Professionalization

Marius' recruitment of volunteers improved the loyalty and sense of belonging of his legionaries. The troops had chosen the military as their career, and had not been forced unwillingly to participate. This also resulted in the troops starting campaigns with high morale, and their full attention on the task at hand. Furthermore, the settlement of troops onto the land served to create an incentive for service in the army. The poor would no longer return to a ruined estate, since they were given new land in compensation. The use of volunteers and the payment of land to the troops helped to ease the slump in the number of personnel in the army.

With the length of service set at 16-20 years, the troops felt themselves less associated with the populus Romani,, and more to the Imperator (commander). The bond between troops created a certain loyalty to their leader. This, combined with the fact that the general was responsible for the payment of his troops, served to redirect the loyalty of the troops from the Roman state and towards the commander.

With the ironly true loyalty to the immediate commander, the legions, and the men that commanded them, became powerful players on the Roman political stage for the rest of its history, -- first by providing the means for the final destruction of the ailing republic and then assuring that the imperial succession would always be subject to a military veto, as even a cursory glance at the history of the Empire shows..