The 1,000 man legion

[John M McDermott]

Adrian Goldsworthy made an excellent point in one of his books: The later Roman Army's units were kept small for political reasons, not tactical ones. No Roman emperor of the later period could trust anyone but himself with a large Roman Army, lest he create a rival for the throne. Thus, Roman Armies, and their units, were kept small. The usual army size was 20,000 or less. Armies of 50,000 were commanded only by the Emperor personally. This, also, could lead to catastrophe when an Army commanded by the Emperor was defeated.