ABSTRACT

In 235 Maximinus Thrax offered his soldiers a range of rewards (praemia militiae) to help sway their loyalty away from Severus Alexander. At the end of the period 235-395, Libanius records rioting in Antioch caused by the harsh taxation regime of Theodosius, who needed money to give his army a special payment (donativum).1 These are not isolated occurrences but instead examples of a practice that defined the relationship between emperor and army in this period. The payment of praemia militiae had always been important to this relationship, but now its significance radically increased due to the army’s growing sense of entitlement and a newfound imperial willingness to openly embrace the political potency of the praemia militiae they gave to their troops. Alongside military competence, the emperor’s ability to successfully fulfill the role of provider of praemia militiae was the key indicator of the success or failure of his reign.