Legio I Iulia Alpina

Legio I Iulia Alpina: one of the legions of the later Roman empire. Its name means "the Julian Alpine legion".

Constans
Constans

This legion is mentioned in the late-antique text known as Notitia Dignitatum. It must have been the garrison of a province in the Italian diocese, most likely Alpes Cottiae (i.e., the region between Briançon in France and Susa in Italy).

Due to the fact that we have only one source mentioning this unit, the founder of the legion is not known. The element Julia, however, suggests that it was either Crispus, the son of the emperor Constantine I the Great, or Julius Constans, the emperor of the western half of the Roman Empire between 337 and 350. Since no other princes are credited with the building of legions, it is likely that I Iulia Alpina was indeed founded by Constans.

This page was created in 2003; last modified on 23 November 2018.