| Fifth LegionAlaudae | |
|---|---|
| Legio V Alaudae Legio Quinta Alaudae | |
 Signum of the Fifth LegionAlaudae (simplified reconstruction) | |
| Active | 52 BC until either AD 70 or AD 86 |
| Country | Roman Republic (in the time ofJulius Caesar) andRoman Empire |
| Type | Roman legion (Marian) |
| Nicknames |
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| Part ofa series on the |
| Military of ancient Rome |
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Legio V Alaudae ("Fifth Legion of the Lark"), sometimes also known asLegio V Gallica ("FifthGallic Legion"), was alegion of theRoman army founded in 52 BC by the generalGaius Julius Caesar (dictator of Rome 49-44 BC). It was levied inTransalpine Gaul to fight the armies ofVercingetorix, and was the first Roman legion to comprise non-citizens. Historians disagree whether the legion was destroyed during theBatavian rebellion in AD 70, or during theFirst Battle of Tapae (AD 86).[1]
The legion was founded inTransalpine Gaul in52 BC byJulius Caesar.[2] Caesar paid the soldiers from his private purse. Only later was it recognized by the Senate.[2] It is possible the legion was originally named LegioV Gallica[citation needed]. The unusual, Gaulish surname must refer to the Gallic custom to wear lark's wings on their helmets.[2] The new legion saw its first action during the campaign against the Gallic leaderVercingetorix and thesiege of Alesia.[2] During the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, the V Alaudae took part in Caesar's invasion of Italy and stayed inApulia for some time.[2] It also fought atDyrrhachium. The legion did take part in the African campaign againstCato, which culminated in theBattle of Thapsus. Here, the legion heroically fought against the elephants used by Caesar's republican enemies. This made a great impression, and V Alaudae became the only Caesarian legion known not to have used the bull as its emblem, instead choosing the elephant. This emblem was awarded in 46 BC for this action.
After acivil war broke out between Mark Antony andAugustus, the legion sided with Antony and fought for him in the lostBattle of Mutina. When the two men earlier cooperated, they defeated Brutus and Cassius, who were seeking to restore the Republic after they had killed Caesar, in theBattle of Philippi the V Alaudae was there. The legion participated inAntony's war against the Parthian empire. Antony employed the legion also during his campaign against Octavian, which culminated in the navalBattle of Actium, where Antony was defeated.[2] Augustus transferred the V Alaudae toMérida inLusitania after 30 BC, where it took part in thecampaigns against the Cantabrians.
After a few years, V Alaudae was moved toGallia Belgica. While in Gaul the legion may have temporarily lost its standard when its commander Marcus Lollius was defeated by the GermanicSugambri. The battle probably took place in the valley of theMeuse. Although we cannot be precise, it is likely that the transfer fromHispania Ulterior toBelgica had taken place in 19 BC, when Augustus' friendMarcus Vipsanius Agrippa invaded Germania. The legion was transferred to orXanten by Augustus' stepsonDrusus and it took part in his Germanic campaigns. The soldiers of V Alaudae crossed theWeser and reached theElbe in 9 BC. For some time, they may have lived atOberaden orHaltern on the east bank of theRhine. In 6 AD, several legions marched against kingMaroboduus of theMarcomanni inCzechia; at the same time, the V Alaudae were to attack the Marcomanni along the Elbe. It was to be the most grandiose operation that was ever conducted by a Roman army, but a rebellion inPannonia obstructed its execution.[2]
Not much later, theBattle of the Teutoburg Forest put an end to Roman ambition to conquer Germania.[2] CommanderLucius Nonius Asprenas used theFirst legion Germanica and the Fifth legion Alaudae to occupy the fortresses of Germania Inferior and prevent a Germanic raid on Belgica After the disaster, V Alaudae was stationed at Xanten, together withXXI Rapax, keeping an eye on the nearby tribe of theCugerni and guarding the confluence of the Rhine and Lippe. Both units took part in the Germanic campaigns of Germanicus in the first years of the reign of Tiberius. In 43 AD, the twenty-first was replaced by XV Primigenia. At the same time, Xanten was rebuilt. We know that the Fifteenth occupied the eastern half of the base, and the Fifth the western.
