A legatus (Classical Latin: [ɫeːˈɡaːtʊs]; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a high-ranking general officer of modern times. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer in command of a legion.
From the times of the Roman Republic, legates received large shares of the military's rewards at the end of a successful campaign. This made the position a lucrative one, so it could often attract even distinguished consuls or other high-ranking political figures within Roman politics (e.g., the consul Lucius Julius Caesar volunteered late in the Gallic Wars as a legate under his first cousin, Gaius Julius Caesar).
The rank of legatus existed as early as the Samnite Wars, but it was not until 190 BC that it started to be standardized, meant to better manage the higher numbers of soldiers the Second Punic War had forced to recruit. The legatus of a Roman Republican army was essentially a supreme military tribune, drawn from among the senatorial class of Rome (usually a consul or proconsul),[1] who acted as a second-in-command to the magistrate in charge of the force.[2][3] This role was usually played by either seasoned generals or ambitious young senators; the latter option eventually displaced the military tribune as a path to gain recognition.[2][4]
The legatus was officially assigned by the Senate a group of people who made official decisions similar to the ruler, although it was generally only done after consulting with the magistrate in command,[2][3] hoping to pair a commander and a lieutenant who could work together without trouble. This was established to avoid clashes of leadership like that of the consuls Varo and Paulus in Cannae.[2] The legatus often acted as a military consultant or adviser, like Scipio Africanus did for his brother Lucius during the Roman–Seleucid War, or as a trusted man of action, as in the case of Lucius Quinctius Flamininus and his brother Titus in their campaigns.[3]
After the Marian reforms, the figure of the legatus as a major second-in-command was eliminated. Multiple legati were assigned to every army, each in command of a legion, which was called legatus legionis. Julius Caesar made wide use of this title throughout the Gallic Wars.[1] Initially, only conflicts on foreign ground had demanded the presence of legati, but the beginning of the Social War in 90 BC saw them being increasingly deployed in Italia.[2]
There were two main positions. The legatus legionis was an ex-praetor given command of one of Rome's legions,[5] while the legatus pro praetore was an ex-consul given the governorship of a Roman province, with the magisterial powers of a praetor, which in some cases included command of four or more legions. A legatus was entitled to twelve lictors, who carried out punishments with fasces (bundled rods). A legatus legionis could order capital punishment.[6]