The Massaliot league. A Hellenistic period Massalia Timeline

[Sersor]

293 BC

The expedition under Adelphius after diplomatic and trade stops in Stalia, Neapolis, Messana, Corcyra, Athens, Rhodes and Kltion reached Alexandria, the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt where they exchange gifts with Ptolemy I Soter establishing a trade agreement and an official trade hub mostly for grain, glass, papyrus and linen leaving 30 people behind. Then they went all the way down south to the end of the red sea, where they established a trade hub especially for spices and cinnamon, in the city of Eudaemon(Aden). After that they returned back home.

• News from Rome speaking about a plague concern the Massaliot assembly.
• Strategos(general) Orestes and the military expedition of Massalian League helped the Romans win the Battle of Aquilonia
• The company of Palaioi establish their own private common treasury.

By place

Roman Republic

• The Battle of Aquilonia is fought between the Roman Republic and the Samnites, near the current city of Aquilonia in Campania (in southern Italy). The Romans, led by the consuls Lucius Papirius Cursor and Spurius Carvilius Maximus, are victorious. After the battle, the Samnites flee into the city of Aquilonia and into their camp. The camp is captured and looted by the Romans, while the city is eventually taken, with many of the Samnite survivors being slaughtered in the fighting.
• Rome suffers from the plague. The worship of Aesculapius is introduced from Epidaurus to Rome in the hope of averting the plague.

 

[Unknown]

Good start. Will be following...

 

[Sersor]

Good start. Will be following...

Thank you.

 

[Sersor]

292 bc

• With money from the common treasury of Massalian league a temple of Aesculapius was built in Massalia.
• Praxagoras an influential figure of medicine in ancient Greece invited by the Palaioi company to to establish a branch of the famous dogmatic school of medicine of Kos.
• The expedition under Adelphius is back from red sea with the report of their travels.

By place

Greece

• Lysimachus tries to extend his influence beyond the Danube River, but he is defeated and taken prisoner by the Getae (Dacian) king Dromichaetes (Dromihete). Eventually, Lysimachus is set free and a peace is agreed between the Getae and Lysimachus. This peace agreement is strengthened further by the marriage of Dromichaetes with Lysimachus' daughter.
• While Demetrius Poliorcetes is campaigning in Boeotia, he receives news that Lysimachus, the ruler of Thrace, has been taken prisoner by Dromichaetes. Hoping to seize Lysimachus's territories in Thrace, Demetrius, delegates command of his forces in Boeotia to his son, Antigonus and immediately marches north. However, while he is away, the Boeotians rise in rebellion, but are defeated by Antigonus, who bottles them up in the city of Thebes and puts them under siege.

291 BC

• Carthage pirates raided again trade ships near Emporion.
• Dynatoi company sponsors a small expedition through the lands of Volcae to reach the Atlantic ocean.

By place

Greece

• Demetrius Poliorcetes joins his son, Antigonus, in the siege of Thebes. As the Thebans defend their city stubbornly, Demetrius forces his men to attack the city at great cost. Demetrius finally takes the city after using siege engines to demolish its walls.

Roman Republic

• The Romans storm and take the Samnite city of Venusia.

290 BC

Strategos Orestes and the military expedition of massaliot league in Rome, was finally back home after five years. There they helped the Romans win their war against the Samnites. This military expedition made strategos Orestes really appreciate the newly formatted manipular roman legion.

• The expedition of dynatoi through the lands of Volcae was ambushed and annihilated.
• To deal with the pirate raids near Emporion, the company of Palaioi sponsored another five quinqueremes for the fleet of Massalia which now consist of twenty quinquereme, twenty quadrireme and several smaller ships. The five new quinqueremes will be stationed permanent in Emporion.

By place

Roman Republic

• Roman general and consul, Manius Curius Dentatus, gains a decisive victory over the Samnites, thereby ending a war that has lasted 50 years. He also reduces the Sabine insurgents to submission, their territory is annexed and they are granted civitas sine suffragio ("citizenship without the right to vote"). The Samnites are recognised by the Romans as autonomous allies. The Samnites are forced to give up some of their land to the Romans as compensation.

Egypt

• Berenice, wife of Ptolemy, is proclaimed queen of Egypt. Ptolemy has the city of Berenice built on the Red Sea in her honour. It becomes a great emporium for Egyptian trade with the East.

