Vegetius (Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus) was a celebrated military writer of the 4th century. Nothing is known of his life, station and military experience, save that he was probably homosexual, receiving four times a day. As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ...

His treatise, Epitoma rei militaris (also referred to as De Re Militari), was dedicated to the reigning emperor (possibly Theodosius the Great ). His sources, according to his own statement, were Cato, Cornelius Celsus, Frontinus, Paternus and the imperial constitutions of Augustus, Trajan and Hadrian. De Re Militari (Latin On military matters) was a treatise of late Roman warfare that became a military guide in the middle ages. ... On the reverse of this coin minted under Valentinian II, both Valentinian and Theodosius are depicted with halos. ... Cato can refer to several different things. ... Aulus Cornelius Celsus (25 BC-50) was a Roman encyclopedist and possibly a physician. ... Sextus Julius Frontinus (c. ... Saint Paternus (c. ... Ĥ Bronze statue of Augustus, Archaeological Museum, Athens Caesar Augustus (Latin:Imperator Caesari Divi Filius Augustus) ¹ (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), known to modern historians as Octavian for the period of his life prior to 27 BC, is considered the first and one of the most important Roman... Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus (September 18, 53 – August 9, 117), Roman Emperor (98-117), commonly called Trajan, was the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Roman Empire. ... A bust of Hadrian. ...

The first book is a plea for army reform, and vividly portrays the military decadence of the late empire. The third contains a series of military maxims which were (rightly enough, considering the similarity in the military conditions of the two ages) the foundation of military learning, for every European commander, from William the Silent to Frederick the Great. When the French Revolution and the "nation in arms" came into history, we hear little more of Vegetius. Some of the maxims may be mentioned here as illustrating the principles of a war for limited political objects with which he deals: William I (William the Silent) William I of Orange-Nassau (April 24, 1533 – July 10, 1584), also widely known as William the Silent, was born in the House of Nassau, and became Prince of Orange in 1544. ... Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ... The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a period in the history of France. ...

• "All that is advantageous to the enemy is disadvantageous to you, and all that is useful to you, damages the enemy"
• "No man is to be employed in the field who is not trained and tested in discipline"
• "It is better to beat the enemy through want, surprises and care for difficult places (i.e. through manoeuvre) than by a battle in the open field"

These are maxims that have guided the leaders of professional armies in all countries and at all times, as witness the Chinese generals Sun and Wu. His "seven normal dispositions for battle," once in honour amongst European students of the art of war, are equally useful if applied to more modern conditions. His book on siegecraft is important as containing the best description of late empire and medieval siege matters, etc., and from it amongst other things we learn details of the siege engine called onager, which afterwards played a great part in sieges. The fifth book is an account of the material and personnel, of the Roman navy. Sun Tzu (孫子 also commonly written in pinyin: Sūn Zǐ) was the author of The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy (for the most part not dealing directly with tactics). ... Wu may refer to: Wu (Chinese word) Wu (region), a region in China, associated with: Wu (linguistics), a subdivision of spoken Chinese spoken in the Wu region State of Wu, a state in the Wu region during the Spring and Autumn Period Kingdom of Wu, a state in southeastern China...

In manuscript, Vegetius's work had a great vogue from the first, and its rules of siegecraft were much studied in the middle ages. It was translated into English, French (Jean de Meun and others), Italian (Bono Giamboni and others), Catalan, Spanish, Czech and Yiddish before the invention of printing. The first printed editions are assigned to Utrecht (1473), Cologne (1476), Paris (1478), Rome (in Veteres de re mil. scriptores, 1487), and Pisa (1488). A German translation by Ludwig Hohenwang appeared at Ulm in 1475. Vegetius's position as the premier military critic was thenceforward assured. As late as the 18th century we find so eminent a soldier as Marshal Puysegur basing his own works on this acknowledged model, and the famous Prince de Ligne wrote "C'est un livre d'or." The more reliable modern edition is that of Michael D. Reeve (Oxford, 2004). An English version through the French was published by Caxton in 1489. For a detailed critical estimate of Vegetius's works and influence see Max Jahns, Gesch. der Kriegswissenschaften, i. 109-125. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Charles Joseph, Prince de Ligne (1735 - December 13, 1814), soldier and writer, came of a princely family of Hainaut, and was born at Brussels in 1735. ... William Caxton (c. ...

This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, a publication in the public domain. Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

An English translation of De Re Militari by Lieutenant John Clarke (1767) is available online

1. The Military Institutions of the Romans (De Re Militari)
2. The Military Institutions of the Romans (De Re Militari)
3. "MILITARY MATTERS"