Legio XX Valeria Victrix

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Legio XX Valeria Victrix

Legio vigesima Valeria Victrix (20th Victorious Valerian Legion) was a Roman legion
Roman legion

The Roman Legion is a term that can apply both as a translation of legio to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly , to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of the Roman army in the period of the late Roman Republic and the Roman Empire....
, probably raised by Augustus some time after 31 BC. It served in Hispania
Hispania

Hispania was the name given by the Ancient Rome to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula . When Rome was a Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into Roman provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior....
, Illyricum
Illyricum

Illyricum can refer to:* Illyricum * Diocese of Illyricum* Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum...
, and Germania
Germania

Germania was the Latin language exonym for a geographical area of land on the east bank of the River Rhine , which included regions of Sarmatia as well as an area under Ancient Rome control on the west bank of the Rhine....
before participating in the invasion of Britannia
Britannia

Britannia was the term originally used by the Roman Empire to refer to the island of Great Britain. The term was later used to describe a Roman province covering much of the island, apart from the area beyond the Antonine Wall belonging to the Picts in the north, which was known as Caledonia....
in 43 AD, where it remained and was active until at least the beginning of the 4th century. The emblem
Emblem

An emblem is a pictorial , abstract art or representational, that epitomizes a concept ? e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory ? or that represents a person, such as a Monarch or Saint symbology....
of the legion was a boar
Boar

The wild boar , or colloquially simply called the boar, is an omnivorous, wikt:gregarious mammal of the family Suidae. It is native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been introduced elsewhere....
.

The Valeria part of Legio XX cognomen
Cognomen

The cognomen was originally a middle name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary ....
is a reference to the area the Romans called Valeria
Pannonia Valeria

The Pannonia Valeria or simply Valeria was an ancient Roman Empire province. It was formed in the year 296, during the reign of emperor Diocletian....
on the river Danube
Danube

The Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg River rivers which join at the eponymously named German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows eastwards for a distance...
in east-central Europe.

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Legio vigesima Valeria Victrix (20th Victorious Valerian Legion) was a Roman legion
Roman legion

The Roman Legion is a term that can apply both as a translation of legio to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly , to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of the Roman army in the period of the late Roman Republic and the Roman Empire....
, probably raised by Augustus some time after 31 BC. It served in Hispania
Hispania

Hispania was the name given by the Ancient Rome to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula . When Rome was a Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into Roman provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior....
, Illyricum
Illyricum

Illyricum can refer to:* Illyricum * Diocese of Illyricum* Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum...
, and Germania
Germania

Germania was the Latin language exonym for a geographical area of land on the east bank of the River Rhine , which included regions of Sarmatia as well as an area under Ancient Rome control on the west bank of the Rhine....
before participating in the invasion of Britannia
Britannia

Britannia was the term originally used by the Roman Empire to refer to the island of Great Britain. The term was later used to describe a Roman province covering much of the island, apart from the area beyond the Antonine Wall belonging to the Picts in the north, which was known as Caledonia....
in 43 AD, where it remained and was active until at least the beginning of the 4th century. The emblem
Emblem

An emblem is a pictorial , abstract art or representational, that epitomizes a concept ? e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory ? or that represents a person, such as a Monarch or Saint symbology....
of the legion was a boar
Boar

The wild boar , or colloquially simply called the boar, is an omnivorous, wikt:gregarious mammal of the family Suidae. It is native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Basin and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been introduced elsewhere....
.

The Valeria part of Legio XX cognomen
Cognomen

The cognomen was originally a middle name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary ....
is a reference to the area the Romans called Valeria
Pannonia Valeria

The Pannonia Valeria or simply Valeria was an ancient Roman Empire province. It was formed in the year 296, during the reign of emperor Diocletian....
on the river Danube
Danube

The Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg River rivers which join at the eponymously named German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows eastwards for a distance...
in east-central Europe. When the legion was stationed in Illyricum
Illyricum

Illyricum can refer to:* Illyricum * Diocese of Illyricum* Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum...
, Valeria was subordinate to the province of Illyricum
Illyricum

Illyricum can refer to:* Illyricum * Diocese of Illyricum* Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum...
. The legion won its title from victories in this region while campaigning in the Marcomannic Wars
Marcomannic Wars

The Marcomannic Wars were a series of wars lasting over a dozen years from about 166 until 180. These wars pitted the Roman Empire against the Marcomanni, Quadi and other Germanic peoples, along both sides of the upper and middle Danube....
. (Later, in the year 296, Valeria
Pannonia Valeria

The Pannonia Valeria or simply Valeria was an ancient Roman Empire province. It was formed in the year 296, during the reign of emperor Diocletian....
became a separate Roman Province.)

