Vespasian’s way of war : military biography of Titus Flavius Vespasianus (9 a.d. - 79 a.d.)

• Autor(a) principal: Melo, Tiago Maria Líbano Monteiro Rocha e
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/62589
• topic: Domínio/Área Científica::Humanidades::História e Arqueologia

The present work represents an analysis of Titus Flavius Vespasianus in his military dimensions. Part I begins with a look at Vespasian’s origins until his first military post in Thrace and evaluates in what ways those realities influenced Vespasian’s command. Then it offers a conventional description of the Roman army at the time of Vespasian, questioning that same picture with examples from Vespasian’s campaigns. This is followed, in Part II, by an overall view of Vespasian’s military action, before and after becoming emperor, divided by geographical area. After that, it presents an analysis of Roman grand strategy, in the context of Vespasian, with an emphasis on military resource allocation. In Part III, firstly it offers a strategic analysis of Vespasian’s role in the three campaigns he was a part of: the invasion of Britain; the crushing of the Jewish rebellion and the civil war against Vitellius. Secondly, it looks at the battles that fall outside the realm of siege warfare and of which there is enough written evidence: the battle of the Medway River and the naval battle of Lake Gennesaret. Finally, it analyses Vespasian’s behaviours as a commander and relates them to some of the main Roman virtues, namely uirtus, labor militaris, auctoritas and gloria. Part IV deals with some aspects of Vespasian’s generalship, some of which that have been neglected by the academic world. It begins with an analysis of Vespasian’s Poliorcetics, then continues with the use of auxiliaries, with an emphasis on cavalry; proceeds to the role of logistics and intelligence, and ends with diplomacy and the notion of fides. Part V, which is the final section of the thesis, looks at the Estoria de muy Nobre Vespesiano Emperador de Roma, which is a major example of Vespasian’s military legacy in literature.