The Second Rise of Rome

[Abe Lincoln]

5th Century

-417 AD, a Roman born, British soldier by the name of Vespasianus Caelinus, usually referred to by his surname, bursts onto the political seen of the island. Britain had become essentially independent of Roman rule a decade earlier and had seen a decade of war as a result. Caelinus, who gained a reputation as a master orator, led a pro-Roman movement in Londinium which reached it's peak in this year when he and soldiers loyal to him rose up and seized control inside the city.

- Over the next to years Caelinus leads a campaign with the goal of reconquering the island. All though semi-successful at first a lack of funding and organization leads to the campaigns collapse in 419. He leads his army back to Londinium and retains control of the city. In 420 he declares the Kingdom of Londinium as a principality of the Western Roman Empire.

- Caelinus solidifies his rule and in 424 leads a campaign which conquers much of the countryside around Londinium. In 430 he leads a the 'Third Campaign,' known by many as his greatest campaign. The four year long series of battles captures Caelinus and the Kingdom of Londinium much of southern England. In short wars in 436 and 439 he further solidifies and expands the kingdoms position.

- Caelinus dies in 441 after 21 years as king. His eldest son, Varius, already 56, ascends to the throne without much trouble following his popular father's death. Varius rules a relatively uneventful reign of six years and dies at 62 in 447.

- Varius' son, Fulvius, comes to power at age 41 following his fathers death. Fulvius quickly gains a reputation as a great general and almost immediately begins a series of campaigns against the island's other powers, who outnumber him by quite a bit. Despite being outnumbered as such, over the next twelve years Fulvius returns what is now known as the Kingdom of Londinium's to what had been Hadrians wall. However, despite wishes to push further, Fulvius falls ill and eventually dies in 459 at age 53.



- Fulvius' son, Caelinus II, continues the herditary line when he comes to power in 459 at only 25. Caelinus II becomes well known as a 'dreamer' and a 'philosopher.' He feels an enormously strong bond to Rome itself, of which his kingdom is still a principality, and talks of building the city of Londinium into the 'second Rome,' and a 'Rome' safe from invasion, in which philosophy could truly flourish.

- Caelinus II's reign accounts for most of the scientific and philosophical advancements made in the kingdom, which would become the last surviving legacy of those of Rome. In addition Caelinus II, the first monarch to be truly free of the threat of war due to the weakened state of Scottish and Celtic barbarians, oversees massive improvements to the infrastructure of the kingdom.

-476 AD, the fall of Rome and the end of the Western Roman Empire, Ostrogoths come to power in Italy. Upon hearing the news Caelinus II becomes severally depressed and commits suicide a few months later. Leaving the throne to his son, Britanius I, only 15.

- The young Britanius has dreams of uniting the island under the now essentially independent kingdom, though he still swears allegiance to the now non-existent Roman Empire. He raises a the mightiest army the isle had ever seen by 480 and begins campaigns of his own to conquer the island.

- The campaigns thus begin in 480. Over the next decade he conquers the whole of the main island and turns his eyes on what we know as Ireland, also conquering the northern 1/4 of this island by 490. He seizes the campaign for a year and regroups his men. Then in 491 he launches a final, 'grand thrust,' and smashes the remaining Celtic opposition. Thus by 492, for the first time in history the British isles are united under a single banner, that of the Kingdom of Londinium, principality of Rome.

- Britanius he spends the last part of the century rebuilding those regions devastated by the war. His kingdom begins seeing heavy immigration from those fleeing the chaos of post-Rome western Europe for the semi-Roman protection of the Kingdom of Londinium. The population grows by nearly half again by the end of the century and Britanius is in a good position, with dreams of capitalizing on it.

House of Caelinus
- Vespasianus Caelinus 420-441
- Varius 441-447
- Fulvius 447-459
- Caelinus II 459-476
- Britanius 476-


Feedback is obviously welcome

[Yelnoc]

This is an interesting timeline. I can see that you have ignored the butterfyl effect for now. When will the actions of this resurgant Roman Britannia begin to affect events on the mainland? Also, what has been done with the all of the people who came and are coming across the channel (the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Frisians)? Other than that, great work. I look forward to the next installment.

[Tapirus Augustus]

I have been hoping to see a good Romano-British story. I will definitely be keeping an eye on this one.

[Abe Lincoln]

The Rise of British Rome (500-508)
- By the turn of the 6th century AD the now near 40-year-old king of Londinium, Britanius, has gained notoriety even in mainland Europe. In 501 Britanius accepts an invitation from Anastasius I, emperor of the Byzantines, to personally visit Constantinople and hold a series of meetings.

- Anastasius' main goals are to gain Britanius' recognition of him as the true emperor of Rome and to enlist aid in reconquering the Italian peninsula and, in particular, Rome itself. In these regards Anastasius is successful but Britanius has plans of his own regarding the peninsula, which Anastasius offers to him as a principality of the Byzantine Empire.

- Britanius, after over a year of meetings, returns to Londinium in early 503 and spends about half the year there, gathering supplies and military trainers. He then announces he is stepping down from the position as king of Londinium to pursue the goal of retaking Rome and becoming king in Italy. His 38-year-old younger brother, Titus, becomes king of Londinium. Most mark this as the end of, and splitting, of the House of Caelinus, which had ruled Britain for 83 years. Left in Britain is the new House of Titus, while Britanius hopes to found a house of his own in Rome. Both recognize the House of Caelinus as their 'Parent House.'

