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Founded by Julius Caesar in 40BC who gave it the number VI (Six).
Strabo gives military dispositions in Spain, as two Legions, in the mountainous regions of the north, one was the 10th Legion Gemina and the other the 6th Victrix which was based close to Asturia Augusta near Modern Astorga with the 4th Macedonica in the East.
By the end of Nero's reign only the 6th Victrix was left in Spain and was based in Leon.
Julius Caesar took the 6th to Alexandria to settle the dispute in Egypt with Cleopatra the 7th. Alexandria was laid to siege and the 6th was almost wiped out losing almost two thirds of its entire manpower. Caesar eventually triumphed when reinforcements arrived. During this time there is a one line reference which translated seems to show the color of the 6th tunics was primrose yellow which we have discovered and use in our present day military tunics. By the time of Octavian and Anthony the 6th Legion was re-manned but now appears as 6th Victrix and the 6th Ferrata. Both legions fought at the battle of Actium, after this event the 6th Ferrata was dispatched to Judea and the next time we hear of the 6th Victrix was in Spain. In the summer of A.D. 68 the Emperor Galba left Spain with the 7th Legion leaving the 6th Victrix to guard his Spanish domain. We know the commander of the 6th at this time was called Vinius.
Moving on to A.D. 70 the 6th Victrix was serving in Germany being commanded by Petulius Cerealis and Annius Gallus in and around the Rhein frontier opposing the Batavians.
The Emperor Hadrian moved the 6th Victrix to the Salway/Tyne frontier in Britain replacing the remnants of the 9th Legion and using the fortress at York as its base. Detachments of the 6th Victrix along with the 20th Valeria Victrix and the 2nd Augusta undertook work on Hadrian's Wall around the year A.D. 120. When the Emperor Antoninius Pius decided to move the frontier North to the Forth Clyde location he sent these 3 Legions to that Frontier around the year A.D. 140 to construct the Antonine Wall. The same Legions remained in Britain until the Romans left around A.D. 410. Hadrian Actually hand picked the 6th Victirix to build the Salway - Tyne wall because of their skills gained in Constructing the Rhein frontier in Germany. During the campaigns of Septimus Severus the 6th Victrix was awarded the additional Lettering of Britannica.
The 6th Victrix official title was Legio VI Victrix Pia Fedelius Britannica. About 120 A.D the Emperor Hadrian brought the Legion from Vetera to Britain. It was stationed at Newcastle, but its HQ is shown very shortly after as being York. There had been an uprising in Britain and Hadrian had determined to construct a wall from Newcastle to Carlisle to control this area. The wall was built by this Legion and two others, the XX ValeriaVictrix and II Augusta. Legio VI built the eastern end of the Wall and in addition constructed a temple at Newcastle to the Roman gods Neptune and Ocean.
When completed Hadrian's Wall served more as a security walk rather than a fortification. Manned by auxiliary troops, the wall was a base from which cohorts could move out and engage enemies to the north. The same three Legions built The Antonine Wall further north, twenty years later. This wall did not prove successful and was largely abandoned twenty years after its construction. Widespread revolt seems to have occurred in 155 - 158 A.D., requiring heavy fighting by the Legion. Reinforcements were brought in from Germany in 158 A.D. as fillers for the three legions that had been seriously reduced in strength by the fighting.
In 196 A.D. Clodinus Albinus, Governor of Britain took these legions the continent in his bid to become Emperor. After his defeat the legions returned to Britain to find York and Hadrian's Wall completely overrun. York was recaptured had to be rebuilt by Legio VI Victrix. The Wall was restored by 205 A.D. and in 208 A.D. the Emperor Severus came to Britain to personally lead punitive expeditions against northern invaders (Caledonians and Maetae). Severus used troops from Legio VI for these expeditions which lasted until his death at York in 211 A.D. No major pitched battles were fought in these campaigns and Roman losses were very heavy, but the tribes had to yield territory and come to terms. Those tribes rose again and the following year his successor, his son Caracalla mounted yet another expedition which proved successful in maintaining peace for much of the rest of the century.
The next real outbreak of hostilities came in 287 A.D., when Carasius set himself up as Emperor of Gaul and Britain. He was murdered by Allectus who in turn was defeated by Constantinus Clorus in 293 A.D. The latter invaded from the Continent and brought Britain back into the Empire. In this civil war the northern frontier was again stripped of troops and overrun by northern tribes. Legio VI Victrix returned and once more had to rebuild their base at York and sections of Hadrian's Wall. Conditions were much more stable over the next seventy years and Britain became prosperous.
A great barbarian conspiracy was formed in 367 A.D. In this Picts, Scots, and Saxons combined in assault on Roman Britain and once more overthrew the northern defenses. York and the Wall had yet again to be restored. The Emperor Valentian sent his general Theodosius with a field army strong enough to re-establish Roan authority. Britain became prosperous and peaceful despite disasters elsewhere in the Empire. Barbarian attacks from various quarters of Europe forced the emperor Honorius to withdraw most of the combat troops from Britain in 403 A.D., including Legio XX Valeria. A 'shadowy' Legio VI was left at York when Roman rule in Britain came to an end in 410 A.D. The Britons were attacked again by the northerners and asked for help from Rome, only to be told by Honorius to secure their own defense.
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