# The Roman Auxilia: How Non-Citizens Defended the Empire

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683/the-roman-auxilia-how-non-citizens-defended-the-empire
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683/the-roman-auxilia-how-non-citizens-defended-the-empire.md
Podcast: [The Story of Italy: Rome, Renaissance, and the Birth of Modern Europe — Fexingo History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683)
Published: 2026-07-13T01:22:41+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-italy/episode-0155.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-italy/episode-0155.mp3
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Duration seconds: 411

## Resource

While the Roman legions get all the glory, the vast majority of Rome's military manpower came from non-citizen auxiliaries — the auxilia. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten backbone of the Roman army. They discuss how Augustus formalized the auxilia as a permanent force, the peregrini who joined for citizenship, and the specialized units like Syrian archers and Gallic cavalry that brought diverse fighting styles to Roman warfare. They also cover the Batavian Revolt of 69-70 CE, when a loyal auxiliary cohort turned against Rome, and the eventual grant of citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire under Caracalla in 212 CE. Along the way, they touch on the alae and cohortes, the dona militaria awarded to auxiliaries, and the fort of Vindolanda where auxiliary soldiers left behind personal letters. This episode sheds light on the empire's multicultural army and the path to becoming Roman. #RomanAuxilia #Auxilia #RomanArmy #BatavianRevolt #Vindolanda #Peregrini #Alae #Cohortes #DonaMilitaria #ConstitutioAntoniniana #Caracalla #Augustus #SyrianArchers #GallicCavalry #RomanCitizenship #AncientRome #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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