Legio VII Claudia Pia Fidelis Roman Vexillum

The Legio VII Claudia Pia Fidelis was one of the oldest and most prestigious units of the Roman Imperial army, with origins in the legions that had followed Julius Caesar in the conquest of Gaul starting in 58 BC.

It participated in the campaigns against Vercingetorix, probably at Alesia, and in the final "cleanup" operations among the Bellovaci, consolidating the Roman presence beyond the Alps. During the civil war, it followed Caesar against Pompey, fighting in Hispania at Ilerda and then at Pharsalus, before being recalled to Africa and engaged in the campaign that ended with the victory of Thapsus in 46 BC.

Disbanded and reconstituted in the Triumviral period, the VII was reorganized by Augustus after Actium and stationed in the Danubian provinces, where it became one of the pillars of the defense system along the middle course of the Danube. In 42 AD, stationed in Dalmatia, it suppressed the revolt of Governor Scribonianus with Legio XI: for its loyalty to Emperor Claudius, it received the honorific title of Claudia Pia Fidelis, "loyal and faithful to Claudius." The legion continued to serve until the late 4th century, engaged in controlling the Danubian frontiers and in the wars of the emperors, from Vespasian to Septimius Severus.