Roman Legion - Legio VI Ferrata

Багерман А.Я., Мыслевцев А.С.

Legio VI Ferrata The Sixth Iron Legion was a Roman legion formed during the Republic by Gaius Julius Caesar.

Period of service: The Legion was created by Gaius Julius Caesar in 52 BC and lasted until the 4th century AD.

Symbols: Bull and Capitoline she-wolf with babies Romulus and Remus.

Nickname: Cognomen "Ferrata" translates to iron, armored. Apparently, this nickname was given to the legion for its courage and perseverance in the battles in which it took part. Later

• Fidelis Constans ("ever faithful").

Service history

There are two versions of the origin of this legion.

1) Legion created Gaius Julius Caesar in 52 BC.

2) Legion created Gnaeus Pompeius the Great in 52 BC.

Most authors stick to the date when the legion was created by Caesar during his famous Gallic War (52-50 BC).

• Legio VI Ferrata began its military career at a key moment in the Gallic War, namely with the siege of Allesia (modern Alise-Saint-Rhin, France) in September 52 BC. After the Gallic War, the legion took an active part in the unfolding Civil War (49-45 BC) between the supporters of Caesar and Pompey.

• Battles of the Civil War in which Legio VI Ferrata took part: the Battle of Illerda (modern Lleida, Catalonia, Spain) in June-August 49 BC - the first major battle of this war; the battle of Dyrrachia (modern Durres, Albania) in the summer of 48 BC; in the decisive battle of the Civil War. Wars of Pharsalus (modern city of Pharsalus, Greece) August 9,48 BC

• After that, the legion accompanied Caesar in his Egyptian expedition (48-47 BC) - participated in the defense of the city of Alexandria (Egypt) from the forces of Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII (the younger brother of Queen Cleopatra, who was supported by Caesar, since Ptolemy's servants killed Pompey when he landed in Egypt), after which, together with Caesar, he made a campaign to Syria and Pontus (the ancient Greek name for the north-eastern region of Asia Minor, in the north facing the Black Sea (Pontus Euxine).

• Legio VI Ferrata took part in the Battle of Zela (present-day Zila, northern Turkey) in August 47 BC. In this battle, Roman troops defeated the son of the famous king of Pontus and an opponent of the Romans - Mithridates VI Eupator -Pharnaces II. Ironically, it was Pharnaces II who betrayed his famous father in 63 BC to become king of Pontus. At the same time, he did not agree with the decision of the Romans to transfer the Pontic Kingdom to him without Phanagoria and dreamed of recreating the great Pontic state.

• After such success, the legion was returned to Italy by Caesar to receive well-deserved awards for their work. But before that, the legion took part in the last battle of the Civil War – in the battle of Munda (a place near the modern city of Osuna, Spain) on March 17,45 BC.After that, the legion received its well-deserved awards and was disbanded, and its veterans settled in the city of Arles (modern city of Arles, in France).

• Once again, the legion was recreated Marcus Lepidus, a member of the second triumvirate that emerged after the assassination of Caesar in 44 BC. The Legion sided with the second triumvirate, and also took part in the decisive battle of the Civil War (44-42 BC) at Philippi (now the ruins of an ancient Greek city on the Aegean coast, Greece) in October 42 BC.

• After that, according to the terms of the division of power between the participants of the second triumvirate, but without Lepidus, the legion left with Mark Antony to the East. Here he helped King Herod the Great gain power over Judea in 37 BC, and in 36 BC he took part in the unsuccessful Parthian campaign for Rome (40-33 BC) of Mark Antony.

• In the civil war that soon began between Octavian Augustus and Mark Antony, Legio VI Ferrata was on the side of Antony and took part in the battle of Cape Actium (modern Cape in the Ionian Sea, on the west coast of Greece) in 31 BC.For this, after the loss and death of Mark Antony, the victor Octavian transferred the legion to Syria. Presumably, the legion's camp was located in Raphanea in southern Syria (now Megiddo Valley, Israel).

• In 58 AD, parts of the legion took part in the campaign of the general Corbulo to Armenia, during the Roman-Parthian war (58-63) over Armenia.

• In the beginning of the first Jewish War (revolt) (66-73 AD) in 67,4 cohorts of the legion took part in the unsuccessful campaign of the propraetor of Syria Cestius Gallus on Jerusalem, while the Roman units were defeated, and the legate Legio VI Ferrata died.

• In A.D. 69 (The Year of the Four Emperors) Legio VI Ferrata went to Italy to support the claim of the Roman commander in Judea, Vespasian, to the imperial throne in Rome. Then these forces were led by the governor of Syria, Gaius Mucianus. But on the way to Italy, the legion deviated to the Danube and successfully destroyed the invaders, recapturing the fortresses occupied by the Sarmatians (some scientists believe that they were not Sarmatians, but Dacians) in Moesia. The legion then returned to Syria in 70 AD.

• During the reign of the Emperor Trajan participated in his war with the Dacians (106 AD) and Trajan's Armenian campaign (114 AD), which was aimed at the final conquest of Armenia, which Trajan successfully implemented.

• Under the Emperor Hadrian in 119, Legio VI Ferrata was briefly transferred to Arabia, from where he was sent to Judea to suppress the Bar Kokhba revolt (132-136).

• In 136, after the Bar Kokhba revolt was suppressed, Legio VI Ferrata was transferred to the Galilee (now the territory of Israel), to the city of Caparconta, which soon became known as Legio (from the Latin name legion).

• During the reign of Emperor Antonius Pius (138-161), the legion was briefly transferred to Africa, and then returned to Judea.

• In 162-165, Emperor Lucius Verus used the legion in Mesopotamia. There is a version that the legion took part in the capture of the capital of Parthia, the city of Ctesiphon (now ruins 32 km. from Baghdad, Iraq).

• In 193 (the yearof the five Emperors)) Legio VI Ferrata supported Septimius Severus, who eventually became emperor. For his struggle against Pescennius Niger, another contender for the imperial throne in Rome, Legio VI Ferrata received the title Fidelis Constans ("ever faithful").

• At the beginning of the 3rd century, in 215 AD, the Legio VI Ferrata was still in Palestine.

• The last mention of Legio VI Ferrata dates back to the reign of Emperor Philip the Arab (241-249 AD). Most likely, the legion soon suffered heavy losses. There is a version that the legion took part in the unsuccessful campaign of Emperor Valerian against the Sassanids in 260, in which the legion was severely damaged and was not restored, since by the time the Notitia Dignitatum was compiled(4-5 centuries AD), the legion was already on the list of troops Notitia Dignitatum Roman Empire is not listed.

Related topics

List of Roman Legions, Legion, Legionary, Legio V Macedonica, Legio X Fretensis, Gaius Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompey the Great, Mark Antony, Octavian Augustus, Marcus Ulpius Nerva Trajan, Year of the Four Emperors, Year of the Five Emperors