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great stuff! - looooove counterfactual history - nice!, Romans, ahhhh - Romans 
have they switched to revolvers as sidearms or do the still use the gladius? - maybe a Gladius style bayonet!? - killa!
have they switched to revolvers as sidearms or do the still use the gladius? - maybe a Gladius style bayonet!? - killa!
Simon-1979the gladius? - maybe a Gladius style bayonet!?[/QUOTE said:THAt would be cool.
Swords a std issue equipment cool. Firearms will still be thier main weapons though. I like it especially if officers got originals as symbols of the empires heritage.
The Emperor Gratian created many enemies for himself. By recruiting Alani into his personal service, and by appearing in public in the dress of a Scythian warrior – he caused contempt and resentment amongst his Roman troops. He was also in complete favour of Christianity over Roman Paganism. He prohibited Pagan worship, and persecuted Christian heresy. He refused to wear the insignia of the pontifex maximus – the first emperor to do so - and removed the Altar of Victory from the Senate House, despite the protests of several Pagan senators. This religious policy undid the work of Ausonius in creating unity by showing religious tolerance.
Meanwhile, his soldiers were proclaiming a Spanish general in Britain, Emperor. Magnus Maximus had tapped in to feelings of resentment and disillusionment in the Roman soldiers, in order to start a revolt against Gratian. The most notable dissent was the jealously due to privileges being awarded to barbarian units fighting for Rome. In 383 he set sail for Gaul with a large army. In Rome, the senate began conspiring to assassinate Gratian, with several of the Praetorian Guard in on the act. Along the Rhine, several Legion commanders also began plotting Gratian’s downfall, and marched an army into Gaul sometime after Maximus’ British Army had landed.
Gratian seemed to be blissfully unaware of the sheer numbers that were building up against him. On hearing the news of Maximus’ landing he set off with an army towards Lutetia, where he hoped to crush the rebellion. Gratian lost the battle without a fight. His troops no longer supported him and deserted him, switching their allegiance to Maximus. Gratian then fled, hoping to reach the Alps, but was intercepted by an officer named Andragathius. Claiming to be one of Gratian’s last allies, he was able to get close enough to kill the emperor, forever ending his rule.
With Gratian gone, it was thought that the persecution of non-Christians would cease, and that things would return to normal. Maximus however, was an orthodox Catholic who energetically pursued and punished heretics and pagans all across the empire. The disillusionment and dissatisfaction of the army and the senate returned with a vengeance. A new revolt sprung up, this time in Spain. Gaius Titurius*, a rogue legion commander, led the rebellion. Marching up through Hispania, he took his men deep into Gaul. As news of the rebellion spread across the Western Empire, the commander of the Rhine legions threw his hat into the ring, and proclaimed himself the rightful emperor – whilst sending a legion south towards Rome.
Maximus was furious. Suspecting the work of the senate at play, he ordered them all to be executed. What Maximus was unaware of, was the distaste the senate had for Titurius. He was seen as a dangerous, outspoken critic of the Empire who openly wished for the destruction of the senate. By his actions, Maximus had made the job of Titurius that little bit easier. Maximus set off in the summer of 384 to bring down the Spanish rebellion, taking with him four of his best legions. He outnumbered Titurius’ army, two to one.
The two armies met at Valentia, in modern day Southern France. Maximus went into the battle with the up most confidence - counting on his superior numbers to crush Titurius. The rebel army took the initiative and engaged Maximus’ army with their heavy infantry, hitting them with huge numbers on the right flank. Maximus responded by sending some of his own heavy infantry into the rebels opposite flank. The battle resembled something of a large pushing match at this point, as they both pushed against one another’s weak flanks. For Titurius, everything was going to plan, and he called up his cavalry, which largely outnumbered his opposite numbers. They immediately rode out and smashed in behind the strong flank of Maximus, forcing the troops there to fall back. Maximus’ army was now being crushed from both sides, and panicked. His legions disintegrated into a mass rout.
Titurius had triumphed. Maximus now fled to the Alps, where he hoped to regroup. It was all lost for him though, as one of the Rhine legions attacked and defeated his broken army before he got there. The emperor himself was captured and executed. The fate of Rome now lay in the hands of a few rebel generals.
*A fictional character, of course.
Meanwhile, his soldiers were proclaiming a Spanish general in Britain, Emperor. Magnus Maximus had tapped in to feelings of resentment and disillusionment in the Roman soldiers, in order to start a revolt against Gratian. The most notable dissent was the jealously due to privileges being awarded to barbarian units fighting for Rome. In 383 he set sail for Gaul with a large army. In Rome, the senate began conspiring to assassinate Gratian, with several of the Praetorian Guard in on the act. Along the Rhine, several Legion commanders also began plotting Gratian’s downfall, and marched an army into Gaul sometime after Maximus’ British Army had landed.
