of the rise of the commonwealth as well as the empire.In Rome service in the legion was considered mandatory. This naturally led to correlation coefficient of the legion with the republic as the concept emerged over the years by consolidation of the state. For the purpo ses of distinguishing between classes, the recruits were divided into five classes based on their income as each soldier had to acquire his own arm and equipment.Thus citizenship and legionary were both concomitant thereby laying strong linkages between the republic and the legions which were exploited over a period. The legions remained conscripted and were recalled as on required rear during the Republic thereby indicating that these were transient and to be fully exploited for sponsoring the admit of the head of the state.After the Marian reforms which were brought in at the end of the second century BC, the legion was professionalized by Gaius Marius. This was done by him to enlarge the legions and alter fielding larger armies. politically too this was of the essence(p) as in a Republic the state had the duty to provide jobs to people, for which legions were considered to be roughly appropriate organizations, once again highlighting an utilitarian trend.Assimilation of the Italian soldiers in Roman legions and grant of citizenship was also a Marian first thereby enhancing the numbers as well as the power of the state. The perforate manipulative streak of the masters of the legion would be more than limpid in these measures.This professionalizing also led to a realization that the legions could play an important political role and hence all governors were proscribed from leaving their nation with the legions to prevent precipitation of a crisis in other states. Just such(prenominal) a crisis precipitated the civilized wars when Caesar broke the rule crossing with his legion into Italy. The civil wars saw the end of the republic and beginning of the Empire led by Augustus in 27 BC.The legions once again were very effectively utilise by both Antony and Augustus the ultimate victor of the civil war which led to the establishment of the Roman empire. Once having won the war though Augustus rock-bottom the number of legions as he was finding it diffic ult to sustain the force. Politically it was not expedient to have many legions which could challenge the authority of the emperor at any given time.Augustus and then his successors would not however whole abandon the concept, but only added new legions as required by the circumstances and disbanded these when no longer required by the needs of the empire, thereby once again denoting how they successfully exploited the legions for the purposes of the state.Reference1.Mccall, Jeremiah B. (2002). The Cavalry of the Roman Republic Cavalry Combat and Elite Reputations in the Middle and slow Republic. New York Routledge.