Roman Client Kingdom

• The Roman Republic formed Alliances with Kingdoms that were useful to them, either to avoid War, or to combine against another State.
• If however, Rome conducted a successful War against a rival Kingdom and were reluctant or unable to make that Kingdom into a Roman Province, it would became a Roman Client Kingdom.

Title of a Client King

• ‘Rex Sociusque et Amicus’
  • meaning ‘King, Ally and Friend’ or:
• ‘Rex, Socius et Amicus populi Romani’
  • meaning ‘King, Ally and Friend of the Roman People’

Status of the Client Kingdoms (before 29 BCE)

• The son of the Client King was sometimes taken to Rome and kept as a Hostage, as a guarantee of loyalty.
• A Client Kingdom could not declare War on another State without the permission of Rome.
• The Client Kingdom had to provide Tribute or Armies or both.
  • After 29 BCE, under Augustus, most Client Kingdoms were absorbed into the Roman Empire as Provinces, but a few were still maintained.

Client Kingdom Armies

• The Army of the Client Kingdom would then support the Roman Army by being attached as Roman Auxiliaries to one or more Legions.

List of Client Kingdoms under the Republic and Early Empire:

Britannia

• Roman Client Kingdoms in Britannia during and after the Gallic Wars.

Danube

• Dacia
  • Decebalus

Gaul

• Some of the Gallic Tribes were Client Kingdoms during the Gallic Wars.
  • Aedui, a key Ally.
  • Arverni
  • Boii
  • Remi
  • Suessiones

Germany

• The Germanic Tribes during and after the Gallic Wars.
  • Suebi
  • Ubii

Italy

• Alpes Cottiae
  • King Cottio I and II

Asia Minor

• Pontus
  • Mithridates I to VI
• Colchis
  • Mirian III

Black Sea

• Chersonesus Taurica
  • King Aspurgus in the Crimea, Ukraine, also known as the Bosporan kingdom.

Caucasus

• Iberia
• Albania
• Armenia
  • This was a joint Client Kingdom shared with Parthia.
• Sophene
• Commagene
• Osrhoene

Syria

• Antiochus XIII (69-63 BCE) was a Roman Client King and last King of the Seleucid Empire (312-63 BCE)

The Levant

• Judaea
  • Herod the Great, who died in 4 BCE and his Kingdom was divided between his children:
• Galilee and Peraea
  • Herod Antipas 4 BCE to 39 CE
• Iturea, Trachonitis, and possibly Gaulonitis (The Golan) and Paneas
  • Herod Philip II from 4 BCE
• Cities of Jabneh, Azotas and Phaesalis
  • Salome I from 4 BCE
• The Decapolis
  • Autonomous group of cities with self-rule between 4 BCE-106 CE.

Africa

• Mauretania
  • Juba II of Numidia
• Numidia
  • Jugurtha
  • Ptolemy
• Sahara
  • The Garamantes in the Fezzan.

Arabia

• The Romans divided the Arabian Peninsular into three areas, Arabia Felix, Arabia Deserta and Arabia Petraea.
  • Arabia Deserta
    • Part of the Roman Province of Syria.
    • Its cities were Palmyra, Emesa, Edessa Hatra, Characene and Gerrha.
  • Arabia Petraea
    • This was a Roman Province, with the capital at Petra.
  • Arabia Felix
    • This was Southern Arabia, the Yemen.
    • It was divided amongst four independent Kingdoms all of which had advanced hydraulic systems in place.
      • Sabaean Kingdom (Yemen)
        • This was the most powerful Kingdom.
        • It was a Roman Client Kingdom with the capital at Marib, then later at Sana (Sanaa), whose main port was Aden.
        • Azania (modern Tanzania) is mentioned by the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century CE), as being subject to the Sabaean Kingdom.
      • Kingdom of Ma’in
        • Their capital was Timna, which controlled the Incense Road.
      • Kingdom of Hadramaut
        • Their capital was Sabwa. They traded Incense and Cinnamon through their Port of Cana (Mukalla).
      • Kingdom of Zufar (Oman)
        • Their capital was the Lost City of Iram of the Pillars, also known as Ubar, of which nothing is known.