History
XX Valeria Victrix was part of the great army that campaigned against the Cantabrians
Cantabrian Wars

The Cantabrian Wars or Astur-Cantabrian Wars occurred during the Ancient Rome conquest of the provinces of Cantabria, Asturias and Le?n. They were the final stage of the conquest of Hispania....
in Hispania Tarraconensis
Hispania Tarraconensis

Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the Mediterranean coast of Spain along with the central plateau and the north coast, and part of northern Portugal....
from 25 to 13 BC.

The legion then moved to Illyricum
Illyricum

Illyricum can refer to:* Illyricum * Diocese of Illyricum* Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum...
, and is recorded in the army of Tiberius
Tiberius

Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, born Tiberius Claudius Nero , was the second Roman Emperor, from the death of Augustus in AD 14 until his own death in 37....
operating against the Marcomanni
Marcomanni

The Marcomanni were a Germanic tribe, probably related to the Buri , Suebi or Suevi....
in AD 6. From there, they were withdrawn to fight Pannonian uprising (Great Illyrian revolt
Great Illyrian revolt

The Great Illyrian Revolt, was a major conflict between an alliance of Illyrian tribes and Roman Empire forces that lasted for four years beginning in AD 6 and ending in AD 9....
). Led by the governor of Illyricum Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus

Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus was the son of the Ancient Rome famous orator Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, whom he resembled in character....
, although semi-filled, they managed to defeat the rebels led by Bato of the Daesitiates (Bato I
Bato I

For other uses, see BatoAlso known as Bato the Daesitiate. Bato was an Illyrian warlord who led the Daesitiates in the Great Illyrian revolt against the Roman Empire from 6-9 CE....
).

In one battle the legion cut through the enemy lines, was surrounded, and cut its way out again. It is probably this particular battle from which the legion's title is derived.

After the disaster of Varus
Publius Quinctilius Varus

Publius Quinctilius Varus was a Ancient Rome politician and general under emperor Augustus, mainly remembered for having lost three Roman legions and his own life when attacked by Germanic tribes leader Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest....
in 9 AD, XX Valeria Victrix moved to Germania Inferior
Germania Inferior

Germania Inferior was a Ancient Rome Roman provinces located on the left bank of the Rhine, in today's southern and western Netherlands, parts of Flanders, and North Rhine-Westphalia left of the Rhine....
and was based at Oppidum Ubiorum (Cologne
Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants....
), then moved to Novaesium (Neuss
Neuss

Neuss is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the west bank of the Rhine opposite D?sseldorf, and owes its success to its location at the crossing of historic and modern trade routes....
) some time during Tiberius' reign.

The legion was one of the four with which Claudius
Claudius

Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Claudius I was the fourth Roman Emperor, a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from January 24, AD 41 to his death in AD 54....
invaded Britain in 43, after which it encamped at Camulodunum
Camulodunum

Camulodunum is the Ancient Rome name for the ancient settlement which is today's Colchester, a town in Essex, England. Camulodunum is the Oldest town in Britain in England as recorded by the Romans, existing as a Celtic settlement before the Ancient Rome conquest, when it became the first Roman town, and eventually a settlement of discharged...
(Colchester
Colchester

Colchester is a town, and the largest settlement within the Colchester , in Essex, England.It has a population of List of English cities by population....
), with some units at Kingsholm in Gloucester
Gloucester

Gloucester is a city status in the United Kingdom, Non-metropolitan district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England region of England....
and a garrison at Wroxeter
Wroxeter

Wroxeter is a village in the county of Shropshire, England, on the east bank of the River Severn, at . It is located on the site of the Roman Empire city of Viroconium Cornoviorum, known in Old Welsh language as Caer Guricon....
from the 50s AD. In 60 or 61 AD it helped put down the revolt of queen Boudica
Boudica

Boudica was a queen of the Iceni tribe of what is now known as East Anglia in England, who led an uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire....
.

The legion was then based at Chester
Chester

Chester is the county town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, Wales, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider local government district of the Chester , which had a population of 118,210 according to the United Kingdom Census 2001....
.

