To contact us:

David Richardson

Tel: +44 (0)23 9236 9970

Email: legiiavg@btopenworld.com

This would have had several repercussions. Firstly, those auxiliaries joining the legion would have instantly become Roman citizens since that status was required of legionaries. This substantial offer was made by Nero because he did not have enough resources in the treasury to bribe them. Secondly, the army generally – as the prime Roman military service - would have likely objected to the entire idea of a “naval legion”. Nero countered this objection cleverly by giving the new unit the name Adiutrix – which means “support” in Latin. Thus the circle was squared: the rest of the army knew that it was not a proper legion since it was called “the First Support Legion” (Legio I Adiutrix) but the sailors nonetheless received their citizenship and an Eagle. Notwithstanding that, it was a tribute to Roman training and discipline generally that, whatever the reasons, a large body of auxiliaries in a home-front unit could be swiftly upgraded to the status of a front-line legion. Of course, Nero’s suicide left the new citizens in something of a void, awaiting the appearance of a successor.

Galba, a rigid and conventional army commander, behaved predictably. He not only disregarded but used force against petitioning sailor/soldiers of I Adiutrix at the Milvian Bridge thereby missing an opportunity to gain valuable support. This resulted in Otho having another large and disgruntled force in addition to the Praetorians available in Rome with which to move against Galba. This was important for otherwise Otho could not have moved so swiftly or so boldly in pursuit of his objectives since he had relatively scant other support in Italy.

Otho used both of the home fleets in amphibious operations in his campaign against Vitellius. The Classis Misenensis with Praetorian cohorts aboard raided the Lombardy coast, harassing the rear of the southern Vitellian army and defeating one of its flanking columns. For its part, the Classis Ravennas carrying urban cohorts held both sides of the River Po for Otho, giving him the chance of fighting the first battle of Cremona (where he was defeated) in control of much of Italy. At Cremona, and the subsequent battle at Bedriacum, Legio I Adiutrix acquitted itself well. A

s an act of reconciliation between the two armies after the battles, they saluted the death of the commander of the army’s newest legion. Now fully accepted, the paradoxical result was that other sailors, as auxiliaries, were barred from joining I Adiutrix!