 

[Sersor]

289 BC

Strategos Orestes with the support of the assembly and Dynatoi company initiated the orestikoi military reformation.


The Orestikoi reforms of 289 BC were a group of military reforms initiated by strategos Orestes, a statesman and general of the Massaliot league. The foremost of the Orestikoi reforms was the inclusion of the poor citizens in the army, men who had no property to be assessed in the census. Because these poor citizens could not afford to purchase their own weapons and armor, Orestes arranged for the state to supply them with land in the new conquered territories and arms. He also offered the disenfranchised masses the opportunity to gain spoils on campaign. Another major change is that the Massaliot league army switched from Hoplite style to an army similar of the Roman manipular legion. The army from now on is organised in tagmata. After the reforms Massaliot league was able to summon four tagmata (two sponsored from the companies). Also new import in the army from the Romans was the abduction of the spathi, a version of the gladius sword. In fact this was already happening, especially in the area of emporion because they where familiar with this type of swords, from the celtiberians tribes of the area. Last but not least a greek version of the pila introduced to the army.


The new tagma unit:

Three thousands infantrymen (twenty maniples of one hundred twenty men and ten maniples of sixty men) together with one thousand five hundred slingers/archers and five hundred cavalry*. A nominal strength of 5000 men.

*The Massaliot tagma cavalry was drawn primarily from the richest class. Each tagma contained a cavalry contingent of five hundred horse. The cavalry contingent was divided into ten tmimata (squadrons) of 50 men each. The squadron members would elect as their officers two dioikites(commanders) mostly from high status noble families, of whom the first to be chosen would act as the squadron's leader and the other as his deputy. The cavalry of a tagma(and presumably confederate cavalry also) was armoured and specialised in the shock charge.

• Carthage pirates repelled near emporion.
• Trade in Volcae area is getting dangerous.

By place

Sicily

• The tyrant of Syracuse, Agathocles, dies after restoring the Syracusan democracy on his death bed, by stating that he does not want his sons to succeed him as king. However, the resulting dissension among his family about the succession leads to a renewal of Carthaginian power in Sicily.

 

[Avrorrange]

The phalanx system of the Macedonians isn't bad if support units are used,why was't that used instead?

 

[Sersor]

The phalanx system of the Macedonians isn't bad if support units are used,why was't that used instead?

As Cuāuhtemōc mention earlier the terrain of Gaul isn't too friendly for a traditional hoplite-based army that was common in the Greek homeland.
Until now Massaliot greeks used the classic hoplite style but, after five years of working with the romans against Gauls,Samnites,Etruscans and Umbri, strategos Orestes realised that roman model was ideal for the Massaliot army.

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

I got behind on my reading, and didn't want to start on this TL until I could do it justice. Here goes.

The Massaliot league.

Yay!!!!

Although still strong in naval the Massaliots started to focus

Did Massilia have any size of navy iOTL? I certainly don't remember it being mentioned in the Western Med conflicts of OTL. (Rome vs Carthage vs Magna Græca.)

open the assembly and citizenship to all adult male Greeks born in Massalia and her colonies!

This seems remarkably foresighted of them. Did anything like this happen iOTL?

elect a federal council with proportional representation of 300 senators

This sounds WAY too modern.

2 stratigous/episcopous

Sort of like the Consuls in Rome iOTL? Why 'Stragetos and Episcopos'? (General and Overseer) Are those the titles different for the two posts, or supposed to be synonyms? Why the 'ous' ending?

branch of the league for new allies that want to join, the Εteroi.

1) you're a MODERN Greek, I see . One would have expected Hetairoi, unless this is a totally different word. Of course, for English speakers that cause confusion with Alexander's 'Companions'.
2) Hellenic culture admitted only 2 classes of people. Greeks and Barbarians. Sure, some Greeks were enemies, and some Barbarians allies, but forming a mixed polity with barbarians? Seems highly unlikely to me. I'd suspect that either the allied states are viewed as sufficiently Greek and could be folded right into the existing system, or they aren't and .... Oh. Never mind. Second class citizenship, you said. OK. Might I suggest that there be incentives where sufficiently Hellenized Celts get rights to full-citizenship, even if the whole town doesn't.

