Legio XEquestris
| Tenth LegionEquestris | |
|---|---|
| Legio X Equestris Legio Decima Equestris | |
 Denariusissued byMark Antonycelebrating Legio X | |
| Active | 1st half of the first century BC to after 31 BC |
| Country | Roman Republic |
| Type | Roman legion(Marian) |
| Role | Infantry assault (some cavalry support) |
| Size | Varied over unit lifetime. Approx. 5,000 soldiers, 6,000 men including support, at the time of creation. |
| Nickname(s) | Equestris,"mounted" Veneria,"devoted to Venus" |
| Mascot(s) | Bull |
| Engagements |
|
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Julius Caesar(Campaign) Mark Antony(Campaign) Gaius Crastinus(Centurion) |
Legio X Equestris,aRoman legion,was one of the most trusted legions ofJulius Caesar.Legio X was famous in its day and throughout history, because of its portrayal inCaesar's Commentariesand the prominent role the Tenth played in his Gallic campaigns.[1][2]Its soldiers were discharged in 45 BC. Its remnants were reconstituted, fought forMark AntonyandOctavian,disbanded, and later merged intoXGemina.[3]
History
[edit]Founding
[edit]The Legio X was one of the four legions Caesar inherited as governor of Cisalpine Gaul in 58 BC. The legion had as its emblem the bull, which was also popular with other legions such asLegio VAlaudae(Larks),Legio XI,Legio XIIVictrix,andLegio XIIIGemina.It may have been levied in 72 BC. Others believe it was formed already during theSocial War (91-87 BC).Another hypothesis is that it was levied in 61 BC byGaius Julius Caesarwhen he, as Governor in the province ofBaeticaorHispania Ulterior(modernAndalusia), decided to subdue the west and northwest areas (modern dayPortugal); according to this theory, Caesar needed for his planned campaign a third legion (in addition to the 8th and 9th legions, which had been enlisted byPompeythe Great in 65 BC) and enlisted the 10th legion, which proved successful and showed itself to be brave and loyal.[4][5][6]
Gallic Wars and the invasion of Britain
[edit]The Tenth played a crucial part in theGallic Wars,fighting under Caesar in virtually every battle.
At the beginning of the Gallic campaign, Caesar had the 10th, 7th, 8th, and 9th legions. Almost immediately, in the summer of 58 BC, the legion fought in two major actions, the battles ofArarandBibracte.They played a central part in Caesar's defeat of theHelvetiitribes, preventing their migration from present day Switzerland to western France.
Following the defeat of the Helvetii, the leaders of the Gallic tribes petitioned Caesar for his aid againstAriovistus,king of the German Suebi tribe. Prior to battle, Ariovistus suggested a peace conference but insisted that each side should only be accompanied by mounted troops. Ariovistus made this a condition knowing that Caesar's cavalry was composed mainly of Aedui horsemen whose loyalty to Caesar was questionable. Caesar ordered a group of his Gallic auxiliaries to dismount and had legionaries from the 10th ride in their place to accompany him to the peace conference. This incident earned the legion its nicknameEquestris(mounted). One of the legionaries jokingly said that Caesar was better than his word: he had promised to make them foot guards, but now they appeared asequestrians.[7]
Legio X saved the day in theBattle against the Nerviansin 57 BC. Together with theIXth,the Xth defeated theAtrebates,moved against theBelgaeon the other side of the river and captured the enemy camp. From that position, the Tenth could see how desperate the situation was for theXIIVictrixand theVII,so it quickly charged downhill, crossed the river, and attacked theNerviifrom the rear, trapping them so that there was little hope of survival.
In 55 BC Legio X was one of the two legions (together with the VII) which took part in Caesar's firstinvasion of Britain.It is probable that it also participated in the second invasion in 54 BC.
Caesar's Civil War
[edit]DuringCaesar's Civil War,at theBattle of Dyrrhachium,Caesar feared Legio X would be outflanked by reinforcements led byGnaeus Pompeius Magnusand ordered them to retreat. The rest of Caesar's army, seeing Legio X retreating for the first time, broke and fled to their camps. Legio X, seeing the army rout, fled too. After the defeat, Legio X's officers demanded to bedecimatedfor cowardice but Caesar was reluctant and demoted Legio X's standard bearers instead.[8]
Legio X only had one more battle to restore their reputation before they returned to Rome and mutinied for being unpaid.
End of the legion
[edit]In 45 BC the legion was disbanded, and the veterans obtained lands inNarbonne,southernGaul.
During thecivil warthat followed Caesar's assassination, the Legio X was reconstituted byLepidus(winter 44/43), and fought for thetriumvirsuntil the finalBattle of Philippi.The veterans obtained lands nearCremona,and an inscription reports that the name of the legion at the time wasVeneria,"devoted toVenus",the mythical mother ofgens Julia.[9]
The Tenth later followedMark AntonyinArmenia,during his disastrousParthian campaign.DuringAntony's civil war,the legion fought for Mark Antony until the defeat in theBattle of Actium,after which the legion moved intoOctavian's army. The veterans settled inPatras.When the legion rebelled under Augustus, it was disbanded,[10]stripped of itsEquestristitle, and, being populated with soldiers from other legions, renamedXGemina.[3]
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]- ^Dando-Collins.
- ^Julius Caesar, I.42.
- ^abSee, for example,Keppie.
- ^Dando-Collins,p. 9-12.
- ^J.R.Gonzalez, Historia del las legiones romanas, Madrid 2003.
- ^L.Keppie, The making of the roman army, Oklahoma 1998.
- ^Dando-Collins,p. 22.
- ^Phang,p. 126
- ^CILV 4191,C. Lanius / C. f(ilius) Ani(ensi) de / leg(ione) X Vener(ia) C. Lanius C. l(ibertus) / Eros filius / de suo.InscriptionfromBagnolo MellainRegio X.Cited inRitterling.
- ^Suetonius,De Vita Caesarum—Divus Augustus,xxiv.
References
[edit]Primary sources
[edit]Secondary sources
[edit]- Dando-Collins, Stephen (2002),Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion and the Armies of Rome,Wiley.
- Keppie, Lawrence (1984),The Making of the Roman Army. From Republic to Empire,University of Oklahoma Press, pp. 132–149.
- Lendering, Jona,"Legio X Gemina", livius.org
- Phang, Sara Elise (2008).Roman Military Service: ideologies of discipline in the Late Republic and early Principate,Cambridge University Press.
- Soden, Ben (2015).10th Legion: Battle Born.Bellum Books.
- Ritterling's"Legio""Legio X Veneria"
