Late Roman Army during the 5th century

[Robert Vermaat]

I fully agree with Robert here. The ND is a wonderful resource of information but it does not speak about figures. Therefore I guess these were not available or the author left the information behind to keep a positive view of his book.

it's not a document of that nature. The ND lists the organisational structure of the army as well as the rest of the government. It's not a document concerned with numbers or anything like that.

If there was still a substaintial roman field army in the western where was it when the german tribes crossed the Rhine? I might be wrong but except some reports that cities were devastated by the tribes in 406 there is no mention of a major confrontation between the Vandals or Suebi and a roman army.

Some sources claim that Stilicho weakened the nother frontier by calling all mobile troops to Italy and that these flocked to Alaric after Stilicho's death.

You mix up two things. a
a) the field army troops may indeed have been in Italy facing Alaric.
b) no one mentions these troops flocking to Alaric. Only a great number of germanics may have done so. The rest of the army no doubt remained in Italy to face Alaric (but don't forget they also fought Radagais), others will have been sent back to Gaul the next year.

The combined Gallic-Italian army would have counted 30.000 men, most of German origin.

I keep wondering where people get this osrt of information. The numbers, although conjectary, could be right, but did anyone secretly collect the ID cards of the non-Romans? :mrgreen:

If the field army was in Italy where was the reamining static army? They could not prevent cities like Strasburg or Mainz to be sacked while, correct me if I am wrong, the "barbarians" lacked siege weapons and tactics?

The limitanei were for a part also pulled off to Italy. About sieges, at that time walled could be breached by ladders 9and a lot of cities had walls that could not be defended for the whole length. Other cities were under siege for a great deal of time. We don't know the circumstances of most cities that fell.

According to other sources, Constantine III crossed the channel with the mobile roman troops from britain and was able to secure a large part of gaul and its frontier with maybe 5 or 10.000 men.

Sources do not tell us that but modern interpretaion. Sources tell us that he left with all the young men of the island.. :wink:

A "roman" army would be a group of various nationalities, possibly wearing roman clothing or weapons, under the command of a roman citizen or by a barbarian officialy appointed as general, dux or magister militium.
Stilicho was in command of the roman army but they where all or almost all germans while Alaric was in command of foederati which were also germanic people.

Indeed. A Roman army was an army that fought for a Roman cause, but in appearances it might have looked very much like the opposing force.