The new nobility (dynatoi) to gain more influence founded their soft-drink company(based on Athens companies)

'soft-drink'???? That has GOT to be a translation error, but I can't imagine what of.

The first Academy of Massalia is founded later that year

And what were they doing in that oak grove, may I ask? Yes, THE Academy has been around for a while, but I don't think the word had generalized yet. Not sure when it did.
Several philosophical schools were named in different ways. The Academy and the Stoa (Roman Stoics) were named after their meeting place. Cynics were named because people were rememded of yapping dogs. The Pythagoreans and Epicureans were named after their founders.
I would propose that you pick one of those models to name your school/group after.

 

[Avrorrange]

I got behind on my reading, and didn't want to start on this TL until I could do it justice. Here goes.


Yay!!!!


Did Massilia have any size of navy iOTL? I certainly don't remember it being mentioned in the Western Med conflicts of OTL. (Rome vs Carthage vs Magna Græca.)


This seems remarkably foresighted of them. Did anything like this happen iOTL?

This sounds WAY too modern.


Sort of like the Consuls in Rome iOTL? Why 'Stragetos and Episcopos'? (General and Overseer) Are those the titles different for the two posts, or supposed to be synonyms? Why the 'ous' ending?


1) you're a MODERN Greek, I see . One would have expected Hetairoi, unless this is a totally different word. Of course, for English speakers that cause confusion with Alexander's 'Companions'.
2) Hellenic culture admitted only 2 classes of people. Greeks and Barbarians. Sure, some Greeks were enemies, and some Barbarians allies, but forming a mixed polity with barbarians? Seems highly unlikely to me. I'd suspect that either the allied states are viewed as sufficiently Greek and could be folded right into the existing system, or they aren't and .... Oh. Never mind. Second class citizenship, you said. OK. Might I suggest that there be incentives where sufficiently Hellenized Celts get rights to full-citizenship, even if the whole town doesn't.


'soft-drink'???? That has GOT to be a translation error, but I can't imagine what of.


And what were they doing in that oak grove, may I ask? Yes, THE Academy has been around for a while, but I don't think the word had generalized yet. Not sure when it did.
Several philosophical schools were named in different ways. The Academy and the Stoa (Roman Stoics) were named after their meeting place. Cynics were named because people were rememded of yapping dogs. The Pythagoreans and Epicureans were named after their founders.
I would propose that you pick one of those models to name your school/group after.

Aren't you stereotyping?The Seleucids to my example actually tried to promote Hellenism and assimilate the local populace.

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

Aren't you stereotyping?The Seleucids to my example actually tried to promote Hellenism and assimilate the local populace.

???
If 'barbarians' sufficiently Hellenize, then they're Hellenes. Assimilate? Yes.
Of course, the Seleucids had the additional problem of ruling the exPersian empire. They had to leave many satraps and chunks of the administrative structure in place, e.g., because otherwise the system would have been unworkable.

The other way for barbarians to transform into Hellenes is to conquer the Greeks (Although, to be fair, Roman culture was already rather Hellenized before that, even if they didn't speak Greek. And the Macedonians were seen as at least semi-Greek before their conquests.)

 

[Sersor]

I got behind on my reading, and didn't want to start on this TL until I could do it justice. Here goes.


Yay!!!!


Did Massilia have any size of navy iOTL? I certainly don't remember it being mentioned in the Western Med conflicts of OTL. (Rome vs Carthage vs Magna Græca.)


This seems remarkably foresighted of them. Did anything like this happen iOTL?

This sounds WAY too modern.


Sort of like the Consuls in Rome iOTL? Why 'Stragetos and Episcopos'? (General and Overseer) Are those the titles different for the two posts, or supposed to be synonyms? Why the 'ous' ending?


1) you're a MODERN Greek, I see . One would have expected Hetairoi, unless this is a totally different word. Of course, for English speakers that cause confusion with Alexander's 'Companions'.
2) Hellenic culture admitted only 2 classes of people. Greeks and Barbarians. Sure, some Greeks were enemies, and some Barbarians allies, but forming a mixed polity with barbarians? Seems highly unlikely to me. I'd suspect that either the allied states are viewed as sufficiently Greek and could be folded right into the existing system, or they aren't and .... Oh. Never mind. Second class citizenship, you said. OK. Might I suggest that there be incentives where sufficiently Hellenized Celts get rights to full-citizenship, even if the whole town doesn't.


