Sub-Roman Infantry in Britian 5th-6th Century AD

[Robert Vermaat]

Very interesting. So if the emergent leaders/tyrants had strong roots in the Romano-British aristocracy/upper echelons of the military, then perhaps a similar fate might fallen to the Roman legions. Interesting remark about limitanei fighting under imperial standards, and about local militias. At least it gives a possible framework upon which to hanf British theories of Roman army collapse/metamorphoses in Britain.

After the last legions cease to function, my interest in this period vanishes! So its interesting to me from that point of view...

It's very difficult to make siumilar claims for Britain, because Britain slipped from Roman control so much earlier than Gaul. Also, southern Gaul was always a hotspot of activity because it was the key to Italy as well as Spain, and as long as Roman control meant anything, Gaul was still held or fought over.

My guess for Roman units in Britain would be that if any large forces existed post-408, then these would have been disappearing into the guise of private armies within a generation or two. But I really see no larger units like legions or crack cavalry units present in Britain after Constantine III. Had there been any, there would have been a powerbase for yet another usurper. I think we may expect a lot of federate units and many limitanei forces, and some good comitatensan units. Possibly enough for a 'British government' to keep the peace. Until civil war started, of course, which seems to have happened in the 430s.