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The fall of rome military
Roman republic and early empire
Romans military contribution
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The ancient Roman Empire began when Romulus founded the city of Rome in approximately 753 B.C. and lasted until about 1453 A.D. when the German invasion occurred. Throughout this era, specifically 250 BC until 200 AD, historians including Theodor Mommsen and Sara Phang have debated and interpreted several aspects of how and why the Roman military evolved and the military system itself. These authors used several ancient Roman historians, including Livy and Publius, public records, war accounts and many other sources to investigate and theorize different conclusions about why the Roman military was so powerful and how they were able to conquer the vast majority of the European Continent and the known world. In his book, The History of Rome, …show more content…
Brand argues that the Roman military system was successful due to the fact that there was an internal hierarchy, as well as laws and rules that were in place. Based on laws, and ancient Roman historians and leaders, like Polybius, Brand solely argues the Roman army’s power was based off the political leadership and strict organization. He analyzes the oath each soldier was required to take, no matter their rank, and how even the leader of each legion “...swore ‘to be obedient and to execute the orders of his officer to the best of his ability’” (Brand 47). Brand discusses the legions and how each was broken down into four lines of specific troops, while having a set hierarchy and specific code to follow, but only touches on the idea that success of these legions was due to their sheer size. He asserts that discipline, used by the higher ranks such as the commanding general, was strong and a major motivating factor for each soldier. He agrees with Theodor Mommsen and the idea that politics was the main factor to why the Roman army was victorious. Brand shortsightedly focuses solely on the political aspects of why the Roman armies were successful, arguing the leaders were responsible for the empire’s …show more content…
She contends that “...discipline restrained such behavior and legitimized and stabilized the imperial power” and that both emperors and high military officials benefitted as well because they “...gained prestige by imposing discipline…” (Phang i). Phang directly references consul Scipio from 134 BC and his use of discipline to turn around the numerous defeats in Spain. She agrees with C. E. Brand on the idea that politics changed the military in a powerhouse, arguing that if it wasn’t for leaders enforcing discipline and reward, the soldiers wouldn’t have won the amount of battles that they did. She clarifies that discipline was not just punishment, but instead, meant to make the soldiers more obedient and loyal to their cause and the purpose. She argues that the discipline of the soldiers reflected the power of the state they represented and, similar to Brand, asserts that the military was influenced by the state and should therefore represent the state’s
In Document B it states, “[Before the year 400 CE] foot soldiers wore breastplates and helmets. But when, because of negligence and laziness, parade ground drills were abandoned, the customary armor began to seem heavy since the soldiers rarely ever wore it. Therefore, they first asked the emperor to set aside the breastplates… and then the helmets. So our soldiers fought the Goths without any protection for chest and head and were often beaten by archers. Although there were many disasters, which led to the loss of great cities, no one tried to restore breastplates and helmets to the infantry. Thus it happens that troops in battle, exposed to wounds because they have no armor, think about running and not fighting.” Also, the failure to enforce conscription weakened Rome because armies need power to hold front since equipment is useless if there is no person to use it. It also didn’t enforce it mostly on the useless people like the rich who don’t contribute very much to society. The second paragraph in Document B it states, “There can be little doubt that the weakness of the late Roman army were largely due to the eventual failure… to enforce regular conscription [draft of soldiers]... The exempted categories were. Numerous. Hosts of senators, bureaucrats, and clergymen were entitled to avoid the draft; and among other groups who escaped were cooks, bakers, and slaves.” This proves how the Roman Army caused the fall of the Roman Empire because of their laziness and failure to enforce
... middle men between the troops and the Senate, and were looked on by their soldiers as looking out for their best interests. The soldiers relied on their general to give them what they needed, be it arms and armour, pay or land to retire on, and in return the generals wanted loyalty from their troops. As the legions were firmly in control of their generals, they were content to become a threat to the Republic and willing to become akin to private armies, following Generals such as Sulla to march on Rome or other generals.
In the beginning of the eighth century, B.C. Ancient Rome flourished from being a small town on the central Tiber River in Italy, to being an empire that engulfed most of Europe, Britain, Western Asia, Northern Arica and also the Mediterranean islands. Different languages were spreading among the people, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Romanian. Rome was a republic for 450 years then it became an empire in
Fall of Rome - the military's role. The Military's Role in the Beginning of the End of Rome The fall of Rome occurred over many centuries and was caused by several factors including military decay, barbarian invasions, and the failure of the government to respond to these problems. While these problems existed to a greater or lesser degree, since the end of the 2nd century, their effects were accelerated by the reforms of the emperors Constantine and Diocletian.
The Romans have had almost every type of government there is. They've had a kingdom, a republic, a dictatorship, and an empire. Their democracy would be the basis for most modern democracies. The people have always been involved with and loved their government, no matter what kind it was. They loved being involved in the government, and making decisions concerning everyone. In general, the Romans were very power-hungry. This might be explained by the myth that they are descended from Romulus, who's father was Mars, the god of war. Their government loving tendencies have caused many, many civil wars. After type of government, the change has been made with a civil war. There have also been many civil wars between rulers. But it all boils
Rome was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world. The early Roman state was founded in 509 B.C. after the Romans drove out the hated Etruscan king. By this time Rome had already grown from a cluster of small villages to a small city. Little did the settlers know that this was the beginning of one of the greatest and largest empires ever known.
