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Dacian wars were the two Emperor Trajan campaigns that took place in 101-102 and 105-106 CE. As a result, the Roman province of Dacia was created.
Genesis and the First Dacian War
In the first century CE, Roman policy dictated treaties to surrounding tribes and countries that required recognition of Rome’s authority. Such conditions were not accepted by the Dacians of King Duras, who in the winter of 85 to 86 CE led by Diurpaneus, they attacked the Roman province of Moesia. As a result of the attack, the governor of the province, Oppius Sabinus, a former consul, was killed.
At the head of the Roman army to oppose the Dacians was Emperor Domitian himself, who defeated the enemy forces and divided Moesia into Inferior and Superior. After reorganizing the provinces and planning an invasion, he began in 87 CE for the campaign, known as the First Dacian War. The Dacian commander Diurpaneus turned to the emperor with a proposal for peace, which was, however, rejected. Praetorian Prefect Cornelius Fuscus, led by 5-6 legions, crossed the Danube on a bridge made of ships. Unexpectedly, the Roman army was trapped and destroyed at Tapae, and the victorious leader of Dacia assumed the nickname Decebalus (“Conqueror”) and was elected the new king. Fuscus was killed and the legions lost their legionary marks.
Two years after the defeat in the Carpathians at Tapae, the Romans led by Tetius Julianus were defeated by Decebalus in the Carpathian Iron Gates (also at Tapae, now Luminis). Emperor Domitian did not take advantage of this victory – after the news of the rebellion of the Rhine legions and the aggressive attitude of the neighbouring Pannonia of the Iazyges, he concluded a peace treaty with the Dacians in 89 CE. Decebalus kept his kingdom in exchange for recognizing Rome’s authority.
In keeping with the peace, Decebalus became a client of Rome – in return for the recognition of his title Rex Amicas. Dak received money, craftsmen and war machines to help him guard the borders. Some historians claim that the signed treaty was highly humiliating for the powerful Roman Empire and the decision to sign it directly influenced the murder of Domitian in 96 CE. Despite relative cooperation, relations between Rome and Dacia deteriorated.
The end of the 1st century CE was a time of weaker state finances of the Empire, which were largely devoted to maintaining an active army. In addition, as a result of Nero’s decision to lower the amount of gold in coins, Roman money depreciated. In Roman society, in turn, a rumour of rich gold mines in Dacia, which only increased interest in the region.
The Dacians distinguished themselves from the other barbarian tribes of the period by the fact that they had large stocks of iron and copper and were good artisans. A large percentage of the warriors had swords, which reduced the advantage of the Romans in the clash. In addition, Dacia was able to put 250,000 people to fight, given the fact that she would enter into an alliance with other peoples hostile to the Romans. The empire did not have a prepared border defence plan in the event of an invasion by an extremely numerous and wealthy rival. Taking all this into account, the new Roman emperor Trajan (reigning since 98 CE) began to organize a campaign to eliminate the threat and secure the northern border.
First Dacian War of Trajan in 101-102 CE
After receiving a blessing from the Senate in 101 CE The Romans once again struck Dacia. A pontoon bridge was used to