Roman Rules for War - How to conquer an Empire
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This video serves as a complete introduction and analysis into how the Romans did war. Their thought process, reasoning, and army compositions are all the focus of the video. Each statement has supporting examples of battles, ranging from the late Republic to the early Empire, though these basic rules were present in some degree in the minds of Roman generals far later, and served as a basis for upcoming generals to learn from.
Пікірлер: 208
"I never said that shit" -Sun Tzu
@brainmuffins6052
15 күн бұрын
“Bark Bark” - Shi Tzu
@adamstrange7884
15 күн бұрын
Sun Zu said all his sayings on Twitter!
@deskgamesix
15 күн бұрын
Sun Tzu would have been great on SNL. What a jokester.
@Fatherofheroesandheroines
15 күн бұрын
Sun Tzu says " I demand a retraction!"
@chissstardestroyer
15 күн бұрын
Oh Sun Tzu himself very strongly insisted that the officers, especially in the same type of deal as today's boot camp drill Sergants: if they don't train the men sufficiently; what they did is tantamount to *treason* against all of their duties, and their country's flag at the same time... same deal as a Roman officer or soldier who shirks his duty and/or falls asleep on picket duty: that kind of stunt brought about the death-penalty!
A general was a also a supply logistics manager, imagine all that responsibility and he didnt even have a computer to help him.
@_--Reaper--_
15 күн бұрын
It's really not that hard once you can read and write and have assistants, secretaries etc.
@marshalmichelney-bc8qn
15 күн бұрын
@@_--Reaper--_well the modern military as we know it is very organized. Command staff was revolutionized by Napoleons Marshal, Marshal Berthier. So it would be very interesting to see what a Roman commanders command staff would look like. And just how effective they were. Or if most of it fell to the commander. A good logistics officer during Roman times would be priceless I would imagine. And finding someone with such capabilities would be a difficult task. Would be interesting to see them do a video on a Roman commanders command staff
@MarktheRude
15 күн бұрын
@@_--Reaper--_ Oh but sending a message to Rome or other major city might take days, weeks or months, and by the time reply should arrive the army has already moved on. But to where?
@matzekatze7500
15 күн бұрын
@@MarktheRuderight? You couldn't just call them and say hey I want to do this and that. The army was heavily responsible for itself and had to rely on the competence in it I guess
@MM22966
15 күн бұрын
"Throws abacus at clerk."
Just imagine if we had a multiple-season long series about the roman army at war. One that was so full of all the little details behind the logistics involved in planning a campaign through. The mishaps thay occurred on the march, the banter and activities during those nightly camps, the battles themselves, and even the process after like disposing of dead enemies and caring for the wounded. Thats something i always dream of seeing one day.
@thasnoxi1291
15 күн бұрын
Kings and generals has a 247 video long playlist about the military history of rome.
@ComfortsSpecter
14 күн бұрын
Immaculate Vibe
@AthanaSus
9 күн бұрын
I wonder if that could pay for itself in terms of the potential audience that series could have
I am aware that i am repeating my self alot. But after over 60 years of studying Roman military history this video documentary among all the others you have provided is invaluable to me and am looking forward to many more. You have my allegince! Thank you all.
@HistoriaMilitum
15 күн бұрын
Thank you for your kind comments. Many more to come!
"An army travels on its stomach, believe it or not." Napoleon Bonaparte? Makes sense, considering the success he had in the field.
@lastknightofhonor8998
18 сағат бұрын
Can u believe the abortion that was ridley Scott's movie? Have u read anything on napoleon
The psychological effect on moral makes a lot of sense. I certainly wouldn't want to approach a formation of thousands of well-equipped men on a hill, their weapon & armour shining under the sun. The Romans in the late Republic/Early Empire were also ordered to not perform battle chants in order to intimate enemies through uniform silence.
@cptclonks7279
8 күн бұрын
Most likely not pure silence. Hard to stay silent when you are made to kill the men you see in front of you.
