Publius Vegetius Renatus wrote a military manual titled De re military, most likely at the end of the 4th century. The work is formally conceived as the manual of an emperor whom Vegetius praises as an impeccable commander, but it is in fact a critical document addressed to the wider ruling class. With De re military, Vegetius wished to encourage the implementation of military reforms through the influence of this social group. He outlines some critical problems he perceived in the Roman army: the system of recruitment, corruption and the abandonment of armour, drill and camp fortifications. At least the first two appear to have actually been grave problems, even though Vegetius reduces his analysis to moralism. The descriptions and precepts he offers regarding battle tactics reflect their actual development at the end of Antiquity. Contrary to beliefs established in some circles, the late Roman army remained a competent military force – a fact also reflected in De re militari, where it is praised in multiple aspects by the otherwise critical Vegetius. No strong criticism of the barbarization of the Roman army can be discerned either; in this regard as well, Vegetius' work agrees with the views of more recent historiography, which are more sceptical towards the supposed fatefulness of this phenomenon.
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