It is worth noting right away that the very concept of “dembel”, that is, demobilized, did not exist in Ancient Rome, Ukr.Media reports.
In the early period, absolutely the entire male population could be involved in hostilities. If the enemy approached the city, even young men and elderly people from the reserve helped to repel his onslaught. For the simple reason that in the event of the capture of Rome, all those who survived would certainly find themselves in slavery to the victor. If there were no such extraordinary circumstances, only full citizens went to war – the draft age then ranged from 17 to 46 years. Everyone bought weapons and armor at their own expense. The army was assembled exclusively for the duration of the war, and after its end it was immediately disbanded.
During the Republic, there was no such thing as a “veteran”—the word appeared in Latin only in the 1st century BC. When an ordinary soldier served his term and retired, he received what was called a discharge. There was also another concept, the “evocate.”
Evocats were the name given to a privileged caste of the active army: they were experienced warriors who had already retired, but voluntarily returned to service at the personal call of the commander.
In the Republican era, a citizen had to serve a total of 16 campaigns in the infantry (up to 20 in extreme cases), and 10 in the cavalry. Six years was the maximum period of continuous service in the provinces, after which the soldier could be temporarily released home.
However, after final retirement, a Roman soldier, even if he spent his entire adult life on campaigns, did not receive any additional benefits from the state.
The situation changed radically after the reforms of Guy Marius. Even poor citizens who did not have money to buy weapons and equipment began to be recruited for service – from now on, everything was paid for at the expense of the treasury. Drills became much tougher and more systematic, discipline was strengthened. The number of conscripts increased significantly.
According to historians, if at the beginning of the 2nd century BC only a quarter of Roman citizens had served in the army during their lives, then by the middle of the 1st century BC half of adult Romans already had military experience.
At this time, a series of civil wars broke out, during which generals faced a serious problem: they had to convince soldiers to fight on their side, and not for another candidate for the role of ruler of Rome. Defections became commonplace, sometimes entire legions in full composition went from one politician to another. The loyalty of the army had to be bought. And since cash was always in short supply, promises were used.
In particular, it was not only about one-time payments after victory, but also about the allocation of land plots. Since a significant part of the Roman army at that time consisted of poor people, they perceived such news with great enthusiasm.
Julius Caesar, having defeated his rivals, faced a serious challenge. At the same time, tens of thousands of people who were accustomed to solving any difficulties by force of arms were retiring. If they did not receive what was promised, they would immediately revolt. First of all, the retirees were interested in their legal land holdings. There was land in Italy, of course, but all the best lands were privately owned. In order to distribute them to all the veterans, it would have been necessary to confiscate plots from the Italians en masse. Remembering the hatred this had aroused during the dictatorship of Sulla, Caesar acted cautiously: he bought up part of the land in Italy (in particular, in Campania) or used state funds. However, in order not to provoke a social explosion, the remaining veterans were allocated plots in remote provinces.
This step solved several problems at once. Former comrades who had brought the dictator of Rome to power with their swords received their long-awaited reward. But they settled far from the capital and could no longer interfere in Roman politics. In the event of mass unrest, the rebellion would break out in the provinces, where it did not pose a particular threat. And, finally, the veterans went to new places with their families and slaves (who had them). Having settled there, they not only developed these newly conquered lands, but also guaranteed their protection from the raids of the surrounding barbarians.
In imperial Rome, the army gradually became more and more professional. Legions no longer disbanded at home after the end of another war, but became a camp in the area where the presence of troops was required. Octavian Augustus set clear deadlines for obtaining the coveted “demobilization”: 16 years of service, which was later increased to 20 years in regular units, plus 5 years in the status of veteran with the legion.
In addition, the emperor introduced a categorical legislative ban on marriage for active soldiers – there were no “permissions from the command” and any previously concluded marriages were legally annulled. However, this did not prevent legionaries from taking cohabitants (concubinage) from local girls. Only after retiring did a Roman veteran receive the right to legalize relations with his girlfriend, and their children acquired the status of legitimate children and Roman citizenship (this ban was completely abolished only by Emperor Septimius Severus in 197 AD).
It is worth mentioning that only Roman citizens could become legionaries. However, for non-citizens (peregrines) who served in the auxiliary troops (auxiliaries), the main demobilization bonus after 25 years of service was not so much land as obtaining the coveted Roman citizenship for themselves and their descendants, which was solemnly recorded in bronze military diplomas.
Upon retirement, a legionnaire received a plot of land of 50 jugers (15 hectares). Wherever he settled, the local authorities granted him immunity from the duties of a decurion (a member of the city council).
The fact is that the status of decurion required enormous personal expenses for the needs of the city, so the state prudently exempted the veteran from these destructive duties. The retiree also received a solid cash payment, reaching 3 thousand denarii (or 12,000 sesterces). So that these payments did not depend on the personal trophies of the commander, in 6 AD a special fund was created – the Military Treasury, which was reliably replenished at the expense of inheritance tax and sales tax.
In addition, the veteran's family was exempt from all taxes, including road and port fees, as well as from duties required of other local residents, such as participation in the repair of roads or aqueducts.
Roman emperors carefully preserved and increased these privileges, ensuring the loyalty of the army. So every legionary could rest assured: no matter who came to power, his personal well-being was not threatened.
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