Legate

  • The Roman Legate (Legatus) would be employed as either (i) the Governor of a Roman Province or, (ii) the Governor’s Assistant (if the Consul was a General) or, (iii) an Ambassador appointed by the Roman Senate.

1. Governor

The Legate as Governor during the Republic

    • Legati served under the Consuls in the Roman Army, and were usually very experienced high calibre individuals.
    • Their role was to assist and advise the Consul on all military and civil matters.
    • It Required the authorisation of the Senate ‘Senatusconsultum’ before he could legally become a ‘Legatus’.
    • If the Consul acting as General was away from his Legion, the Legate stood in for him.
    • If the ProConsul acting as Governor, was away from his Province, the Legate also stood in for him, becoming ‘Legatus Pro Praetore’.
    • In both cases he was given the power of his superior.
    • In the late Republic the Consul often remained in Rome whilst the Legate commanded the Legion or Ruled the Province.

The Legate as Governor of an Imperial Province under the Empire

    • He had various titles: ‘Legatus Propraetor’, ‘Legati Augusti Propraetore’, ‘Legati Praetorii’, (all these had one Legate as an assistant) and ‘Legati Consulares’ (this latter was assisted by 3 Legates),
    • The Emperor was the direct Governor of the Imperial Provinces.
    • He alone appointed Legates to rule on his behalf for between 1 to 5 years.
    • The Legate held ‘Praetorian Imperium’ which gave him command of a single Legion.
    • If there were 2 or 3 Legions in a Province:
      • Each Legion would have had a separate Legate with ‘Praetorian Imperium’
      • The Province itself would have had a separate Legate with ‘Consular Imperium’ who had supreme command over all the Legions in it.
    • The legate had a lower rank than the Proconsul or the Propraetor, as he was not a Governor himself and did not have Imperium. But as the Governor’s representative (The Governor was the Emperor) he therefore ruled and exercised the Emperor’s Imperium on his behalf.
    • The Emperor was senior to all other Provincial Governors in Roman Law, because he held ‘Imperium Maius’, supreme Power.

2. Ambassador

    • Foreign Policy was controlled by the Roman Senate.
    • The Princeps Senatus received and conducted business with Ambassadors of Foreign Nations.
    • The ‘Legatus’ or ‘Legati’ (Commander in Latin) was an Ambassador or Envoy appointed by the Senate to go on Diplomatic Missions, ‘Legatio’, to foreign Nations. He would be a Senator himself, usually very experienced, and it was considered a great honour to be chosen.
    • The Republic paid his expenses and the Provinces he passed through did likewise.
    • If he died whilst on his mission, he was honoured with a Public Sepulchre and a statue in the Rostra.
    • An Ambassador from those Nations was also called a ‘Legatus’ (Legate).

3. General’s Assistant

    • Under the Republic the Legate was the assistant to a Consul commanding one or more Legions.
    • Usually he was a very experienced, high calibre individual,
    • Their role was to assist and advise the Consul in all military and civil matters.
    • It required the authorisation of the Senate, ‘Senatusconsultum’, before he could legally become a ‘Legatus’.
    • If the Consul acting as General was away from his Legion, the Legate stood in for him.
    • If the ProConsul acting as Governor, was away from his Province, the Legate also stood in for him, becoming ‘Legatus Pro Praetore’.
    • In both cases he was given the power of his superior.
    • In the late Republic the Consul often remained in Rome whilst the Legate commanded the Legion or Ruled the Province.

 

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