Legio I Minervia ( First Legion "Minervan", i.e., "devoted to the goddess
Minerva") was a
legion of the
Imperial Roman army founded in AD 82 by emperor
Domitian (r. 81–96), for his campaign against the Germanic tribe of the
Chatti. Its
cognomen refers to the goddess Minerva, the legion's protector. There are still records of the I ''Minervia'' in the
Rhine border region in the middle of the 4th century. The legion's emblem is an image of goddess Minerva.
Legio I ''Minervia'' first, and main, camp was in the city of ''Bonna'' (modern
Bonn), in the province of
Germania Inferior. In 89, they suppressed a revolt of the governor of
Germania Superior
Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesontio' ...
. Due to this, Domitian gave them the cognomen ''Pia Fidelis Domitiana'' (loyal and faithful to Domitian) to acknowledge their support.
History
Between 101 and 106, the legion fought the
Dacian Wars of emperor
Trajan, commanded by
Hadrian
Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...
, the future emperor. The emblem with Minerva figure appears on the
column of Trajan in
Rome, along with symbols of other legions. After this war, I ''Minervia'' returned to its home city of Bonna. Together with
XXX ''Ulpia Victrix'', stationed close by in ''Castra Vetera II'' (modern
Xanten), they worked in numerous military and building activities, even extracting stone from quarries.
Although it belonged to the Germanic army and Bonn was its camp, ''
vexillationes'' (subunits) of the legion were allocated in different parts of the Empire:
* 162–166 war against the
Parthian Empire, commanded by emperor
Lucius Verus
Lucius Aurelius Verus (15 December 130 – January/February 169) was Roman emperor from 161 until his death in 169, alongside his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. Verus' succession together with ...
* 166–175 and 178–180 war against the
Marcomanni, commanded by emperor
Marcus Aurelius
* 173 campaign against the
Chauci of
Gallia Belgica, commanded by governor
Didius Julianus
* 198–211 garrison of the city of
Lugdunum, capital of Gallia
During the civil wars of the late 2nd and 3rd century, I ''Minervia'' supported the following emperors (each of them gave them the indicated titles, dropped out after their fall):
*
Septimius Severus
*
Elagabalus (''Antoniniana'')
*
Alexander Severus (''Severiana Alexandriana'')
* the
Gallic Empire
The Gallic Empire or the Gallic Roman Empire are names used in modern historiography for a breakaway part of the Roman Empire that functioned ''de facto'' as a separate state from 260 to 274. It originated during the Crisis of the Third Century, w ...
, that existed between 260 and 274
Around 353, Bonna was destroyed by the Franks. Although Legio I ''Minervia'' disappears from recorded history, there is no account of its end, whether destroyed in battle or simply disbanded.
Attested members
See also
*
List of Roman legions
This is a list of Roman legions, including key facts about each legion, primarily focusing on the Principate (early Empire, 27 BC – 284 AD) legions, for which there exists substantial literary, epigraphic and archaeological evidence.
When Au ...
*
Roman legion
The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period of t ...
References
External links
livius.org article on Legio I ''Minervia''*
Legio I Minervia Pia Fidelis German re-enactment group
German re-enactment group, reenacting not only the Legio I Minervia.
{{Roman Legion}
Roman legions, 01 Minervia
82 establishments
Chatti
Military units and formations established in the 1st century
80s establishments in the Roman Empire
80s establishments