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Lucretia81

Marriage for Legionaries in the Late Empire?

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Hi all...I hope I'm putting this in the right section...:)

 

I'd been under the impression that Legionaries could not legally marry after the time of Augustus, but someone I talked to thought that this might have changed at some point in the 2nd century...is that correct? I thought it went at least into the early part of the 3rd century, but I'm not sure. Then there's Phang's book on the topic which only goes to 235 AD. Did something change dramatically at that point, or is that simply the scope of the book's focus?

 

My time period of focus is 298-303, so I'm curious to see if the marriage restriction was still at least theoretically in place at that time. Thanks!

 

Lucretia

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It was official policy  and legally enforcable in the first two centuries AD -that Legionsaries were not allowed to marry. Some did, on the quiet, and of course since the sons of legionaries were considered prime recruits, it was generally overlooked, especially after ad100 when legions tended to be posted to one station for a long time. Also tolerance improved with time. I've seen estimates of 60% of soldiers marrying during service (unspecific to period or region), and it appears that from around the reign of Claudius onward the reality of soldiers marrying was quietly tolerated by senior Romans and the laws concerned not normally enforced. It is true that perhaps a larger proprtion of legionaries lived with partners rather than actually married, which rendered their children illegitimate and illegible to inherit citizenship from their father - which I gather was sometimes ignored as well so 'bastard' children might well get recruited into regular legions anyway, irrespective of tradition and law. By the late empire all bets were largely off of course.

Edited by caldrail

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Septimius Severus granted legal recognition to unions between legionaries and local women around 197, and allowed them to live together in the settlements (canabae) outside the legionary fortresses while on active service. (Herodian iii 8 5).

Edited by Pompieus
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