Legio V Alaudae

Fifth Legion Alaudae
Legio V Alaudae
Legio Quinta Alaudae
Signum of the Fifth Legion Alaudae (simplified reconstruction)
Active52 BC until either AD 70 or AD 86
CountryRoman Republic (in the time of Julius Caesar) and Roman Empire
TypeRoman legion (Marian)
Nickname(s)
  • Alaudae, "of the Lark" (using a Gaulish word)
  • Gallica

Legio V Alaudae ("Fifth Legion of the Lark"), sometimes also known as Legio V Gallica ("Fifth Gallic Legion"), was a legion of the Roman army founded in 52 BC by the general Gaius Julius Caesar (dictator of Rome 49-44 BC). It was levied in Transalpine Gaul to fight the armies of Vercingetorix, and was the first Roman legion to comprise non-citizens. Historians disagree whether the legion was destroyed during the Batavian rebellion in AD 70, or during the First Battle of Tapae (AD 86).[1]

  1. ^ Jones (1992), pp. 138-139.