History
The origin of the legion is uncertain, but Caesar is known to have founded a Ninth Legion already based in Gaul in 58 BCE, where it remained during the whole campaign of the Gallic wars.
According to Stephen Dando-Collins the legion was raised, along with the 6th, 7th and 8th, by Pompey in Hispania in 65 BCE.
Caesar's Ninth Legion fought in the battles of Dyrrhachium and Pharsalus (48 BCE) and in the African campaign of 46 BCE. After his final victory, Caesar disbanded the legion and settled the veterans in the area of Picenum.
Following Caesar's assassination, Octavian recalled the veterans of the Ninth to fight against the rebellion of Sextus Pompeius in Sicily. After defeating Sextus, they were sent to the province of Macedonia. The Ninth remained with Octavian in his war of 31 BCE against Mark Antony and fought by his side in the battle of Actium. With Octavian as sole ruler of the Roman world, the legion was sent to Hispania to take part in the large-scale campaign against the Cantabrians (25–13 BCE). The nickname Hispana ("stationed in Spain") is first found during the reign of Augustus and probably originated at this time.
After this, the legion was probably a member of the imperial army in the Rhine border that was campaigning against the Germanic tribes. Following the abandonment of the Eastern Rhine area (after the disaster of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest — 9 CE), the Ninth was relocated in Pannonia.
Read more about this topic: Legio IX Hispana
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