'soft-drink'???? That has GOT to be a translation error, but I can't imagine what of.


And what were they doing in that oak grove, may I ask? Yes, THE Academy has been around for a while, but I don't think the word had generalized yet. Not sure when it did.
Several philosophical schools were named in different ways. The Academy and the Stoa (Roman Stoics) were named after their meeting place. Cynics were named because people were rememded of yapping dogs. The Pythagoreans and Epicureans were named after their founders.
I would propose that you pick one of those models to name your school/group after.

Dathi THorfinnsson said:
Did Massilia have any size of navy iOTL? I certainly don't remember it being mentioned in the Western Med conflicts of OTL. (Rome vs Carthage vs Magna Græca.)

Massalia (Phocaeans greeks) was a thriving trading center with a long naval tradition.

Here is some facts:

540-535 BC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alalia

Around 325 BC
Pytheas (Ancient Greek made a voyage of exploration to northwestern Europe as far as the Arctic Circle from his city of Marseilles.

217 BC
battle of Ebro River they help the Romans with 20 ships.

So a fleet of ten quinquereme and twenty quadrireme around 295 BC i think its possible.


Sersor said:
open the assembly and citizenship to all adult male Greeks born in Massalia and her colonies!
Dathi THorfinnsson said:
This seems remarkably foresighted of them. Did anything like this happen iOTL?

The ancient Greeks had long democratic tradition that could trigger something like this to happen. In early 3rd century BC there were the examples of Aeolian League and the second Achean League, that they were kind of similar to what i proposed happened in Massalia. The roman law Lex Hortensia from 287BC inspired me also.


Sersor said:
elect a federal council with proportional representation of 300 senators
Dathi THorfinnsson said:
This sounds WAY too modern.


Actually it isn’t . Check the Athenians Boule

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boule_(ancient_Greece)

and also check the political structure of republic Rome, Achean League and Aeolian League during this era.



Dathi THorfinnsson said:
2 stratigous/episcopous
Sort of like the Consuls in Rome iOTL? Why 'Stragetos and Episcopos'? (General and Overseer) Are those the titles different for the two posts, or supposed to be synonyms? Why the 'ous' ending?

Kind of. They were the head of both the state and the army.




Sersor said:
branch of the league for new allies that want to join, the Εteroi.
Dathi THorfinnsson said:
1) you're a MODERN Greek, I see . One would have expected Hetairoi, unless this is a totally different word. Of course, for English speakers that cause confusion with Alexander's 'Companions'.

2) Hellenic culture admitted only 2 classes of people. Greeks and Barbarians. Sure, some Greeks were enemies, and some Barbarians allies, but forming a mixed polity with barbarians? Seems highly unlikely to me. I'd suspect that either the allied states are viewed as sufficiently Greek and could be folded right into the existing system, or they aren't and .... Oh. Never mind. Second class citizenship, you said. OK. Might I suggest that there be incentives where sufficiently Hellenized Celts get rights to full-citizenship, even if the whole town doesn't.


1) yes Etairoi in modern greek mean co-partners. Sorry for any confusion.

2) True, Greeks admitted only 2 classes of people. Greeks and Barbarians. Nevertheless there are the examples of Alexander the great and Seleucids showing that this was starting to change a little bit. The Celto-Ligurian towns of Arelate,Cabelio,Avenio where heavy influenced and hellinized by Massalia and as you said they granted second tier citizenship. Incentives is a possibility.


Sersor said: ↑
The new nobility (dynatoi) to gain more influence founded their soft-drink company(based on Athens companies)
Dathi THorfinnsson said:
'soft-drink'???? That has GOT to be a translation error, but I can't imagine what of.


Heh soft drink does sounds weird. I should explained it better.
In classical Athens, the institution of liturgies provided many ways for the wealthy citizens to bestow their wealth and time upon the community. The rich Athenians where kind of “sponsors” of the Academy also. In my timeline, they grouped in 'soft-drink' companies/factions to gain more influence. for example OTL:

In the speech Against Androtion Demosthenes describes a group of some four to ten councillors who, in collusion with Androtion, were capable of controlling the Council of Five Hundred

Sorry my english are not that good


Dathi THorfinnsson said:
And what were they doing in that oak grove, may I ask? Yes, THE Academy has been around for a while, but I don't think the word had generalized yet. Not sure when it did.