Roman generals almost always had a long military career at their backs before they got to turn consul, pro-consul, legatus or any high ranking position depending on the time. That's the "cursus honorum". And for most of its History, a Roman politician had to be a skilled commander in order to ascend to the peak of his career. And even the heads of the greatest patrician families needed achievements in order to be taken seriously. That system made sure Rome always had a constant supply of very skilled commanders. But, on the bad side, a lot of those commanders were so eager to get those achievements in the year or two they got to manage an army that they often rushed things up or acted with more pride than wits. It's funny how Rome almost met total disaster because of this on 2 sepparate occasions. One was during the Second Punic War, when Hannibal kept baiting consul after consul and surrounding or constantly ambushing Roman armies. And the other was during the Cimbrian Wars, where Romans were initially crushed to the point of trauma. In the former, Fabius Maximus had to come and make the commanders to chill out and just stalk Hannibal, but never give in to pitch battle. And in the later, Gaius Marius had to come in and play with everyone's patience until the teutons and ambrions slipped and he capitalized.
@arthas640
14 күн бұрын
yeah calling them "self taught amateurs" is pretty disingenuous, they were often from families with a tradition of officers so were raised preparing them for war, joining the military and served for years as an officer before ever even being considered for being a general. Just like today they'd have many years of service before being promoted. I havent checked many numbers but i want to say most generals were over 30 on the young side and often over 40 so they'd have 15+ years of experience as an officer.
@abraham2172
12 күн бұрын
The problem of overambitions of military leaders became even more severe when said leaders took their loyal legions and marched towards Rome to become new Emperor, which lead to numerous civil wars. Another disadvantage was overstretch, although the Romans dealt with that surprisingly well too. But in the end, the weakened Empire couldnt amass the ressources to secure its borders anymore.
@rotciv1492
12 күн бұрын
@@abraham2172 Indeed, overstretching was a thing too. Some of those went excellent, like Caesar literally throwing himself into deep Gaul with the excuse of the Helvetic migration. Some of those went terribly wrong, like Crassus' vanity expedition into Parthia. And some achieved mixed results, like Regulus' expedition into Africa.
@fpvillegas9084
11 күн бұрын
@@arthas640I think "amateur" here meant not being educated/trained in a FORMAL way.....like in West Point or Sandhurst.
@Hugh_Morris
11 күн бұрын
Yep, thats an important point you mentioned. Fabius is famous for not fighting Hannibal, people wrongly believe his strategy was to never fight Hannibal in open battle. This isnt true, Fabius was willing to face Hannibal, but on Roman terms. Fabius knew how good Hannibal was, and he knew every Roman commander before him had allowed Hannibal to fight a battle he had chosen. Fabius knew to beat Hannibal he needed these advantages. And one time in the war, Fabius had Hannibal trapped (the tables turned), Hannibal knew his army was gonna be annihilated and he employed very clever tactics to escape with most of his army. But this is never spoken about, even though it was a very important part of the story.
I love hearing the little anecdotes/side stories of particular Roman battles/general experiences. Makes you feel a bit closer to things and understanding.
Well, first you cooka da pizza...
@mongolianfishingvillages1371
15 күн бұрын
😂😂😂
@PassionateSpirit88
15 күн бұрын
😄 those carbs gave them energy
@DallingerM
15 күн бұрын
There were no tomatoes in Rome 😐
@seenbefore2803
15 күн бұрын
@@DallingerMI cooka da pizza
@marshalmichelney-bc8qn
15 күн бұрын
@@DallingerMtrue. But before tomatoes were brought to Rome, they did have a “pizza” like dish. It was the dough, with olive paste and garum
I really like this style of videos. Its feels alot more grounded which is what brought me to this channel! Well done!
@WladylawGomulka
15 күн бұрын
i dont
@victore4735
15 күн бұрын
@@WladylawGomulka I do
It's hard to beat Historia Militum for these deep dive videos! Thanks.😎⚔🔥
I had never thought about wind and shields but damn you're right
13:36: Emperor Nero's long flanking march at the Metaurus River. It's "General Nero" (Gaius Claudius Nero) and not Emperor Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus).
Each of your videos is like breathing fresh air after a long walk. Thank you for your unique atmosphere! 😊
Julius studied Alexander’s battles from records.
Incredible storytelling combined with historical accuracy! This video brings the Roman conquests to life in a whole new way
amazing work! many thanks for sharing your knowledge in such a detailed and beautiful movie! 🎉
It’s always a good day when this channel uploads a new video
Amazing video! You should do a similar video about naval conflict as it gets far less attention than it deserves.