In 28 AD, the fifth legion suppressed a Frisian revolt, but the Emperor Tiberius nonetheless allowed the Frisians to be independent. Twelve years later, V Alaudae joined the emperorCaligula when he visited the delta of the Rhine. The famous anecdote, told by Suetonius, about the emperor commanding soldiers to collect shells on the beach, refers to the visit of the fifth toLugdunum. The V Alaudae and XV Primigenia are thought to have been part of the expeditionary force that was led against theFrisians and Chauci by the Roman generalGnaeus Domitius Corbulo in 47 AD.
The operation was very successful, but the emperor Claudius ordered the Romans to keep the Rhine as the empire's frontier. The soldiers were now ordered to build fortifications along the Rhine and dig a canal fromMatilo to the capital of theCananefates,Voorburg; this canal still exists. Another non-military activity was the production of tiles. Every legion owned and operated a tilery. It is odd to notice that V Alaudae made these objects at Feldkassel, more than 90 kilometers away.
In 67 AD, many senators hated Nero. And several governors discussed his removal. Among these wereLucius Clodius Macer of Africa andGaius Julius Vindex of one of the provinces in Gaul, who supported the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis,Servius Sulpicius Galba, when he proclaimed that he wanted to dethrone Nero. The army of Germania Inferior, which included the Legio V Alaudae marched to the south and defeated Gaius Julius Vindex.[2] Therefore, the army of Germania Inferior acclaimed their own commander,Vitellius, as emperor, and marched on Rome. They were successful, and Vitellius started his reign. However, in the east, generalVespasian had also decided to make a bid for power; the two armies clashed nearCremona in northern Italy, and the Rhine army turned out to be no match for the soldiers of Vespasian.
Meanwhile, in Germania Inferior theBatavians revolted. A Roman expeditionary force, consisting of the remains of V Alaudae and XV Primigenia, was defeated near Nijmegen, and not much later, these two legions found themselves besieged at Xanten. Although I Germanica, XVI Gallica and a legion from Germania Superior, XXII Primigenia, tried to rescue them, the two legions at Xanten were forced to surrender in March 70 AD. Not much later, I Germanica and XVI Gallica surrendered as well. It took several months before the new emperor Vespasian could send a strong Roman army to recover the Rhineland and suppress the Batavian revolt, commanded by his relativeQuintus Petillius Cerialis. The legions XVI Gallica and IIII Macedonica, which had guarded Mainz, were renamed XVI Flavia Firma and IIII Flavia Felix; the remains of I Germanica were added with Galba's Seventh legion and became known as VII Gemina. XV Primigenia and V Alaudae were never reconstituted.[2]
| Name | Rank | Time frame | Province | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cethegus Labeo | legatus legionis | c. 28 | Rhine frontier | Tacitus,Annales, iv.73 |
| Tiberius Plautius Silvanus Aelianus | legatus legionis | between 37 and 43 | Rhine frontier | CILXIV, 3608 |
| Cornelius Aquinus | legatus legionis | 68-69 | Rhine frontier | Tacitus,Histories, i.7 |
| Fabius Fabullus | legatus legionis | 69-70 | Rhine frontier | Tacitus,Histories, iii.14 |
| [...] C.f. C.n. L. Pi[...] | tribunus angusticlavius | 1st half of 1st C. | Rhine frontier | Epigraphica, 34 (1972), pp. 144f |
| Aulus Egrilus A.f. A.n. A.pron. Rufus | tribunus angusticlavius | 2nd half of 1st C. | Rhine frontier | AE1955, 168 |
| Gnaeus Domitius Lucanus | tribunus laticlavius | c. 65 | Rhine frontier | CILXI, 5210 |
| Gnaeus Domitius Tullus | tribunus laticlavius | c. 65 | Rhine frontier | CILXI, 5211 |