The strength of the Roman military was the string that held the Roman Empire together for as long as it lasted. The military was made up of strictly disciplined men whom were ready and willing to serve their emperor.
As the story goes, Rome was founding in 753 B.C. by two brothers Remus and Romulus who were raised by wolves. The two brothers started fighting over the leadership of the land. Eventually Romulus killed Remus and took control own his own. The city was only a small settlement at that time. As the civilization grew, the Etruscans took over. The Romans drove out the Etruscans in 509 B.C. By this time Rome had become a city. As the empire came to its peak it included lands throughout the Mediterranean world. Rome had first expanded into other parts of Italy and neighboring places during the Roman Republic, but made wider conquests and made a strong political power for these lands. In 44 BC Gaius Julius Caesar, the Roman leader who ruled the Roman Republic as a dictator was assassinated. Rome descended into more than ten years of civil war. After years of civil war, Caesar's heir Gaius Octavius (also known as Octavian) defeated his last rivals. In 27 B.C. the Senate gave him the name Augustus, meaning the exalted or holy one. In this way Augustus established the monarchy that became known as the Roman Empire. The Roman Republic, which lasted nearly 500 years, did not exist anymore. The emperor Augustus reigned from 27 BC to AD 14 and ruled with great power. He had reestabl...
There are many political, economic, sociological causes to the growth and expansion of the Roman republic and later the Roman Empire, but one major factor of expansion that the Romans are most famous for is there Army. There Army was famous for their harsh discipline amongst their own ranks and there mercifulness brutality amongst their enemies. According to our text Roman warfare was characterized by great ferocity and the Roman pursuit of victory was relentless. The Romans had a pragmatic view towards atrocity and massacre that viewed almost any act as justifiable if it eased the path of victory (Goldsworthy 2000) p. 24. The hoplite phalanx which originated by the Greeks and later adopted by the Roman army, demanded great discipline and adherence to orders in order for this group of soldiers...
One of the greatest strengths of the Roman Empire was the strong foundation on which it was built. When the empire was founded in 27 BC, the systems which had been created by the Republic were already in place. Rome as a Republic had
The Roman Republic began in 509 B.C.E. with the overthrow of the Etruscan monarchy. In 27 B.C.E the Roman Empire began with Octavian Caesar becoming the emperor, this ended almost 500 years of republican self-government. There is much debate over why Rome became so powerful so quickly. Many think it had to do with Rome’s military strength. Others think that it was because Rome knew of and controlled most of the trade routes. Still others believed it had to do with the technology that was advanced during the Roman Republic. All of these factors played significant roles, but which one played the most important role?
To a soldier, war was not romantic nor an intellectual adventure: It was a job of work to which he brought a steady, stubborn, adaptable schooled application (Adcock 6). A grouping of men called Legions were the main force in the Roman Empire. In the Republican times the legions were given a serial number (I, II, III, etc.) each year they were recruited. The smallest unit in the legion was the century, made up of one hundred men. Legionaries used javelins to begin the battle at long range and disrupt enemy battle lines before charging forward to engage the enemy at close range with swords and shields. The normal strength of a Legion was four thousand infantry and two hundred calvary, which could be expanded to five thousand in an em...
The Roman military was great and powerful, but didn’t just end up that way over night. They worked hard and, as the Romans are known for their excellent engineering skills, tried to stay one step ahead of the enemy. One way they did this was siege weapons, which was how the seized castles and lands. Siege engines ingeniously used both potential energy, kinetic energy and rotational kinetic energy to throw things very far, fast, and even accurately. Besiegers could fire 100-200 pound stones up to 1,000 feet. The main siege weapons were catapults. The catapult was used to destroy buildings and walls inside and outside of the castle, and it could also destroy an enemies morale by throwing severed heads of comrades.
Over the course of the Roman Empire different changes and modifications were made to the Roman army to improve it but one thing is true. The Roman army was the most successful and powerful in history, it dominating the Western world for over a thousand years. The size, strength and organization of their infantry force wouldn’t be equaled again for another thousand years. They were a force that was organized and reorganized as it evolved and adapted to survive the assaults of its mortal enemies. The Romans believed themselves to have been descendents of Mars. They were a proud and uncompromising people who above all else exceeded in the art of war. What had started out as a regional force of citizen soldier farmers evolved into a massive full time professional army. They became the supreme predator of their day, unmatched in battle and relentless in conquest.
With the decline and fall of the western empire, the classical age of Rome came to a close as disease, warfare and corruption conspired to bring about the downfall of an ailing empire that had once conquered the known world. Where once enlightened despots had ruled a debauched and unwieldy polity, now barbarians stood over the ruins of a once thriving metropolis. In its absence a new world would arise with new values and ideals. Turning their back on a pagan past the Christian children of these wild men from the north would spawn the greatest houses of future European nobility, and when they looked back for a legacy, they would not see their ancestors as pillagers picking at the bones of a defiled Rome, but instead as its trusted guardians, partnering with the Church to carry her legacy through the “Dark Ages”.