The famous Legio IX Hispana came to Britain in 43AD. It was originally raised in Spain by the great Roman General Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus around 72BC in his wars against the virtuous Roman Marian renegade, general Sertorius who set up a Roman Republic in exile with even a Spanish Senate. It might even have started life as a Sertorian legion of course. Many Italians fled to Southern Spain to escape the Sullan junta that was ensconced in Rome. Many of these rushed to the eagles of Sertorius who declared independence from the Sullans and kept the flags of popularis defiance flying. Roman generals knew a good army when they met it and often requested a defeated foe to supply men for Roman formations. An enemy legion was no problem as is evidenced by the fact that Caesar himself took a Pompeian legion with him to Alexandria. A stout hardy fighting unit like the Ninth would have been fully appreciated by a general of Pompey's stature and experience. Legions liked to be on the winning side anyway. Caesars's legions were unusually loyal to him......
Sertorius was poisoned after giving Pompeius a number of thrashings, even though the latter was the leading Imperator of the day. Spanish guerilla tactics (little war) were a very different problem for a Roman army used to fighting set piece battles. The Spanish have always excelled at this form of warfare.
It served Pompey and Ceasar well and the latter kept it in being, even though one source says it sided with its founder in the Civil Wars between Julius and the Republic that preceeded Octavian's rise to Princeps in 27BC. Julius was greatly impressed by the Legion's loyalty to its former commander and its fighting spirit.
Bust of Sertorius.
(See top of page photo of the site of Boudicca's fateful meeting with Legio IX Hispana on the Lincolnshire/Rutland County border in the village of South Luffenham near Stamford).
Although it was originally raised in Spain, probably from around Sevilla and Cordoba, this area continued to supply its recruits throughout its early imperial existence. Its number and name became a commonplace for the ability of the Hispanic provinces to provide hardy fighters and men willing to go to great lengths in their loyalties to Rome.
It was apparently the most hated of the four original Roman Legions that invaded Britain in 43 AD. Knowing the history of Spanish fighting ability expressed in the long, fought wars of the Republic and in more recent times in the Napoleonic and Franco eras, it is not surprising that this legion composed of Spaniards was so hated for its fighting spirit and tenacity. The wars in Spain have always been hard fought with little quarter given by either side.
In 61AD, the Legion marched under General Petilius Ceraelis against the rebellious Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni. Cerealis a rather rash but extremely brave able commander, went against her with his single legion IX Hispana. He did this for two reasons. The first was that he was friends with the queen and her family of Romanised Britons. The Queen herself was a Roman citizen.
Secondly, Cerealis hearing of the trouble and disgusting behaviour of the Roman moneyers and Legio XX veterans from Colchester and knowing the Iceni to be Friends and Allies of the Roman People, so therefore sacrosanct in Roman law from such abuse, hoped to persuade the Queen to hold back from the threshold of revolt and appeal to Rome for justice towards those who would do such heinous acts to an ally. He placed his under strength legion in open order march battle readiness, while he and his cavalry went foward to parley with the Queen and her followers, not yet too numerous and before other tribes rose in sympathy with them.
However, approaching under a flag of truce, the Queen's order to her men to hold fire while her Roman friend approached was ignored. Cerealis sensed the violent disorder among Boudicca's retinue as he talked to the queen trying to persuade her to disband her followers. The queen replied she was obviously unable to do so. Ceraelis and his Leading Centurion, retreated slowly under the protection of a cavalry screen.
The cavalry about faced and the general ordered them to return to the legion. However, they were too late and general Cerealis and his cavalry were forced to flee from the swarm of angry Britons, that exterminated the legionaries of the Ninth where they stood transfixed to the spot. Cerealis was forced to run for legionary camp from whence they had come that day. The eagle of the Ninth was grabbed from the dying Aquilifer by a Roman cavalry scout. To have lost this would have meant the end of the legion as a permanent unit.
Eventually, Cerealis reached Suetonius Paulinus some two weeks later. His legion now reduced to a third of its original number, regrouped at Lindum (Lincoln) before marching to join Cerealis near Warwick, where Suetonius Paulinus and the other legions, Nos, XIIII, XX, and II waited, that had marched from across Britain to join their provincial governor after his successful invasion of the Druid stronghold of Anglesey (Roman Mona).
Boudicca had meanwhile laid waste to the cities and towns in South Eastern Britain before being stopped at Staines by Roman allies based at Calleva Atrebatum under Cogidubnus, whose base was at Fishbourne. This was a hard fought battle and its site can be found just off the A30 near the modern petrol station and the road, as it passes the village of Englefield Green, near Egham. There was a military cavalry fort at Staines.
Boudicca, swept north, knowing that she had to deal with Paulinus. He waited for her just off the present A5 near Coventry. He set a trap and ordered all the wine and alcohol for miles around to be brought to the site of the proposed battle. The British war host already heavy laden with booty and anxious to build upon their seeming invinciblity, pressed up the great Roman road and discovered the horde of wine.
They drank their fill and weighted down by the presence of families of women and children, brought along for the fun, perished as the hidden legions closed for the kill like a mighty hand clap. Over 100,000 Britons perished. Petilius Cerealis led the cavalry in hot pursuit in order to finish the gruesome job.
An imperial inquiry cleared Paulinus of blame but attached guilt to Poenius Postumus, stand-in Commander for Legio II Augusta in the West Country, who did not heed Paulinus' first summons for help. He did eventually respond despite what history tells us, or rather Roman Imperial Neronian propaganda, but sent less men than required for fear of leaving his area of the country undefended.
Paulinus saw the sense in this but a scapegoat was needed. Both Cerealis and Paulinus were disgusted to hear that Poenius Postsumus, a well liked and excellent soldier and officer but without good political connections, was forced to commit suicide. The II Legion never forgave those who connived in this destruction of a very decent man who had risen from their own ranks.
Cerealis was also appalled when he discovered that Boudicca's husband, Prasutagus, a Roman citizen and a Friend and Ally of Rome was found to have been poisoned by agents of the moneyer in Rome, the 'philosopher' Seneca, sycophant and courtier to Nero the young Emperor. Paulinus extracted a ruthless revenge upon the Britons but was recalled.
Ceraelis and Paulinus appear again in the Civil War of 69AD and the former became governor of Britain under the Flavians. He consolidated Rome's hold on the country ever mindful of the previous lessons to be learned that had cost him so much.
The Legio IX Hispana received no rewards for its foolhardy intervention against the swarms of Boudicca but nevertheless was re-equipped and brought up to strength. It appears to have suffered a series of minor catastrophies. The next one after the battle of 61AD, took place around 84AD in Scotland, while under the command of Agricola. The Picts or Caledonii decided to harass the understrength legion to draw Agricola into battle. He came rushing to its aid and saved it.
Domitian had withdrawn much of its strength to the threatened Danube Frontier from whence it had marched to Britain in 43AD under the command of Aulus Plautius, Commander in Chief for the invasion of Britannia. It was transfered wholly or in part to Holland around the late First Century to modern Nijmegen, where tiles and pottery bearing its emblem and stamp have been found. 
There is just the possibility that the famous story of its demise or another part massacre could have involved a vexilation or part unit of the legion over Hadrian's Wall, that remained in Britain after the transfer to Holland. This is the legend that gave rise to the legend of the lost eagle of the Ninth and the story written by British author Rosemary Sutcliff.
It reappears in the East around 165AD under the Marcus Aurelius' co Emperor Lucius Verus. It went down fighting as usual to the last man, under hails of arrows from Parthian archers. The ghost of Boudicca's curse finally exacted a terrible revenge upon this somewhat unlucky but brave