Dude, I'm dying to see the next part of the dacian War... when will it come out?
I'm so glad this recommendation popped up. ❤
One of the BEST video about Roman warfare. 👍👍👍🎉
Excellent video as usual!
Very well done. A lot of information in a small time slice. I didn't mind watching the obligatory commercial from beginning to end either
Excellent video!
"Novices talk tactics, professionals talk logistics" I am surprised that the Roman where well aware of this, as a lot of later Generals forgot about it.
Another Excellent Video
very interesting video, always good to learn new stuff
That´s really interesting to me. Some tactics, like taking the high ground might seem obvious, but the stuff about the supply line is probably the most important factor. Even an army that´s entrenched on a rocky mountain can´t survive forever, if besieged and unable to get ressources. It just shows how many considerations were to be kept in mind, which makes the success of the Romans even more impressive.
Today I learned about the importance of more-all in battle.
Great video thank you!
The numbers in ancient battle's was truly jawdropping.. and didn't return to these sizes after the fall of Rome until the age of discovery and the Napoleonic wars..
An another great documentary,
Great video. But a video or 2 about some famous roman defeats and why did they happen may do a nice opposition to this video.
Beautiful History Incredible Lesson Some Pretty Nice Displays Greatluck in Improving Your Presentations Amazing Good Work Wonderful Public Effort Alot to Learn Here for Helping Anybody Understand more of Life Thank You Great Man
Plus a *huge* edge the Romans usually had was their troops were *professionals*, and universally their foes relied on men drafted; now they'd *attack* with local troops who were NOT professionals: but they didn't count those as casualties: they used them to remove enemy units in initial attacks and their own troops to hold and gain new auxiliia, those were the guys they relied upon to do most of the fighting. The reason: casualties: their legionaries would be used to recruit and train Auxillia, and it was the locals who they relied on mostly to do most of the fighting: their own troops would be used to mop up enemies post battle and to maintain and build bases for the buildup of local troops, so when they needed actual *Roman* troops, they weren't short.
This was sick
It is hard to fathom the immense responsibility that fell on a general who doubled as a supply logistics manager-all without the use of a computer.
great video thx for that comrad but at the end - clausewitz already told its not only military education, bravery, honor, inspiring and trusting presence etc ... but the special mind of a military genius.
Love it ❤
11:30 IMHO that also applies to A.I. especially in aircraft dogfights. You are going to go that way.
Plus the Romans in combat would swap lines: so the men would rotate their ranks in the course of the fight: thus gaining exhaustion slower than their foes: especially if in multiple ranks. Now even if in a single rank: they usually had better armor and equipment; those also factor into better will to fight, but the *biggest* thing is unit cohesion: where the men actually are not at odds with their bosses; if the latter ever happens: the army will collapse real fast! One way you solve that: have your officers dine and rest where the men do: the result is a type of comraderie between the ranks that is VERY beneficial to the units when the time comes, as well as do not waste your men willy-nilly; if you do that the survivors will lose all loyalty to their bosses, and the units will disintigrate real fast.
To be a Roman General, One must be principled, in both scholarly and soldierly fields.
Give me a pilum and a shield and I'll march like you ain't never seen.
You said there were no military school. But didn't Octavian met and form a life long friendship with Marcus Agrippa at just such a school?
@mitch8072
15 күн бұрын
good question
@JonEtxebeberriaRodriguez
15 күн бұрын
Roman aristocrats did attend schools abroad but there was no "military academy" as we understand it today with subjects, a curricula, teachers...
@GothPaoki
15 күн бұрын
It was probably an academy for nobles rather like a military school. I guess sth like the school of pages for Macedonian hetairoi exclusive for nobles.
Usually the Romans had better quality artillery than their foes too: so that'd factor into him taking a defensive stance early on in the fight: as it would allow him to use his firepower edge to a more lethal effect and nullify enemy troops early on. Plus they built good defensive enhancements to the terrain.
Master Sun says: War is more than just tactics
11:54 Especially if you find a place where you can threaten 2 or more places and the enemy can properly defend only one due to numbers and having terrain preventing quick reinforcement of the attacked place.
