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HISTORIA LEGIONIS:
The History of the Original LEGIO XXII Primigenia
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Caligula
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Legio XXII Primigenia: one of the Roman legions. The surname Primigenia is one of the titles of the goddess Fortuna.
This legion (and its twin XV Primigenia) was founded by the emperor Caligula in 39, who needed extra forces for his campaign in Germany. XXII Primigenia saw its first action in the neighborhood of Wiesbaden and was stationed in Mainz in Germania Superior. According to our sources, Caligula's campaigning on the east bank of the Rhine were not really important, but archaeological finds suggest that this is not true.
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Roof tile of the Leg(io) XXII
Pr(imigenia) P(ia) F(idelis)
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In 67, the position of the emperor Nero became untenable: many senators were discontent and several governors discussed his removal. Among these were Lucius Clodius Macer of Africa (who recruited the I Macriana Liberatrix) and Caius Julius Vindex of one of the provinces in Gaul, who supported the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, Servius Sulpicius Galba, when he proclaimed that he wanted to dethrone Nero. |
Vitellius
Roma (Museo nazionale
della civiltà romana)
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This was treason, and the army of Germania Inferior -I Germanica, V Alaudae, XV Primigenia (which had been moved from Mainz to the north) and XVI Gallica- knew what they had to do: they marched to the south and defeated Gaius Julius Vindex. They expected to be rewarded, but were disappointed: Galba and a newly recruited Seventh legion marched on Rome, the Senate recognized him, and Nero committed suicide (June 68). What had been examplary behavior, was now explained as an attempt to obstruct the accession of the new emperor.
Therefore, the armies of Germania Inferior and Superior acclaimed their own commander, Vitellius, as emperor, and marched on Rome (January 69). They were successful, and Vitellius started his reign. However, in the east, general Vespasian had also decided to make a bid for power; the two armies clashed near Cremona in northern Italy, and the Rhine army turned out to be no match for the soldiers of Vespasian.
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Meanwhile, in Germania Inferior, a disaster was in the making. The Batavians felt offeneded because Galba had dismissed his Batavian bodyguard, and revolted. A Roman expeditionary force, consisting of the remains of V Alaudae and XV Primigenia, was defeated near Nijmegen, and not much later, these two legions found themselves besieged at Xanten.
XXII Primigenia, which was commanded by Caius Dillius Vocula, was sent out to rescue them, together with I Germanica and XVI Gallica. However, they were unable to defend both Germania Inferior and Superior, and the two legions at Xanten were forced to surrender in March 70. Not much later, I Germanica and XVI Gallica surrendered as well. The Twenty-second, on the other hand, remained steadfast and defended Mainz.
It took several months before the new emperor Vespasian could send a strong Roman army to recover the Rhineland, commanded by his relative Quintus Petillius Cerialis. Because of the courage of XXII Primigenia, he could use Mainz as his base.
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Coin of XXII Primigenia from
the reign of Septimius Severus.
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The legion was briefly sent to Vienna, but finally settled at Xanten in Germania Inferior. When in 89 the governor of Germania Superior, Lucius Antonius Saturninus, revolted, this legion hurried to the south and defeated the rebel. It was rewarded with the title Pia Fidelis Domitiana ('faithful and loyal to Domitian'). When this emperor was killed in 96, the last element of this honorific title was dropped.
At that moment, XXII Primigenia had returned to Mainz, where it still was in the third century. Among the officers were the future emperors Hadrian, Didius Julianus and Laelianus (97-98, 170-171 and 268-269). Units were sometimes sent to other provinces. For example, soldiers from Mainz helped building the Antonine wall (139-142).
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Gordian III
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The emperor Severus Alexander used units of the legion in his war against the Persian Sassanids (233). While so many Roman soldiers were away, a coalition of Germanic warriors, the so-called Alamanni, successfully attacked the Roman possessions in Baden-Württemberg. In 235, the Roman retaliated and we must assume that XXII Primigenia was one of the active units. However, the soldiers lynched Severus Alexander when he started negotiations with the Germans. His successor Maximinus brought the war to a good end.
In 269, the commander of the Twenty-second legion, a man named Laelianus, was made emperor of the Gallic empire.
The emblems of the Twenty-second were Hercules and the Capricorn. Hercules was ignored in the third century.
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This history of LEGIO XXII came from www.livius.org and was written by Jona Lendering
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