From the formation of the Roman Republic in 509 BCE, through the Roman Empire’s zenith around 117 CE, and even up until the Fall of Rome and the Empire’s adoption of Constantinople as its capital in 330 CE, war played a key role in Roman expansion across the northern hemisphere. The Romans undertook land-grab on a huge scale, their successes down not only to the political capabilities of their elite, but to their military might and the strategic ability of their Generals. They were responsible for the Republic’s and Empire’s expansion through war, gradually completing the “Romanisation” of the provinces.

Not everything went smoothly: the Romans fell foul of Germanic tribesmen at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (9 CE), where they lost three full legions (an estimated 15-20,000 soldiers gave up their lives during this battle alone). This prompted remorse on the part of Augustus when he heard of the defeat (the Romans never again attempted to push east of the Rhine, save for some retaliatory skirmishes). But there’s no denying the vast successes the Romans had in subsuming massive tracts of mainland Europe, Britain, the Middle East and North Africa.

Here, History of War picks ten of the most influential Generals in Roman military history…