Could you do some thing like this Roman playlist you have here, but for Carthage and the Byzantin Empire? Would love such detailed information videos on them. Like you do for Greece and Rome. 😁
@HistoriaMilitum
6 күн бұрын
The only factor is sources. We are lucky to have so many sources for the Roman period, but Carthage is a lost cause. The Byzantines could maybe be done in the future though!
@Gibson7Clans
6 күн бұрын
@@HistoriaMilitum thanks for the reply. 😁👍I’ve seen some other KZreadrs Cover Carthage a bit. Like that youtuber called Invitca . Hope you can see some of his Carthage videos. There is at least some history info we have about them nowadays,
Hi, at 13:38 you mention "Emperor Nero's long flanking march at the Metaurus River". The Roman commander was Gaius Claudius Nero, not emperor Nero, and the battle happened in 207 BC against Hannibal's brother Hasdrubal. Other than that nice video !
At 13:34, it wasn't the emperor Nero but his ancestor the general Caius Claudius Nero
Ooooooh, in regards to being self-taught, there were instances where they had a tutor, right? Like, how Alexander was tutored by Aristotle, and whatnot?
Do we have an example of Roman general faking weakness to provoke attack on his terms? Before late antiquity
For those Waraboos who missed the key lessons. Those who only do the fighting only needed to practice fighting. Those who did the winning needed experience almost everywhere else more. Logistics is king, an army fights on it's stomach
Dacia Part 3 !!
How did you do these great animations?
@bohemiancasanova5538
14 күн бұрын
They are usually from Rome Total War games.
Did you use total war Attila for the machinimas?
The total war attila music has been one of the best in TW game
Never underestimate the value of good mor-all
"The answer? Use legions, and if that don't work, use more legions" -Romans
Would you like a lesson sir, in the rules of war?
@Fatherofheroesandheroines
15 күн бұрын
No lesson is necessary!
How would you like a strategy game where its like Manor Lords but you're managing the legion through a campaign, and battles are like Total War? I think that would be fire.
Yeah, the Greek army of these days: that was *VERY* similiar to the Austrio-Hungarian army of WW1: all manner of different nationalities: no wonder they had by far the *weakest* units anywhere on the globe: nobody else didn't actually *recover* troops as they retreated but lost them- yet that was the Austrians to a T. Inept doesn't *begin* to describe aristocracies in time of war, as their case proves abundantly.
13:34 I think you’re talking about a different nero and not the emperor Nero. The Nero at the Metaurus was a general from the 2nd Punic war Gaius Claudius Nero.
@HistoriaMilitum
15 күн бұрын
Yes, sorry for the error! It was Claudius Nero.
is it true that when the ram touches the wall, all negotiation ceased?
I think Caesar’s military career began long before his Gallic conquest and I think you’re overselling his “near disaster” against the Helvetti.
The clips showing romans marching and fighting come from a game, right? Which game is it?
@belisariusofbyzantine5813
8 күн бұрын
Rome 2 Total War
If every Roman army built a new marching camp every time they paused after a march in enemy territory, how did they prevent left behind camps from being taken by enemies? Did they leave behind troops to guard them? Otherwise, the enemy could enjoy all these advantages and cut the army from resupplies.
@HistoriaMilitum
11 күн бұрын
It was common for marching camps to be disassembled after every night, though sometimes, if the area or route was strategically important, they would be left standing with a strong garrison.
@abraham2172
11 күн бұрын
@@HistoriaMilitum Interesting, thank you for the answer.
How did Romans deal with local law enforcement, or enemy military units that did not engage them in combat? Apparently those who engaged in combat, survived and were caught were sold to slavery. Logically it would follow that the Romans that had de-facto won a war would be more than willing to just outright recruit local units wholesale and have them deal with the local law enforcement; that way you wouldn't have to tie down your own italian legions nor deal with a whole bunch of new bandit groups formed by the "surviving" military organization of the vanquished.