In the year of the four emperors
Year of the Four Emperors

The Year of the Four Emperors was a year in the history of the Roman Empire, AD 69, in which four emperors ruled in a remarkable succession. These four emperors were Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian....
, the legion sided with Vitellius
Vitellius

Aulus Vitellius Germanicus, born Aulus Vitellius and commonly known as Vitellius , was a Roman Emperors who reigned from 16 April 69 to 22 December of the same year....
, some units going with him to Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
. In 78-84 AD, it was part of Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola

Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman Empire general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Roman Britain. His biography, the Agricola , was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him....
's campaigns in northern Britain and Scotland, and built the base at Inchtuthil
Inchtuthil

Inchtuthil is the name of a large, well-preserved Roman Empire castrum on the banks of the River Tay near Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, Scotland....
. In 88 AD the legion returned south and occupied Castra Devana (Chester
Deva Victrix

Deva Victrix, or simply Deva, was a legionary castra and town in the Roman province of Britannia. The settlement evolved into Chester, the county town of Cheshire, England....
), where it remained for at least two centuries.

The Twentieth was among the legions involved with the construction of Hadrians Wall, and the discovery of stone altars commemorating their work in Caledonia
Caledonia

Caledonia is the Latin name given by the Ancient Rome to the land in today's Scotland north of their Roman provinces of Roman Britain, beyond the Frontiers of the Roman Empire of their Roman Empire....
suggests that they had some role in building the Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall

The Antonine Wall also known as the Severan Wall, is a rock and sod fortification, built by the Roman Empire across what is now the central belt of Scotland and is also known as the Clyde-Forth frontier line....
.

During the reign of the usurper emperors Carausius
Carausius

Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius was a military commander of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. He was a Menapii, born in the western part of Betuwe, who Roman usurper power in 286, declaring himself emperor of Roman Britain and northern Gaul....
and Allectus
Allectus

Allectus was a Roman Empire Roman usurper-Roman emperors in Roman Britain and northern Gaul from 293 to 296....
(286-293 and 293-296 AD) the XX Valeria Victrix was still active. The entry of Alaric I
Alaric I

Alaric I , was likely born about 370 on an Peuce Island at the mouth of the Danube. He was king of the Visigoths from 395–410 and the first Germanic peoples leader to take the city of Rome....
with his Visigoths into Italy about 401 necessitated the recall of Legio XX Valeria Victrix from Britain to defend Rome itself. No further records are present in the 4th century.

This legion has been much studied; at least 250 members of the legion have been identified in surviving inscriptions.

Fiction

Legio XX Valeria Victrix and their final days in Deva (Chester) in the early 400's AD form the backdrop to the Tom Stevens mythic-fiction genre novel 'The Cauldron' with the story's protagonist Valerian - the Praefectus and Chief Centurion defending the city with the rump of the legion against the incursions of Hibernian pirates as the 'Dark Ages' settle on Brittannia

Legio XX Valeria Victrix was the legion featured in the novel Eagle in the Snow
Eagle in the Snow

Eagle in the Snow is a modern classic of historical fiction. Written in 1970 by Wallace Breem, the novel is set in Britannia and Germania in the late 4th and early 5th century, and centers on the Roman Empire general Paulinus Gaius Maximus, a Mithraism in an age of Christianization....
; author Wallace Breem
Wallace Breem

Wallace Breem was a British librarian and author, the Librarian and Keeper of Manuscriptsof the Inner Temple Law Library at his death, but perhaps more widely known for his historical novels, including the classic Eagle in the Snow ....
postulates that they were annihilated by the Germanic invasion of 406.

Several of the main characters in the early novels of Jack Whyte
Jack Whyte

Jack Whyte is a Scotland-Canada novelist of historical fiction. Born and raised in Scotland, Whyte has been living in Canada since 1967. He resides in Kelowna, British Columbia....
's A Dream of Eagles series were former members of Legio XX Valeria Victrix.

Gaius Petrius Ruso, protagonist of Medicus by Ruth Downie is a military doctor in Britannia attached to Legio XX.

Legio XX Valeria Victrix lends its name to the character Valeria Matuchek in Poul Anderson
Poul Anderson

Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who wrote during a Golden Age of Science Fiction of the genre. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy....
's Operation Chaos
Operation CHAOS

Operation CHAOS or Operation MHCHAOS was the code name for a domestic espionage project conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency. A department within the CIA was established in 1967 on orders from President of the United States Lyndon B....
.

External links

, Maryland (USA) re-enactment group