Roman forces in Britannia

The province of Britannia around 150 AD

The Roman armed forces in Britannia ( Latin exercitus Britannicus ) consisted of the legions and auxiliary troops stationed in the Roman province of Britannia as well as the Classis Britannica from the middle of the first century AD .

Legions

The following legions took part in the conquest of Britain in AD 43:

• Legio II Augusta
• Legio VIIII Hispana
• Legio XIIII Gemina
• Legio XX Valeria Victrix

After that, the following were stationed in the province of Britannia for a longer period:

• Legio II Augusta: It had its legionary camp from 55 AD in Isca Dumnoniorum and from 75 AD in Isca Silurum .
• Legio VI Victrix : From 121 AD the legion was stationed in Eboracum .
• Legio XX Valeria Victrix: She had her legion camp first in Camulodunum , then in different places in Britain.

Auxiliary troops

On military diplomas .. From the years 98-178 AD 14 are Alae and 49 cohorts listed for the province, but not all were stationed at the same time in the province:

Ala Agrippiana Miniata Ala II Asturum Ala I Augusta Gallorum Proculeiana Ala Augusta Vocontiorum Ala Gallorum Petriana Ala Gallorum Picentiana Ala Gallorum Sebosiana Ala Gallorum et Thracum Classiana Ala I Hispanorum Asturum Ala Hispanorum Vettonum Ala I Pannoniorum Sabiniana Ala I Pannoniorum Tampiana Ala I Thracum Ala I Tungrorum Cohors I Aelia Classica Cohors I Aelia Dacorum

Cohors I Aelia Hispanorum Cohors I Afrorum Cohors I Alpinorum Cohors I Aquitanorum Cohors II Asturum Cohors I Augusta Nerviana Germanorum Cohors I Baetasiorum Cohors I Batavorum Cohors III Batavorum Cohors IX Batavorum Cohors III Bracaraugustanorum Cohors IV Breucorum Cohors I Celtiberorum Cohors I Delmatarum Cohors II Delmatarum Cohors IV Delmatarum

Cohors I Frisiavonum Cohors II Gallorum Cohors IV Gallorum Cohors V Gallorum Cohors I Hamiorum Cohors I Hispanorum Cohors II Hispanorum Cohors I Lingonum Cohors II Lingonum Cohors III Lingonum Cohors IV Lingonum Cohors I Menapiorum Cohors I Morinorum Cohors II Nerviorum Cohors III Nerviorum Cohors IV Nerviorum

Cohors VI Nerviorum Cohors I Pannoniorum Cohors II Pannoniorum Cohors V Raetorum Cohors VI Raetorum Cohors I Sunicorum Cohors I Thracum Cohors II Thracum Cohors VII Thracum Cohors I Tungrorum Cohors II Tungrorum Cohors I Ulpia Traiana Cugernorum Cohors I Vangionum Cohors I Fida Vardullorum Cohors II Vasconum

Notitia dignitatum

In the Notitia dignitatum three military leaders are listed for Britain, to whom the troops stationed in the province were subordinate.

Comes Britanniarum

→ Main article : Comes Britanniarum

The Comes was the commander in chief of the mobile field army ( Comitatenses ) in the province.

Comes litoris Saxonici per Britanniam

→ Main article : Comes litoris Saxonici per Britanniam

The Comes was responsible for the garrisons stationed in the southeast ( Saxon coast ). The following units are listed under his command:

Cohors prima Baetasiorum Equites Dalmatarum Branodunensium Equites stablesianorum Gariannonensium

Legio secunda Augusta Milites Tungrecanorum Numerus Abulcorum

Numerus exploratorum Numerus Fortensium Numerus Turnacensium

Dux Britanniarum

→ Main article : Dux Britanniarum

The Dux was the commander in chief of the northern border ( Hadrian's Wall ). The following units are listed under his command:

Ala prima Asturum Ala secunda Asturum Ala prima Herculea Ala Petriana Ala Sabiniana Cohors great Aelia Classica Cohors prima Aelia Dacorum Cohors great Asturum Cohors great Batavorum Cohors prima Cornoviorum

Cohors secunda Dalmatarum Cohors great Frixagorum Cohors quarta Gallorum Cohors prima Hispanorum Cohors secunda Lingonum Cohors quarta Lingonum Cohors prima Morinorum Cohors tertia nerviorum Cohors sexta nerviorum Cohors secunda Thracum

Cohors great tungrorum Cuneus Sarmatarum Equites Catafractariorum Equites crispianorum Equites dalmatarum Legio sexta Numerus barcariorum Tigrisiensium Numerus defensorum Numerus directorum Numerus exploratorum

Numerus Maurorum Aurelianorum Numerus Nerviorum Dictensium Numerus Longovicanorum Numerus Pacensium Numerus Solensium Numerus supervenientium Petueriensium Numerus vigilum

Classis Britannica

→ Main article : Classis Britannica

The Classis Britannica was a department of the Roman fleet stationed in Gesoriacum ( Boulogne-sur-Mer ) , which was supposed to control traffic on the English Channel and the navigable part of the Thames ( Tamesis ).

Commander in Chief

→ Main article : List of governors of Britain

The commander in chief of the army in the province of Britannia was the governor ( legatus Augusti pro praetore , since Britain was an imperial province ). In 212 or 213 the province of Britannia was split up into the provinces of Britannia inferior and Britannia superior under Emperor Caracalla .

In the course of the administrative and army reform under Emperor Diocletian , the provinces of the Roman Empire were redistributed and combined into twelve dioceses (see list of Roman provinces from Diocletian ). The Dioecesis Britanniae consisted of the provinces Britannia prima , Britannia secunda , Flavia Caesariensis and Maxima Caesariensis . The civil administration was separated from the military and new military offices were introduced. Until the withdrawal of the last regular Roman units in 410, the three military leaders named in the Notitia dignitatum were responsible for securing Britain.

See also

• List of Roman legions
• List of Roman auxiliary units

Individual evidence

1. ^ Jörg Scheuerbrandt : Exercitus. Tasks, organization and command structure of Roman armies during the imperial era. Dissertation, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau 2003/2004, p. 157 Table 1 ( PDF ).
2. ↑ Military diplomas of the years 98 ( CIL 16, 43 , ZPE-189-233 ), 103 ( CIL 16, 48 ), 105 ( CIL 16, 51 ), 122 ( CIL 16, 69 , AE 2008, 800 ), 124 ( CIL 16, 70 ), 127 ( RMD 4, 240 ), 130/131 ( AE 2006, 1836 ), 145 ( CIL 16, 93 ), 158 ( RMD 5, 420 ) and 178 ( RMD 3, 184 , RMD 4, 293 , RMD 4, 294 , AE 2006, 1837 )
3. ^ Notitia dignitatum in partibus Occidentis XXVIII ( online ).
4. ^ Notitia dignitatum in partibus Occidentis XL ( online ).