Ianmey7
TNPer
Evolutio Legio
When the Epiphan and Suavidici landed on the shores of the present day Imperium, armies were organized by a citizens militia. These militia would fight in shield walls with the spear being the main offensive weapon. The soldier in these shield walls, a hoplite, was not furnished with armor instead they had to pay for their protection themselves. This early era of Suavidici warfare circa. ~300 BC through 150 BC can be identified by short campaigns that would often end in a single battle. The hoplites would fall out of favor in the year 289 BC when their rigidness and lack of movement allowed a large Imperial army to be crushed by King Nassur of the Akhi’Duta in the battle of Graci planes.
The most impactful battle of this early time period came against the Akhi’Duta. The battle of Al-Tanbir saw the forces of the Imperator Augustus II defeat the forces of King Nassur. The battle taking place sometime during the summer of 280 BC. The Suavidici legions began to employ what would become the famous three lines of the classical legions. Due to previous wars Patrician families had been able to afford more and more effective armor, this abundance of wealth fell into the laps of the plebeians as well. The increase of wealth allowed more plebeians to purchase land, allowing for the army to swell in size. This increased pool of manpower allowed the proto-legions to weather the tremendous force of the Akhi’Duta.
After the battle of Al-Tanbir the kingdom of Akhi’Duta was absorbed into the Imperium. This increase of land had two major consequences. The first consequence was the central government's decision to lessen the tax on Suavidci plebeians.This tax break dropped the required monetary, grain, or livestock tax by three quarters. An overabundance of food began what would become a population explosion, meaning the legions would again swell in size. The second consequence would be the absorption of hundreds of iron mines. These iron mines would nearly quintuple the production of iron in the early Imperium. The excess iron would allow for the Imperium to start producing simple iron chest plates for their legions.
The classical legions would not truly take form until the rule of Crassus II, the wise. Crassus II upon the defeat of the Uah-prahet and their highly urbanized society saw a need to redraw the regions of the Imperium. His first move was to expand the already impressive road network. No longer would the Via Appia, Via De larossa, and Via Suavidicum be the only three major roads. Six new major roads, and hundreds of artery roads would be built connecting Suavidicum to its numerous cities and colonies. In addition to these roads, a census was done so that the Imperial court and Senate could work on their next project.
Crassus II wanted to move on from the militia system that was, at this point, nearly done away with anyways. Crassus II moved to codify what was likely the regular practice of the era. Instead of a militia being raised every spring for campaign during the summer, a standing military would form. The backbone of this standing army would be men conscripted from the new Provinces and Themes.
Provinces would be organized by population. The Census of 145-144 BC allowed the Imperial court to draw provinces that had a population of about 100,000. The Imperial population at the time was ~4.1 million people. The Provinces would be further broken down into Themes of around 10,000 people. Assuming the military aged male population was .05% the Legions could call upon around 20,500 men. It is unlikely that such a force was ever fielded that was until the conquest of Palmyra.
The integration of Palmyra, and the Suavidicization of the islands allowed for the Imperium to field armies well into the hundreds of thousands.The conquest of Palmyra allowed for the legions to show off their new organization and new armor. Around the year 90BC the famous Lorica Segmentata entered service in the Legions. The structure of the new legions was even more important than a change of armor. Each grouping of 5,500 men would be organized into ten cohorts each of 480 legionaries. The First Cohort of each legion was at near double strength of 800 total legionaries. Cohorts were broken into centuria of 100 men commanded by a centurion, which were broken down into Contubernium of eight were commanded by a decanus. This structure allowed for flexibility unheard of in the classical world.
The size and organization of the legions came from the system of Provinces and Themes. Each province was to be administered by a Prefect and a Legate. These two men were subordinate to a regional governor appointed by the Imperator. The Prefect was to oversee sub-magistrates that were appointed by the Senate and approved by the Imperial court. Legates received orders from the Magister Militum about the numbers of men needed for the legions. The Legates would then go from town to town recruiting. Recruitment was often done during festivals or places where consumption of alcohol would take place. Conscription would meet the needs of the legions every spring, however deployed legions were in constant need of recruits. Metropolises were given a special distinction by the Imperial government. Suaividicum by the first century AD already had a population of well over a million. Other cities like Cubitum ( formerly Al-Tanbir) were in the tens of thousands, if not over 100,000. These Metropolises would serve as important hubs of recruitment for the legions. Metropolises were a multifaceted political structure. Suavidicum was under the direct rule of the Imperator, other large cities in the Empire were ruled by city councils. These city councils were made up of four magistrates, the regional governor, and in the case of religious cities a Patriarch.
