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Spain

Introduction

The next four chapters review events within the Roman world (and its expansion) from west to east covering the Iberian Peninsular, Gaul, Illyria and Asia Minor in turn. Expansion of the territory held by the Republic is the common theme, but what is clear is the extent this was preplanned varies considerably.

The Cantabrian War

The expansion of the Senatorial rank brought a slow influx of new families, primarily from the lands of the old Roman allies of Saguntum and their extensive land holdings along the Ebro valley. In common with the pattern of these years, they saw a close linkage between their family interests and what should be the policy of the Republic. In this case, the Cantabrii were the last organised tribe in Iberian and had a long record of raids into the long settled provinces of the upper Ebro.



However, gaining support in principle and finding the resources in practice were different. The disaster in North Africa limited any support for a foreign war and it took 5 years of sustained lobbying before the Senate agreed to bring the Cantabri into the Roman fold.

Gaius Julius Ceasar was sent to negotiate a peaceful incorporation into Roman Spain.



His unprovoked and cruel death removed any remaining doubts as to the wisdom of the war.



By mid-June 652, 8 Legion had marched into Cantabrian territory and brought their army to battle.



The resulting victory was anything but easy. Fighting a tribal army, defending their own mountains, led to heavy Roman losses. In the end Lucius Cinna managed to disperse the enemy rather than bring them to a decisive battle and the war carried on into late October when the last citadel fell and Cantabria became part of the Senatorial holdings in NW Iberia. The Military Faction were quick to exploit the victory and to try to ignore the heavy losses that had been incurred.



Rome's revenge for Gaius' death was swift. Many of the Cantabrian nobles were accepted into the Republic and given lands and titles in the new province. Those responsible were imprisoned.



Ambon Punicid was sentenced to death 'ad beastiam' in a message to all. Those who defied Rome, and engaged in barbaric acts, would be punished accordingly. Equally the death of Ambon was used in the domestic power struggle within the Senate to diminish the power of the Populists who had opposed the war.



Domestic Intrigue

From then, Spain was mostly quiet. The main problem was the loyalty of Gaius Marius, leader of the Populist Faction and Legate of the 5 Legion stationed in the south.



However, threatened with a loss of his lands and exile, he agreed to stand down and concentrate purely on political matters. Thus, the first potential civil war was averted.

Beyond that, the Governorship of Lusitania in the far west became a source of intrigue and some scandal. Gaius Julius managed to convince the Spanish faction in the Senate to back his claims and the competent Gaius Flaccus lost his job.



However, many towns had benefitted from his wise stewardship and this had some bearing on the number of Spanish provinces that were subsequently to join Catalus' ill advised revolt.
 
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Very weird to see known historical people and how they meet entirely different fates. Caesar dead already in what must have been his mid or early twenties and Marius not revolting.
 
Very informative.:cool:
If I ever have time will play got it last week on sale.:)
 
Perhaps Gaius Marius will became the "new Julius Caesar" now, Veni, Vidi, Vici and so on. It's just a pity that even Caesar wasn't always on senate's side so you may end up fighting him..
 
Very weird to see known historical people and how they meet entirely different fates. Caesar dead already in what must have been his mid or early twenties and Marius not revolting.

I know, its one of the delights of a RP/history book style that you can both rest the narrative on what happened and subvert it. Marius does end joining the civil war (if I recall) but as an individual, not a military leader. I'd guess given this about 100BC (never quite sure how to read across the dates) that Thandros is right, its the divine Julius' dad that died, didn't check if wee Julius has actually been born (I guess he should have)

Which Gaius Juilius Caesar Died the Famous one or his Dad ( I Think they had the Same name.)

That would make sense, be interesting to see if the 'real' Julius is so traumatised he never makes his own rise to prominence (there is no shortage of people who 'want to be ruler' already)

Very informative.:cool:
If I ever have time will play got it last week on sale.:)

Its a real gem of a game, I like that it is character rich, but the characters aren't your basic focus (as in say CK 1/2), and its always a fascinating period. As I confessed in the first post, its a game I tend to muddle with, almost always having one on the go but that I actually engage with on an intermittent basis.

Perhaps Gaius Marius will became the "new Julius Caesar" now, Veni, Vidi, Vici and so on. It's just a pity that even Caesar wasn't always on senate's side so you may end up fighting him..

As with the response to Qorten, I think Marius joined the civil war but as an individual. In game terms, I've taken the last rebel city, so need to play forward a bit more to sort out who is now languishing in jail (a lot of people) and which ones are for the chop and which to release (so need to sit down and review base loyalties and faction impact). I'd like to then resolve N Africa before lunging eastwards before 1 of the Seleucids/Egypt and the Parthians comes out on top.
 
The first Gallic War, 657 AUC

The expansion into Gaul in 657 had its roots in very different concerns to the expansion into Cantabria. The Aedui had requested Roman help in their war with the Carnutes in 647 and, despite Rome's attention on events in North Africa, this was accepted. The hope was they would be grateful for Rome's moral support and this would see the creation of a powerful client kingdom in the region.



