Comitatenses


The comitatenses and later the palatini were the units of the field armies of the late Roman Empire.
They were the soldiers that replaced the legionaries, which had formed the backbone of the Roman military since the Marian reforms.

Terminology

Comitatenses is the Latin plural of comitatensis, originally the adjective derived from comitatus, itself rooted in Comes.
However, historically it became the accepted name for those Roman imperial troops which were not merely garrisoned at a limes —the limitanei or ripenses, i.e. "along the shores"—but more mobile line troops; furthermore there were second line troops, named pseudocomitatensis, former limitanei attached to the comitatus; palatini, elite units typically assigned to the magister militum; and the scholae palatinae of actual palace guards, usually under the magister officiorum, a senior court official of the Late Empire.

List of ''comitatenses'' units

Among the comitatenses units listed by Notitia Dignitatum there are:

Under the Western ''Magister Peditum''

  1. Undecimani ;
  2. Secundani Italiciani ;
  3. Tertiani Italica ;
  4. Tertia Herculea, Illyricum;
  5. Secunda Britannica, Gallias;
  6. Tertia Iulia Alpina, Italia;
  7. Prima Flavia Pacis, Africa;
  8. Secunda Flavia Virtutis, Africa;
  9. Tertia Flavia Salutis, Africa;
  10. Secunda Flavia Constantiniana, Africa Tingitania;
  11. Tertioaugustani ;

    Under the ''Magister Militum per Orientem''

  12. Quinta Macedonica ;
  13. Septima gemina ;
  14. Decima gemina ;
  15. Prima Flavia Constantia;
  16. Secunda Flavia Virtuti, Africa;
  17. Secunda Felix Valentis Thebaeorum;
  18. Prima Flavia Theodosiana;

    Under the ''Magister Militum per Thracias''

  19. Prima Maximiana Thebaeorum;
  20. Tertia Diocletiana Thebaeorum;
  21. Tertiodecimani ;
  22. Quartodecimani ;
  23. Prima Flavia gemina;
  24. Secunda Flavia gemina.