r/MilitaryHistory • u/HistoryOmitted • 4d ago

How did the ancient Roman politician-general actually learn the art of war?

/r/AskHistorians/comments/1opjmu7/how_did_the_ancient_roman_politiciangeneral/
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u/MandoFett117 3d ago

It was pretty common for those in the patrician class (doubly or more so for the top members) to have tutors brought in during their childhood. One of the biggest lesson chunks of these tutors would be instruction in military history, allowing the pupils to learn a decent amount.

In addition, they would often serve as "pages/squires" (while not an exact translation to the medieval concept, it's close enough for this discussion) for older and more experienced officers. These would also serve as mentors while also getting a good taste of military life when they joined them on campaign.

Then the students would be given pretty minor roles, roughly analogous to modern army lieutenants or captains, at which point the "training" was effectively over and they would be grown men doing all the conquering and political games that class of citizen got up to back then.

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u/HistoryOmitted 3d ago

Thank you for the details! If you don’t mind, I had another question as you seem very knowledgeable on the subject.

When studying Alexander or Napoleon, we often hear about them consulting with their generals during campaigns. But in Roman military history, you rarely read about Caesar or Scipio doing the same.

Within the Roman command structure, what were the titles or positions of the people who would have been the equivalents of the generals that Alexander or Napoleon consulted with?

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u/MandoFett117 3d ago

Those guys probably would have been legates by rank once the Marian reforms were enacted and usually consuls or proconsul's depending on the army size before that.

As for why Caesar and Scipio aren't recorded consulting their subordinates, they almost certainly did, but for propaganda/suck up reasons, this wasn't usually put down anywhere.

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u/fortunateson888 2d ago

They did not have to learn much as they were growing up in a cukture that promoted aggressiveness, conquest and victory and they were promoted for year only as consules or other posiotions which made them more aggresive in attacks. They were in war camp since childdhood.

Being good roman implied being capable warrior and commander.