Legatus

Legatus

A legatus (often anglicized as legate) was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the "dux", and he outranked all military tribunes. In order to command an army independently of the "dux" or provincial governor, legates were required to be of praetorian rank or higher; a legate could be invested with propraetorian "imperium" ("legatus propraetore") in his own right. Legates received large shares of the army's booty at the end of a campaign, which made the position a lucrative one, so it could often attract even distinguished consulars (e.g., the consular Lucius Julius Caesar volunteered late in the Gallic War as a legate under his first cousin once removed, Gaius Julius Caesar).

The men who filled the office of Legate were drawn from among the senatorial class of Rome. There were two main positions; the "legatus legionis" was an ex-praetor given command of one of Rome's elite legions [" [http://history-world.org/roman_army.htm The Roman Army] " Accessed April 16, 2007] , while the "legatus propraetor" was an ex-consul, who was given the governorship of a Roman province with the magisterial powers of a praetor, which in some cases gave him command of four or more legions.

This rank was also the overall Legionary commander. This post was generally appointed by the emperor. The person chosen for this rank was a former Tribune and held command for 3 or 4 years, although he could serve for a much longer period. In a province with only one legion, the Legatus was also the provincial governor, but in provinces with multiple legions, each legion had a Legatus and the provincial governor (who was separate from the legions) had overall command of them all.

References

ee also

* The word has survived in the Papal legate.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Legātus — (lat., Legat), 1) (röm. Ant.), Gesandter, s.d.; 2) der oberste Amtsgehülfe der Statthalter in den Provinzen in Civil wie in Militärangelegenheiten. Jeder Statthalter einer bedeutenden Provinz hatte wenigstens drei vom Senat, bisweilen vom… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • legatus — index deputy, procurator Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • LEGATUS — apud priscos Rom. is fuit, qui Ammiani Marcellini temporibus Comes dicebatur, et nostra aetate Locum tenens. Gall. Lieutenant, penes quem absente Imp. vel Duce. summa potestas erat. Hi inrer Comites Proconsulum et Propraetorum primum obtinuêre… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Legatus — Als Legatus (von lateinisch legare „gesetzlich verfügen“, „jemandem von Amts wegen absenden“, vergleiche Delegation (Abordnung)) wurden im antiken Rom verschiedene politische Amtsträger bezeichnet. Legaten als Gesandte Legaten als Gesandte… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Legatus — El término legatus puede referirse a: el legado romano; un género de aves, Legatus. Esta página de desambiguación cataloga artículos relacionados con el mismo título. Si llegaste aquí a través de …   Wikipedia Español

  • Legatus — Latin 1) A papal representative. There were two distinct categories: (I) legatus natus (literally born legate ), a status accorded to the archbishops of Canterbury and York ex officio to reinforce their supremacy within their provinces; (II)… …   Medieval glossary

  • Legatus — Légat Monarchie romaine 753 – 509 av. J. C. République romaine 509 – 27 av. J. C. Empire romain 27 av. J. C. – 476 Empire byzantin 395 – 1453 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Legatus, S. — S. Legatus, (22. Oct.), auch Leogathus, ein Martyrer, der im Elenchus steht und im Allg. Mart. Leugatus heißt. † …   Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon

  • Legatus — piratai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Legatus angl. piratic flycatcher vok. Kurzschnabel Maskentyrann, m rus. тиранн разбойник, m pranc. tyran pirate, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – tironai siauresnis terminas – piratas …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • LEGATUS Sedis Apostolicae — nomen dignitatis in communione Rom. olim de aliis quoque Sedibus dicebatur. Unde initio Actorum Conc. Niceni II. celebrati aliquot post Ephesinum Saeculis, recensentur Legati Sedium Patriarcblium et primo loco nominantur, Οἱ ἐπέχοντες τόπον τῆς… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”