Military of the Second Roman Republic 263-750 (Abrittus)

The "military anarchy" of the 3rd century ended in the revolution of the 260s, in which soldiers played a vital role in overcoming old Roman political, economic, social and military leadership structures and establishing and defending the young Second Republic.

The military articles of the new constitution institutionalised the factual power of the soldiers. In the federal articles of the constitution, the decentralisation of military power was politically reigned in by creating different military forces of the autonomous civitates and of the federal level. Both are internally self-governed. The former is politically responsible to its local civitas, who also pays these local forces, while the latter responds to the federal institutions, who pay them.

The two principles of soldier democracy and federalisation were supplemented by a third one: professionalisation. To this end, the Roman tradition of excellent military training was institutionalised in war academies, run by the autonomous bodies of soldiers´ self-governance (collegia militum).

The "Defensores Rei Publicae Romanae"
The "Republican Defense" were the federal armed forces. At the birth of the Second Republic, they were divided into the following sub-groups:
 * Exercitus Alpinus (seat of the collegium: Cambodunum)