ABSTRACT
Just as the emperor offered praemia militiae to maintain fides militum, he could also offer soldiers more ‘intangible’ inducements that affected their overall standard of living. In particular the emperor was responsible for the legal benefits given to soldiers and the disciplina militaris that governed their service. This chapter examines how emperors of this period used their role as the provider of legal benefits to improve their relationship with the army. It will also ask whether emperors were willing to relax disciplina militaris in an attempt to win greater support from the army.