The idea of faking weakness has been done by an *actual* master of warfare: N. Bonaparte, who at Austerlitz utterly destroyed a combined Austro-Russian army by doing *just exactly that same tactic*, and would be done even moreso by his vastly superior-quality allies the USA in various conflicts: as by holding back: you are able to use artillery to more lethal effect as a precursor to the combat.
how was getting a house or place to live in the roman times? how did people know a house was for sale or bought?
@RichWoods23
15 күн бұрын
It was only the wealthy who owned villas and estates and insulae. Everyone else rented from them; you asked the porter at the door of the building if there were rooms available. But the forum was the place to pick up news on who was selling what, if you were in the senatorial or equestrian classes, but even then you'd likely get your major domo to send a slave to make the announcements for the day or to make enquiries. The other place to go would be the baths, if you wanted to ask your peers in person if they knew of anyone selling.
Read "Speed and Politics," "War and Cinema," and/or "Information Bomb" by Paul Virilio,
Im just curious the video uses Total War Rome 2 right?
@DoctrinaMultiplexVeritasUna
11 сағат бұрын
Yes. He uses DEI mod
where is part 3 of the dacian war 😭
@HistoriaMilitum
14 күн бұрын
Working on it right now! Expect a release in May.
I extremely disappointed that the sacred chickens are not apart of this list
Not always Romans build camp before the battle. Examples Battle of Strasbourg
Who wants to join me in reuniting the Empire?
@RichWoods23
15 күн бұрын
No-one, because it would be a ridiculously regressive step for any modern democratic nation to take. Naturally Trump doesn't understand this; his ego only lets him see as far as the forced adulation dictators receive. Have you considered moving to Russia? You'll just about have time to settle in and make friends before Putin dies and the factional conflicts break out.
@alex-qj1nu
15 күн бұрын
@@RichWoods23 "TRUMP.. TRUMP..!!" - leftist spergs in america
War dogs were also used in the head of the army
Um…great video but morale is pronounced with an “a” as in apple.
I would have thought that the Generals would have learned the skills to lead from being subordinate to veteran officers. Before taking the role of being a General. Doing the job rather than sitting in a classroom and trying to stay awake listening to some lecture.
Rule for war: WIN.
No mention of corner camping? Smh
The greatest army ever....
The Mongols had very good moral , and made a point to wipe out their enemies ......sometimes to the man , animals were not even spared at times . Piles of skulls were typical . They also used the Chinese decimal system , 10, 100 , 1000 soldiers . If any one of the 10 men fled ....the other 9 would be killed . It has always been speculated , that the Mongols and the Romans would have had a very difficult time with each other . Being forced to maintain an uneasy peace with each other in different parts of the world .
@patrick-hill-3000
14 күн бұрын
Yeah, but they were also separated by a 1000 years.
@tolik5929
14 күн бұрын
@@patrick-hill-3000 Mongols vs Huns would be interesting , as they are very similar in many ways .
How many times men think about the Roman Empire: ? Well quite a lot
Yeah, and plus: in Roman military tactics: you want to *capture* enemy troops: as they would make good quality *gladiators*, thus recouping some of the costs of the campaign: plus these enemy troops are competent fighters: so why not take advantage of that skill already in them? It only makes sense that they'd do exactly that: instead of slaughtering them: they'd put them in their arenas and use them to gain funds and remove incentive to riot.
I love rome
Sun Tzu, author of "The Art of War" should have taken notes from the Romans before he wrote his own book on warfare.
0:40 did maps even exist before the Renaissance?
@Tjalve70
15 күн бұрын
What makes you think nobody were capable of making drawings on a piece of paper before the Renaissance?
@ares106
15 күн бұрын
@@Tjalve70 a KZread video :P But seriously, they didn’t have satellite balloons and accurate surveying techniques, most of the early maps were very rudimentary and more philosophical than useful for a traveler, instead they relied more on a system of directions, to go from place x to place y you need to pass river a then town b then take a left on the road to mountain c. I don’t know how useful military campaign maps were or if they even existed.
@mistrkill
15 күн бұрын
@@ares106I am sure that even a rudimentary set of directions is better than nothing at all. Surely they had maps, even if they weren't very accurate
@Tjalve70
15 күн бұрын
@@ares106 So first you ask whether maps existed, and then you admit that maps existed. So what is even your point? Do you have a point, apart from contradicting yourself?