The Velites were, and still are, the light infantry of the Legions. Velites were made up of men who did not meet the height and weight standards of a legionary when they were first conscripted. This would mean that the majority of Velites were the Urban poor. This recruitment practice would eventually shift with reform and Velites would be a fifth of a legion. Velites would be armored with grieves, and a leather breastplate. Velites would be armed with a javelin up until 100 BC when they would be given a bow and a light spear. At the time of the 100 BC reforms the number of Velites would be cut in half.
The most revered position in a legion was that of a Signifer or the standard bearers. The legions had a reverence for their legions standard. The Signifer was as much a religious position as it was a military one. Pre Battle traditions saw the legion pray, first to their cohort standards, then second to the legion standard. Signifers who lost a legion standard in battle would bring shame upon their families. Signifers were expected to die in order to protect the standard. Legionaries would grab the standard if a Signifer was wounded, often not regarding the wounded man on the ground.
The Praetorian Guard formed the most elite Legion in the Imperium. The Praetorian Guard is made up of the Cohorts: Pretoria, Varagnian, Palaitini, and Equites singulares Augusti. The Pretorians are tasked with the protection of the whole of Suavidicum, the Varangians are tasked with the protection of the palace district, the Palatini are tasked with the protection of the palace, and the Equites are assigned with the mobile forces in the Suavidicum Metropolis. The Varangian were once made up of only Gotic vikings that were hired by the Imperator; in the current day the Varangian serve as a cohort where people all over the world can serve. These elite units are not only tasked with defending the Imperator, they are deployed to the field from time to time. This legion is used as a force to crush the enemies of the Imperator.
The reform that would rock the Legions the hardest would be the introduction of gunpowder. The slow introduction of “barbarian trinkets” would cause Palmyra to be ripped away from the Imperium. Furthermore the lack of institutional experience with firearms would spell disaster for the Legions during the Northern Crusade. In the pivotal battle against the Predicians (Predicie was not unified but the name will be used for ease) the Legions present were not able to match the destructive power of the Predicians. The lack of battery would be the death note of the Imperiums hold on the Northern province.
The Legions at the time did not bring enough firearms to bear. The majority of formations were still made up of infantry with a pole arm and a sword. Firearms were seen as necessary but not the end all of combat at the time. Cataprhatcs and the melee line were seen as the key components of battle.
This transitionary period left the Imperium unable to compete with the colonial powers that circled Auroria. The Suavidici navy was equally as ineffective as the army. Epiphan fire had long been the secret to Suavidici sucsess. Giant tubes in the shape of Dragon heads would spew fire out at enemy vessles. Cannons changed this dynamic. Cannons could shoot much farther than Epiphan fire could reach, this disparity leading to the Suavidici navy cowering in port during several of the wars against the Westerners.
The final gasp of the perceived supremacy of the Legions came with the humiliation by Andrenne. The Imperium would deploy legions to destroy the Andrennian force, the Suaividci would quickly see their disadvantage. Within the first hour of fighting the Legions would be on the backfoot. Several cohorts would be routed from the field leaving massive gaps in the Imperiums lines. The loss was so great that the Legate in command of the battle had his Praefectus Castorum (aid de camp) kill him in order to right the dishonor.
What followed the loss to Andrenne was the Constantine reforms. These reforms were meant to modernize the aging Suavidici state and military. Patricians were forced to sell their slaves to the state, cities were expanded to include industrial sectors which could build products for the peoples consumption as well as weapons. The first of the famous Suavidici steel works would start to open: Pannonia. Hadrian telecom would get its start laying rail and telegraph lines, its rail section would be bought by the crown company. Invictus would be at the cutting edge of Suavidici weapons, selling submachine guns to Scalvia during their war with Esthursia.
The corwning achievement of these reforms was the new Legions. The army and navy were judged to be world class and in the Fascist Wars the Imperium showed the world its new muscles. While fighting both Ultramont and Tardine the Imperium was able to secure Ethia and hold off attacks by Ultramont. The Caesar Augustus class battleships were a show of Suavidici hubris. The 70,000 ton vessels were more than a mach for both Tardini and Ultramontese surface vessels, however they required a large number of escorts to protect them from air. The sisters would retire in the seventies with the proliferation of anti-ship missiles.