In the Roman army, the Legatus (often rendered into English as Legate) was the top commander of the whole Roman army engaged in a military campaign. They were the equivalent of a General, but they were not from a military background, they were usually Senators, Consuls or former Consuls in the Roman Republic. In the Roman Empire, though the Emperor was commander-in-chief, the Legati performed all the actual command duties. Legati in this era of Roman history were often made up of relatives of the Emperor. They got to wear custom armor with whatever design they wanted, but they always wore a purple cloak/cape.