alternatehistory.com

The Constitutio Antoniniana, issued by emperor Caracalla in 212 AD and frequently known, thus, as the "Edict of Caracalla", was an imperial edict which granted citizenship to all subjects contemporaneously living in the Roman Empire.
The reasons as to why Caracalla issued this edict are still being discussed. The main appointed advantages of the edict were:
-More citizens means more people to tax, and, thus, more revenue.
-Only full citizens were able to participate in the legions. With more citizens available, more legionnaires can be trained.
However, it did come with disadvantages:
-Before the edict, the only way to gain citizenship as anon-italian was to complete service in the army. With citizenship already guaranteed, it could be argued that joining the army became less attractive, diminishing the ammount of soldiers available to the empire.
-Among some others i am eager to be told about.
So, i ask: do you believe the Edict of Caracalla was necessary, or at least favourable to the empire? Or not?
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