Although the Aedui won their war, it did nothing to reduce Rome's concerns and by 652, it was clear there was a danger that the currently disunited Gallic tribes could present a real threat to Rome's holdings around Massila, threatening to sever land connections with Spain and the return of the ever-present fear of an invasion of Italy.



In early 657, Gaius Cotta was sent to negotiate a settlement with the Averni.



In return for accepting a Roman garrison so as to protect the vital port of Ruteni, they were offered freedom of religion and the long term prospect of gaining full citizenship. However, the callous and brutal murders of Cotta and Hortalus confirmed Rome's suspicions of Gallic motives



To exact revenge, 1st Legion based in Ruteni invaded Arveni, 4th Legion the Sequani and 9th Legion the Helvetii. while the 11th remained deployed to protect Rome's territory [1]. The tribes were quickly scattered on the field of battle, in a campaign much more suited to Roman tactics than the mountains of Cantabria.



With their principle settlements occupied, all 3 tribes accepted Rome's terms by early April



As with the aftermath of the Cantabrian campaign, those guilty of the awful murder of Cotta were imprisoned, and treated according to Roman law.



However, those suspected of the murder of Hortalus escaped, and found willing friends with the German barbarians who tried to exploit the chaos in the region.



[2]

In response, Rome pushed further north to secure the region. The Lemovices surrendered at the end of August



and the larger Aedui by mid-November



The Senate was pleased with the quick outcome and the feeling that the long settled provinces in the south were now much safer



However, the barbarian Marcomanni proved to be a more committed foe than the settled tribes, repeatedly attacking Roman provinces in Dalmatia and Illyria. It is one the ironies of this period that a group of barbarians, lacking even rudimentary government, proved to be an enduring threat to the Republic, compared to the once much feared Gauls.

Even more problematic, Catalus, legate of the 2nd legion felt offended that Marcellus, as consul, took the glory for the campaign even though he had not led a legion in the war.

[1] – gross overkill I know, I actually expected a much tougher campaign
[2] – the unit mix in some of the starting legions is often very badly balanced, so one reason I want to build fresh troops is to improve the OOB within the legions to make them less a purely heavy infantry force.
 
The Gallic tribes are rather tame all apart. The problems with wandering tribes are rather realistic though. Keep it coming, I'd say.
 
That was a really neat walk-in-a-park conquest :D However much more isn't expected when you march almost 20 units on any tribe.

Did you have to use assassination -> casus belli or were their civ levels low enough for direct DoW?
 
Very interesting! Although I don't have Rome I like to read its AARs from time to time but this must be the only one I've seen that deals with this particular period. I find it fascinating that even at this stage of Roman power the game can reproduce the internal and external threats to its safety. Are the Teutons and Cimbri one of your concerns? Their historical invasion should have taken place at around your starting date, though possibly a bit before that - I'm not sure.
 
Hey! It's another loki AAR! And it only took me about a month to find it! And now I have to follow an AAR in the Rome subforum, which means I continue to be dangerously overstretched. ;)

Anyway, sounds like a fun game in a fun period. Hypothetically, this'll lead me to boot up the game myself (though it'll be in the conga line with Crusader Kings 2, WiA2, RUS, PON and a bunch of non-Paradox games). :)
 
Nicely done can't let them get away with killing envoys. :laugh:

Exactly, especially not envoys who I selected as being particularly useless to the overall population gene pool

The Gallic tribes are rather tame all apart. The problems with wandering tribes are rather realistic though. Keep it coming, I'd say.

Yes, i was surprised at how easy the war in Gaul was, but as with the next post, in Illyria and on the middle-Danube, I managed to stir up a right hornets nest (& the next post only covers the 'easy' part)

That was a really neat walk-in-a-park conquest :D However much more isn't expected when you march almost 20 units on any tribe.

Did you have to use assassination -> casus belli or were their civ levels low enough for direct DoW?

I had CBs from my mission, so it was just a case of walking over them one by one, only the Aedeui took some time and that was partly as the wanderiing barbarians turned up but mostly as they had 2 provinces so it took a little while to destroy them

Very interesting! Although I don't have Rome I like to read its AARs from time to time but this must be the only one I've seen that deals with this particular period. I find it fascinating that even at this stage of Roman power the game can reproduce the internal and external threats to its safety. Are the Teutons and Cimbri one of your concerns? Their historical invasion should have taken place at around your starting date, though possibly a bit before that - I'm not sure.

I think the Cimbri invasion took place just before the scenario start date. I'm clearly not going to have the problem of dealing with the mega-Seleucid 'yellow blob' that tends to dominate games that commence earlier but I find Rome can be challenge at any stage. In part its because manpower recovery is so slow, so a big war can leave you pretty passive for 5-8 years (even with Rome) and a few routine rebellions or battles with wandering barbarians can wipe out that years manpower replenishment. There is also a tendency to Civil War, I find it easy enough to manage the Populists as a direct menace but all it takes is one rebellious minded general who doesn't want to go quietely and you have a problem. On the other hand, you tend to handicap your armies by appointing numpties whose only redeeming feature is they are so stupid they are utterly loyal.