Several philosophical schools were named in different ways. The Academy and the Stoa (Roman Stoics) were named after their meeting place. Cynics were named because people were rememded of yapping dogs. The Pythagoreans and Epicureans were named after their founders.

I would propose that you pick one of those models to name your school/group after.


I just used the name Academy, i didn't want to emphasise more.

 

[Sersor]

288 bc

• The trade in Garonne river stopped due to Volcae aggressive actions. This news worries the Massaliot League assembly.
• The trade monopoly of Rhone river and the big slave agora of Massalia keeps Massaliot League in a economic boom. Major cities besides Massalia are Emporion,Arelate,Avenio and Nikaia.

 

[Sersor]

287 BC

The Volcae war 287-285 bc

The Volcae together with several other minor gaul tribes invaded Massalia league lands and siege Agathe, with a big army comprising about forty thousand warriors. The cause for this is explained by Pausanias as greed for loot. Massaliot League mobilise their army with one tagma summoned in the area of emporion and three from the rest areas in Massalia. The tagma of emporion tried to protect Agathe but in the battle outside the city they were vastly outnumber one to eight, leading to a crushing defeat. After some months Agathe felt to the Gauls and plundered severe. Half of the population was killed. Hearing the news that the Volcae have a massive army of nearly forty thousand men, the Massaliotes tried to form an army as big as possible. Diplomats send to Rome and Sequani tribe asking for help.


By place

Roman Republic

• A new law, Lex Hortensia, gives much greater power to the plebeian Assembly compared to the Senate. This law is passed following a threat from plebeian soldiers to secede. In the face of this threat, the Senate yields to plebeian concerns over their lack of political power and over their level of debt to the aristocracy. The law is named after Quintus Hortensius, a plebeian, who is made dictator to settle the controversy.

Greece

• Pyrrhus is proclaimed King of Macedonia.

286 BC

The Volcae after plundering Agathe area marched to Rhoda and siege it. The army of Massaliot league with the reinforcements from Rome and Sequani, marched and meet the Gauls outside of Rhoda. The thirty one thousands men army of Massaliot League( three tagmata, seven thousands ligurians/celtiberians mercenaries sponsored from the league and both companies, one roman legion and four thousands Sequani) under the command of strategos Orestes won the decisive battle. This was the biggest triumph of Massalia history. The key factor of this victory was the deployment of the roman legion behind the Gauls lines, by sea under strategos Orestes orders. The new formation of tagmata and the better equipment played also important role to the victory. The Massaliots army lost eight thousand men (mostly mercenaries and Sequani) and The Volcae nearly twenty two thousands with another seven thousands sold as slaves. After that the Massaliot army seeking revenge for Agathe, invaded the Volcae lands and marched to Volcae capital, Tolosa.

By place

Greece

• As Demetrius Poliorcetes and his army are chased across Asia Minor to the Taurus Mountains by the armies of Lysimachus and Seleucus, in Greece his son Antigonus meets with success. Ptolemy's fleet is driven off and Athens surrenders to Antigonus.
• After allowing Pyrrhus of Epirus to remain in possession of Macedonia with the title of king, he is expelled by Lysimachus who declares himself its king in the place of Pyrrhus.

Roman Republic

• The new law, Lex Aquilia, is enacted. This is a Roman law which provides compensation to the owners of property injured as a result of someone's fault.

285 BC

With the arrival in Tolosa the Greeks meet another army of twenty thousand Gauls. The reinforced thirty thousands army of Massalia was again victorious. The Massaliots army lost six thousands men and the Volcae fifteen thousands. Four more thousands Gauls sold as slaves. After a short siege Tolosa felt to the Massaliots where they found an incredible amount of gold and silver in a sanctuary(Poseidonius version). Tolosa was one of the wealthiest and most important cities in Gaul during the pre-Roman era. Gold and silver mines were nearby, and offerings to its shrines and temples accumulated wealth in the city. The next months after some more small pitch battles the Volcae territory is annexed officially and one tagma left as garrison to Tolosa to control the new territories. There was a big land distribution to the soldiers of this tagma to help settling them in the area. This conquest and the amount of wealth that found there, played a critical role for Massalia to become a major power.

