Editing Legionary (section)

== History ==
=== Inception: Marius's reforms ===
{{excerpt|Marian reforms}}

=== During the Principate ===
As [[Augustus]] consolidated power in 27 BC and founded the [[Principate]], he further professionalized the Roman legionary and sought to break the legionary's dependence on his general. Under him, a legionary's term of service was raised to 25 years (before that, a legionary's average term of service was only 10 years) and pay was standardized throughout the legions. The Roman legionaries were also guaranteed a land grant or a cash payment at the end of his service, making the Roman legionary less dependent on generals for rewards after campaigns. Augustus also changed the ''[[Sacramentum (oath)|sacramentum]]'' so that soldiers swore allegiance only to the emperor, and not to the general. Thus, Augustus managed to end the civil wars which defined the late Roman Republic and created an army that was broadly loyal to only the emperor.<ref name=":7" />

Legionnaires would expand Rome's borders to include lower [[Britannia]], [[Dacia]], North Africa, and more through military campaigns under Augustus and future emperors.<ref name=":0" />

=== Decline ===
[[File:Victory of the Byzantines over the Bulgarians from John Skylitzes.jpg|thumb|[[Clibanarii|Clibinarii]], a type of heavy cavalry in the late Roman Empire, grew in prominence along with other forms of cavalry as the Roman legionary declined.]]From the reign of [[Septimius Severus|Septimus Severus]] onward, the Roman legionary gradually lost his preeminence. Though there were multiple causes for this decline, all pointed to the gradual degradation of loyalty and/or discipline. Septimus Severus, perhaps unwittingly, began this decline when he lavished his legionaries with [[Donativum|donatives]] and pay increases, recognising that they were his key to becoming and staying emperor. However, this proved detrimental to the discipline of the legionaries, as they began to expect more and more rewards from their emperors.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The late Roman army|last=R.|first=Dixon, Karen|date=2014|orig-year= 1996|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1134724222|location=Abingdon, Oxon|oclc=881839972}}</ref> Under [[Caracalla]], Septimus Severus's successor, all freedmen in the Roman Empire became [[Roman citizenship|Roman citizens]], effectively erasing the distinction between [[auxilia]]ries and legionnaires. This, coinciding with the continued expansion of the Roman army, meant recruits of more dubious standards joined the legions, decreasing the quality of the Roman legionary further.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rocco|first=Marco|title=The reasons behind Constitutio Antoniniana and its effects on the Roman military|url=https://www.academia.edu/1775284|journal=Acta Classica Universitatis Scientiarum Debreceniensis|date=January 2010 |language=en|access-date=2019-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407103303/http://www.academia.edu/1775284/The_reasons_behind_Constitutio_Antoniniana_and_its_effects_on_the_Roman_military|archive-date=2018-04-07|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[Crisis of the Third Century|3rd Century Crisis]], a more mobile army became necessary, as threats arose across the long borders of the Roman Empire. As such, [[Roman cavalry|mounted cavalry]] became essential to respond to the varied challenges to the empire. Because of this, Roman heavy infantry faded further from dominance. By the 4th century, Roman infantry lacked much of the [[body armor]] of the classical legionary and used [[plumbata|darts]] rather than the ''[[Pilum|pila]]'' of their predecessors.<ref name=":0" />