All in all, even with this start, when realistically you can't 'lose', the game can produce quite a challenge.

Hey! It's another loki AAR! And it only took me about a month to find it! And now I have to follow an AAR in the Rome subforum, which means I continue to be dangerously overstretched. ;)

Anyway, sounds like a fun game in a fun period. Hypothetically, this'll lead me to boot up the game myself (though it'll be in the conga line with Crusader Kings 2, WiA2, RUS, PON and a bunch of non-Paradox games). :)

Aye, I try to hide away in the quieter corners of AARland. Ever since I worked out enough to be able to play Rome with some ease, I've really enjoyed it. As I mentioned in the first post, I always tend to have a game on the go, even if I've rarely played them to a conclusion. But this one had enough go on in the first 12-15 years as to make it a good vehicle to do an AAR

.... which brings us neatly to:
 
The Illyrian Campaign: Part I: 650-656 AUC

As with much of the expansion of the Republic in this era, that into Illyria and towards the Danube was more a matter of local circumstances, events and individual ambition than any grand scheme of statescraft set in train by the Senate.

The appointment of the ambitious Gnaeus Octavius to Governor of Moesia and Lucius Hortensis to neighbouring Thracia in 650 changed the emphasis on this region. To this stage, Rome had inherited the perceptions of Greece that Illyria was a land of piracy and brigandage of no value and little threat.



Both agitated for an extension of Roman power n the region, and tended to exagerate the threat in dispatches to the Senate. Thus in 653, the 10th Legion was ordered to reduce a notorious bandit stronghold in Delmatae, provoking the start of a long running war that was to cost Rome dearly in terms of manpower.



However, rather then remained localised, the response of the barbarian tribes steadily spread northwards as Rome sought to impose control



The consequence was the redeployment of the 6th Legion to help out and to relieve the barbarian incursions into the previously settled provinces. In turn, this left the provincial Governors in Greece with no troops when the Achaean revolt broke out.



The resulting victories were devastating for the local tribes



leading to the Senate accepting that the region was now fully pacified. Veteran's colonies were established at Liburni and Ditones.



However, the need to protect the new settlements was seeing the war expand into the territory of the fierce Marcomanni. These Germanic tribes felt threatened by Rome's incursions and struck back.



The initial stages saw relatively easy Roman victories. In consequence, the political battle for the spoils became the main focus, especially over the governorship of the new Roman province of Dalmatia.



In the meantime Piso's 10th legion had continued to campaign against the steadily growing barbarian threat and after a victory in Taurisci was withdrawn to Histri to rest and reinforce.



Even the successul creation of the new Veteran's colonies in 654 were not enough to ease the Senate's growing fear that the ambitions of 2 provincial governors had managed to embroil the Republic in a major war against an ill-defined enemy and no clear territorial goals.



As 654 dragged on, Piso won more victories even as his Legion became weakened and to ease the situation the 11th Legion was redeployed from Italy. The fresh forces won a major victory at Histri in August and Pannonia in September, leading to hopes that the commitment of 3 legions had been enough to bring the campaign to an end.



Slaves were sent to Rome and the Senate was assured that the new frontier would remain quiet for a generation while the tribes recovered. The more optimistic claimed the tribes would never forget this display of the power of Rome and that, over time, they would peacefully and voluntarily chose the path of civilisation.
 
The more optimistic claimed the tribes would never forget this display of the power of Rome and that, over time, they would peacefully and voluntarily chose the path of civilisation.

Since you already gave it away with the statement that this was the 'easy' part, I believe a more accurate description of the 'optimists' would be the 'criminally deluded'. :)

While the Barbarian horde mechanic certainly feels realistic, it also is one of the things I don't really like about Rome: it just feels like you end up in endless cycles of barbarian-swatting, especially if your border provinces are surrounded by barren wastelands (AKA barbarian breeder reactors). Thankfully, for AAR's sake, you're made of stronger stuff than me.
 
I really like how you can turn such simple thing as killing barbarian spawns into a good history-book AAR!
By the way did the colonies in Histri and Liburni allow you to now have a land connected empire all the way to Thracia?
 
Nice going with the expansions, although I'm surprised to see the Barbarians not only pose a real and actual threat to the Empire, but to also create such good source material!

I hope Rome can expand as far as possible and defeat all her enemies, but considering the AAR's name, I'm expecting something to go horribly wrong at some point!
 
Waiting for the hard part and good luck. :laugh:
Do you have any useless generals?
 
Got some generals and governors who may be getting too big for their britches it would seem. I enjoyed Rome, had to put it aside however when I kept having everyone get murdered. I was too quickly left with nothing but disloyal old men :(

Great stuff seeing the Empire expand, certainly those pesky Numidians will have to be dealt with again.