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A ''legatus'' (;
anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the
Roman Army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...
, equivalent to a modern high-ranking
general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under
Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
as the officer in command of a legion. From the times of the Roman Republic, legates received large shares of the military's rewards at the end of a successful campaign. This made the position a lucrative one, so it could often attract even distinguished consuls or other high-ranking political figures within Roman politics (e.g., the
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
Lucius Julius Caesar volunteered late in the
Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homel ...
as a legate under his first cousin, Gaius Julius Caesar).


History


Roman Republic

The rank of legatus existed as early as the
Samnite Wars The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars (343–341 BC, 326–304 BC, and 298–290 BC) were fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, who lived on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains south of Rome and north of the Lucanian tribe ...
, but it was not until 190 BC that it started to be standardized, meant to better manage the higher numbers of soldiers the
Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...
had forced to recruit. The legatus of a Roman Republican army was essentially a supreme military tribune, drawn from among the senatorial class of
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
(usually a
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
or
proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...
), who acted as a second-in-command to the magistrate in charge of the force. This role was usually played by either seasoned generals or ambitious young senators; the latter option eventually displaced the military tribune as a path to gain recognition. The legatus was officially assigned by the Senate, although it was generally only done after consulting with the magistrate in command, hoping to pair a commander and a lieutenant who could work together without trouble. This was established to avoid clashes of leadership like that of the consuls Varo and Paulus in
Cannae Cannae (now Canne della Battaglia, ) is an ancient village of the Apulia region of south east Italy. It is a ''frazione'' (civil parish) of the '' comune'' (municipality) of Barletta. Cannae was formerly a bishopric, and is presently (2022) a L ...
. The legatus often acted as a military consultant or adviser, like
Scipio Africanus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (, , ; 236/235–183 BC) was a Roman general and statesman, most notable as one of the main architects of Rome's victory against Carthage in the Second Punic War. Often regarded as one of the best military co ...
did for his brother Lucius during the Roman–Seleucid War, or as a trusted man of action, as in the case of Lucius Quinctius Flamininus and his brother
Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...
in their campaigns. After the Marian reforms, the figure of the legatus as a major second-in-command was eliminated. Multiple legati were assigned to every army, each in command of a legion, which was called ''legatus legionis''.
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...
made wide use of this title throughout the
Gallic Wars The Gallic Wars were waged between 58 and 50 BC by the Roman general Julius Caesar against the peoples of Gaul (present-day France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland). Gallic, Germanic, and British tribes fought to defend their homel ...
. Initially, only conflicts on foreign ground had demanded the presence of legati, but the beginning of the Social War in 90 BC saw them being increasingly deployed in Italia. There were two main positions. The ''legatus legionis'' was an ex-
praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...
given command of one of Rome's legions, while the ''legatus pro praetore'' was an ex-
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
given the governorship of a
Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...
, with the magisterial powers of a praetor, which in some cases included command of four or more legions. A legatus was entitled to twelve ''lictors'', who carried out punishments with
fasces Fasces ( ; ; a '' plurale tantum'', from the Latin word '' fascis'', meaning "bundle"; it, fascio littorio) is a bound bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including an axe (occasionally two axes) with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian sym ...
(bundled rods). A ''legatus legionis'' could order
capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...
.


Roman Empire

From
Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
onwards, the emperor gave the title of ''legatus legionis'' to senior commanders (former military tribunes) of a legion, except in
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
and
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
where the legions were commanded by a '' praefectus legionis'' of an equestrian rank. The ''legatus legionis'' was under the supreme command of a '' legatus Augusti pro praetore'' of senatorial rank. If the province was defended by a single legion, the ''legatus Augusti pro praetore'' was also in direct command of the legion. This post was generally appointed by the
emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...
. The person chosen for this rank was a former
tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on th ...
, and although the emperor
Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
set a maximum term of command of two years for a ''legatus'', subsequent emperors extended the tenure to three or four years, although the incumbent could serve for a much longer period. In a province with only one legion, the ''legatus'' served as the provincial governor, while in provinces with multiple legions each legion had a ''legatus'' and a separate provincial governor who had overall command. A ''legatus'' held full power over his legion. ''Consul militaris'' held control of all legions under the Emperor, who held entire control of Rome during the time of the Roman Empire. After the Roman Republic, all of the Senate's controls shifted to the Emperor, making him the most powerful person in Rome. The ''Legatus legionis'' would delegate duties to his command staff, who would then carry out his orders. A ''legatus'' was one of the most respected military ranks in Rome. The ''legatus'' could be distinguished in the field by his elaborate helmet and body armour, as well as a scarlet '' paludamentum'' (cloak) and ''cincticulus'' (a waist-band tied around the waist in a bow). The senatorial ''legatus legionis'' was removed from the Roman army by Gallienus, who preferred to entrust the command of a legionary unit to a
leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets v ...
chosen from within the equestrian order who had a long military career. The title has other uses from the period of Augustus onwards, following the constitutional resettlement of 27 BC "that senatorial governors in the People's provinces bore the republican title of 'proconsul', while those appointed by the Emperor bore a title which explicitly referred to their dependence on him, namely ''legatus'', or deputy".


Diplomatic ''legatus''

''Legatus'' was also a term for an ambassador of the Roman Republic who was appointed by the Senate for a mission (''legatio'') to a foreign nation, as well as for ambassadors who came to Rome from other countries. Smith, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'' (1875), Bill Thayer's edition
entry on "Legatus"
The concept remains today as a diplomatic
legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a minister. Ambassadors outranked ministers and had precedence at official events. Legations ...
.


See also

*
List of Roman army unit types This is a list of Roman army units and bureaucrats. *'' Accensus'' – Light infantry men in the armies of the early Roman Republic, made up of the poorest men of the army. *'' Actuarius'' – A military who served food. *''Adiutor'' – A camp o ...
*
Centurion A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...


References

{{Authority control Ancient Roman titles Military ranks of ancient Rome