Roman History & Society Key Figures, Politics, And Warfare Practice Test

Opening recruitment to the capite censi expanded who could join the army by removing the property requirement. This pulled in large numbers of landless and poorer citizens who had previously been excluded, dramatically increasing the pool of recruits and the army’s size. But the bigger shift is that these recruits became a professional, standing force: they trained regularly, served long terms, and received regular pay and equipment from the state. Because their livelihood and prospects depended on their commander—who paid them and promised spoils or land—their loyalty increasingly rested with the general rather than the Senate. This transformation, from a citizen militia bounded by property to a professional army tied to its generals, had lasting political consequences for Rome.