Gratian seemed to be blissfully unaware of the sheer numbers that were building up against him. On hearing the news of Maximus’ landing he set off with an army towards Lutetia, where he hoped to crush the rebellion. Gratian lost the battle without a fight. His troops no longer supported him and deserted him, switching their allegiance to Maximus. Gratian then fled, hoping to reach the Alps, but was intercepted by an officer named Andragathius. Claiming to be one of Gratian’s last allies, he was able to get close enough to kill the emperor, forever ending his rule.
With Gratian gone, it was thought that the persecution of non-Christians would cease, and that things would return to normal. Maximus however, was an orthodox Catholic who energetically pursued and punished heretics and pagans all across the empire. The disillusionment and dissatisfaction of the army and the senate returned with a vengeance. A new revolt sprung up, this time in Spain. Gaius Titurius*, a rogue legion commander, led the rebellion. Marching up through Hispania, he took his men deep into Gaul. As news of the rebellion spread across the Western Empire, the commander of the Rhine legions threw his hat into the ring, and proclaimed himself the rightful emperor – whilst sending a legion south towards Rome.
Maximus was furious. Suspecting the work of the senate at play, he ordered them all to be executed. What Maximus was unaware of, was the distaste the senate had for Titurius. He was seen as a dangerous, outspoken critic of the Empire who openly wished for the destruction of the senate. By his actions, Maximus had made the job of Titurius that little bit easier. Maximus set off in the summer of 384 to bring down the Spanish rebellion, taking with him four of his best legions. He outnumbered Titurius’ army, two to one.
The two armies met at Valentia, in modern day Southern France. Maximus went into the battle with the up most confidence - counting on his superior numbers to crush Titurius. The rebel army took the initiative and engaged Maximus’ army with their heavy infantry, hitting them with huge numbers on the right flank. Maximus responded by sending some of his own heavy infantry into the rebels opposite flank. The battle resembled something of a large pushing match at this point, as they both pushed against one another’s weak flanks. For Titurius, everything was going to plan, and he called up his cavalry, which largely outnumbered his opposite numbers. They immediately rode out and smashed in behind the strong flank of Maximus, forcing the troops there to fall back. Maximus’ army was now being crushed from both sides, and panicked. His legions disintegrated into a mass rout.
Titurius had triumphed. Maximus now fled to the Alps, where he hoped to regroup. It was all lost for him though, as one of the Rhine legions attacked and defeated his broken army before he got there. The emperor himself was captured and executed. The fate of Rome now lay in the hands of a few rebel generals.
*A fictional character, of course.
Hm, interesting. The early death of Magnus Maximus doesn't seem that important at first glance, but the absence of a strong rival could mean that Theodosius won't see a need to intervene in the Western Empire. In turn, his Theodosian Decrees and other anti-pagan initiatives might be restricted to the East, especially with a pro-Senate junta in control of the Western provinces. This could have some quite far-reaching consequences.
Not really, things will move pretty fast after the next couple of updates.Middelkerke said:
AKjeldsen said:
I would envision some sort of collision between east and west. I haven't decided however.
Oh, now I get jealous. That's so good writing compared to my own AAR.
Consider me hooked.
Consider me hooked.
Hey, i just saw a documentary on the Discovery Times channel that explained that the Romans may have fallen into decay, not because of barbarian invasions. (though they certianly sped things along.) But infact fell because of their Diets. It turns out that they had been cooking a lot of their food in Lead pots and drinking from lead cups. That would explain a lot of the strange behavior in the roman nobility towards the end of the empire.
You should address that, like maybe make it so that the western romans discovered the dangers of lead at some point and stopped using it.
You should address that, like maybe make it so that the western romans discovered the dangers of lead at some point and stopped using it.
And I thought rewriting history from 1700 on was a big project ...
In any case, I'll be reading.
In any case, I'll be reading.
Well, incest was a problem too, but there were also some serious mental problems that many of them had that could be attributed to lead. along with the general sterility of the romans as well.MIG-15 said:
sorry to nitpick, but i think Valentia is modern day Valencia, in Spain not France . Great AAR tho
. Great AAR tho
Um no. I know where Valencia is, and its not the same place the Romans called Valentia. Valentia was in southern Gaul.ju87 said:sorry to nitpick, but i think Valentia is modern day Valencia, in Spain not France