• Massaliot league mint their first gold coins.
• The great geographer and explorer Pytheas of Massalia died at the age of sixty five.

By place
Egypt

• June 26 – Egypt's Ptolemy I Soter abdicates. He is succeeded by his youngest son by his wife Berenice, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, who has been co-regent for three years.
• A 110 metre tall lighthouse on the island of Pharos in Alexandria's harbour is completed and serves as a landmark for ships in the eastern Mediterranean. Built by Sostratus of Cnidus for Ptolemy II of Egypt, it is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It is a technological triumph and is the archetype of all lighthouses since. A broad spiral ramp leads to the top, where a fire burns at night.

 

[Avrorrange]

I have a feeling we are going to get a Tyrant or Basileus in Massalia soon.

 

[Sceonn]

Not likely, Kings/Dictators/Emperors can only rise in polities like the ancient Greek Democracies or Roman Republics with popular support after a major shift in society. Massalia and Rome with Synergize each other's democracies most likely, with one adopting a working policy the other implemented.

I don't see Rome descending into the Empire TTL.

 

[Avrorrange]

Not likely, Kings/Dictators/Emperors can only rise in polities like the ancient Greek Democracies or Roman Republics with popular support after a major shift in society. Massalia and Rome with Synergize each other's democracies most likely, with one adopting a working policy the other implemented.

I don't see Rome descending into the Empire TTL.

Thing is,classic democracies or aristocratic republics don't really work well when the territory's large.Eventually,they will need a strong man.

 

[Sceonn]

Thing is,classic democracies don't really work well when the territory's large.Eventually,they will need a strong man.

Not really, it's when the democracy only effects the minority that the problem starts. Rome ran like a City-State republic even when it'd conquered the entire Italian peninsula, disenfranchising other Italians that culminated in the Social Wars. It never really extended Citizenship that much.

Athens imposed it's will on all non Athenians in the Delian League, when it was supposed to be a League. This naturally resulted in Rebellions and the creation of the Athenian Empire.

The point is that the big city always seek to control everything, thus eventually turning into a dictatorship. That doesn't apply to Massalia seeing that rather than dominating other states Massilia's colonizing/assimilating while serving as the root/capital, with an already unified Army/Navy and treasury. It's already a nation, an expanding nation, not a hodgepodge collection of micro-nations under Domination.

 

[Sersor]

Thing is,classic democracies or aristocratic republics don't really work well when the territory's large.Eventually,they will need a strong man.

Its a possibility but for the moment the democratic assembly is stronger than ever.

 

[Sersor]

Not really, it's when the democracy only effects the minority that the problem starts. Rome ran like a City-State republic even when it'd conquered the entire Italian peninsula, disenfranchising other Italians that culminated in the Social Wars. It never really extended Citizenship that much.

Athens imposed it's will on all non Athenians in the Delian League, when it was supposed to be a League. This naturally resulted in Rebellions and the creation of the Athenian Empire.

The point is that the big city always seek to control everything, thus eventually turning into a dictatorship. That doesn't apply to Massalia seeing that rather than dominating other states Massilia's colonizing/assimilating while serving as the root/capital, with an already unified Army/Navy and treasury. It's already a nation, an expanding nation, not a hodgepodge collection of micro-nations under Domination.

You are right. Massalia is turning into a nation with palaioi and dynatoi companies dominating the assembly. So far is working good.

 

[Avrorrange]

Not really, it's when the democracy only effects the minority that the problem starts. Rome ran like a City-State republic even when it'd conquered the entire Italian peninsula, disenfranchising other Italians that culminated in the Social Wars. It never really extended Citizenship that much.

Athens imposed it's will on all non Athenians in the Delian League, when it was supposed to be a League. This naturally resulted in Rebellions and the creation of the Athenian Empire.

The point is that the big city always seek to control everything, thus eventually turning into a dictatorship. That doesn't apply to Massalia seeing that rather than dominating other states Massilia's colonizing/assimilating while serving as the root/capital, with an already unified Army/Navy and treasury. It's already a nation, an expanding nation, not a hodgepodge collection of micro-nations under Domination.

The problem is when the army is frequently out in the field under the command of one dude.The army would also consist of soldiers who have no stake in the republic's governing process.Something like this is bound to happen at one point or another.