@ares106
15 күн бұрын
@@Tjalve70 you are right, my first comment is incorrect. I should have written something like did “real maps”, or “maps that were useful enough to be employed in military campaign” exit. It’s pretty clear that some form of maps existed in ancient history.
SPQR
And then crassus ignored the rules of war and charged straight for the Parthian horse archers. Spoiler ,it didn't work...
Rule number one *throws dirt in your eyes* There are no rules
Not a whole lot of false information, but I'm seeing quite a lot of misrepresented ones. Caesar was already an experienced and successful general going into the Gallic Wars. That's a big part of how he won the Consulship in the first place. There were no known military academies but it is disingenuous and false to not only say Roman generals didn't have formal military educations, were self taught and were amateurs. Standardized warfare isn't possible if there is no formal education beyond sheer experience. There's more but my lunch break is over.
s
Rome introduced the "Standing Army," thus changing warfare. And though someone might want to point out how "someone else" did so -- on an incredibly small scale -- Rome did the first, massive, "Standing Army," a.k.a. professionals. Citizen armies, such as those used by their enemies, could never stand up to such a force.
@KahavaveCAPIPI
15 күн бұрын
Not really. The Akkadian empire used a standing military. The Assyrians used one during their last century. I'm not sure what you'd consider a small scale, but the Diadochi typically had standing militaries supplemented by mercenary and vassal forces which was fairly similar to Rome's usage of allied troops. The Zhou used a standing army for the first few generations which gradually dwindled. The Jin were the first state during the Eastern Zhou to maintain a professional military, something of a governmental necessity due to effectively instituting a stratocracy (or, depending on how you look at it, the inverse which doesn't really have a word but effectively means the same thing), though that was often supplemented with levies that could constitute up to half their total military (less, assuming the officer class was brought from the professional force). The Qin were famous for not only having a professional military but even an all volunteer military which has been incredibly rare through history and was kind of interesting considering their otherwise totalitarian rule (though they used massive amounts of corvee so it was more like you could volunteer to be a soldier instead of an unpaid laborer). Bimbisara of India used a standing military. All of those predated Rome's usage of a full standing military by centuries, as until Augustus came around it was very common to raise and disband legions as needed. Even the Marian reforms which turned them into professionals but not a standing army (and there is a difference) post dates all of their usage of standing militaries, only being concurrent with the Diadochi which at that time had dwindled to a small professional core supplemented by massed citizen soldiers.
@Ironblood4564
15 күн бұрын
Let me introduce you to the Persian Empire, Egyptian Kingdoms, Assyrians and Macedonian Empire(Successor States)?
@anthonyhargis6855
15 күн бұрын
@@Ironblood4564 The Persians, especially, the Egyptians and Assyrians were mcu more of a mish-mash of troops. A mixture of cultures. Much more "mercenary" in nature. While Rome used "foreign" troops as auxiliaries, they never constituted the main army. And, at its height, Rome fielded 33 legions of such troops; approximately 165,00 professional troops; standard training, standard equipment, standard command, etc.. The nations you mentioned never came close to that. They, upon occasion, fielded large armies, to be sure, but always mish-mash armies. And all of these troops were dismissed from service upon the end of a specific war. At best . . . civilian militia.
@anthonyhargis6855
15 күн бұрын
@@KahavaveCAPIPI `Allow me to refer you to my reply to "Ironblood."
@KahavaveCAPIPI
15 күн бұрын
@@anthonyhargis6855 Roman armies were about 50% non roman. Early on this was typically the Socii, later it was Allies, and then the Auxiliaries. Thus, they were often what you refer to as mish-mash armies. It was also very common to recruit extra locals when out on the field as mercenaries. And you really shouldn't talk about citizen militia when until things were solidified in the Imperial period Legions were raised and dismissed as needed. There were a handful of standing legions, but that's not much different from how other states maintained a standing core buffed up by levies. Also, see the rest of what I said about the various Chinese states.
I love your content, but moral? It's morale like pal, not all.
With weapon's and money our country gives everything away and feel sorry for everything and wonder why we loose
They were the badasses until they met the great Hannibal
The only empire that was run by fish sauce
I thought this was about human rights or something💀💀