- Britanius now leaves Londinium, heading for Byzantium. Here he begins, in earnest, the process of raising an army to reconquer Rome. Anastasius hands him full control over the training and tactics of the force in recognition of his victories over British barbarians, which had led him to consolidate rule over the continent.

- Over the next two years Britanius raises and trains the army and in 506 heads for Italy with the hope of becoming king of Rome, thus, essentially beginning the Gothic War 29 years earlier then in OTL. He quickly gains control over North Italy.

- In 507 is the now famous battle of Assisi, in which Britanius' force pits off against what may have been history's largest force up to that point and more then twice the size of his own, assembled by the barbarians Ostrogoths to drive him out of Italy. Britanius, however, stunningly defeats them and emerges from the battle victorious, shattering resistance to his invasion force.

- When Britanius finally arrives in Rome in 508, however, his army is almost completely destroyed, having fought two years of non-stop, bloody battle, and simply aren't able to push further. Britanius, believing his goal accomplished, signs a peace treaty in which he was given control of Northern and Central Italy, down to just south of Rome, while the Ostrogoths retained control of those lands south of that.

House of Caelinus (British)
- Vespasianus Caelinus 420-441
- Varius 441-447
- Fulvius 447-459
- Caelinus II 459-476
- Britanius 476-503 (leaves the throne to pursue Rome)

[u]House of Titus[u] (British)
-Titus I 503-

House of Britanius (Roman)
- Britanius 508-


Excerpt from A Biography of Britanius the Great (copyright 1960)

In order to understand Britanius the Great and his actions, we must first understand his psychological state. At the surface many of this mans actions seem almost nonsensical. He spends a quarter of a century conquering the British isle, only to leave it a few years later in the name of an extremely difficult quest to take Rome, a 'quest' which could have easily lead to his own death and the collapse of his still somewhat unstable British homeland. However he went for this anyway.

Today it is widely accepted that Britanius was a dead on case of meglomania even more so then such standard cases as Alexander the Great. While Alexander simply grew his Macedonian nation of birth, Britanius simply up and left Britain and left behind 27 years of hard work. Britanius was so obsessed with gaining power and influence that, when he realized he had reached what, quite possibly, could have been the roof of British growth, at least during his time, he left and started over, in a sense, in the place where he once said 'it all began.'

This decision also stems from Britanius' glorification of classic Rome, as the 'closest thing to heaven the earth has yet to witness.' Britanius not only wanted power, he wanted to resurrect a past age, something seemingly impossible, an age where Rome reigned unchallenged as the height of military, social, and economic influence. Despite the seeming impossibility of this task, and though it was never achieved in his lifetime, one may say he actually succeeded.

But this leads us to a problem with this theory, the fact that he stopped at Rome in 508. Why would someone so obsessed with resurrecting the might of Rome simply stop his invasion? The fact is that Britanius himself may not have wanted to stop, but may have essentially been blackmailed by his generals, with the threat of a coup, unless he did so. Thus...

[TimeJockey]

Very interesting so far! I look forward to more.

[Porsenna]

Very interesting, but you might want to consider splitting Italy between Britanius (and shouldn't it be something like Britannus, or Britannicus?) and the Goths differently. If I recall correctly, the Ostrogoths settled much more thickly in the northern plain, the Po Valley, and less and less the more you went south. Splitting Italy between Romans and Goths could follow the lines of the settlements the Goths offered Belisarius in OTL: the Po valley to them, and possibly more of northern Italy if the Romans are out of oomph, and central and southern Italy to the Romans.

[Jammy]

Certainly interesting, ill be keeping an eye on this

[Diogenes]

Very good TL. Keep it up!

Not to keen on the Roman Ireland, though......

[Abe Lincoln]

Here's a short but important addition.

The Second Gothic War (508-516)
- Thus Britanius was crowned king of Rome on August 1st 508. Following the rise to the throne of Rome following the end of the first of the Gothic Wars an uneasy peace came to be, lasting only 4 years, a time of replenishing their military supplies and training more men. In 512 war once again erupted.

- The aging 52-year-old King Britanius again took direct lead of his army, also with, once again, major support from the Byzantine Emperor, still the now 82 year old Anastasius I. He gathered a large force and, in 513, engaged in the first major battle of the war, the battle of Gaeta. Britanius, with a larger army then in the first war, crushed the Ostrogoths, forcing them down deep into Southern Italy.

- He continued to drive them further and further south in a series of battles until the whole of Italy itself was under his control in 515, leaving only Sicily to the Ostrogoths. In 516 he gathered his armies together and attempted to cross to Sicily, however he was stunningly defeated and driven back onto Italy itself.

- The war continued for two more years in a stalemate as both sides attempted to cross to and from Sicily, failing every time. Finally Anastasius I, in one of his last acts as emperor, sent a massive Byzantine force by sea to crush the Ostrogoths once and for all. The landed in Southern Sicily in May of 516 and began driving north, this opened up the opportunity for Britanius to cross, and so he did two months later. By the end of the year the Ostrogoths were crushed and the Italian peninsula completely under Roman/Byzantine rule.

[Jammy]

He's king i get that but is he king in his own right or king with Byzantine support?

Also does he have any of the old Roman titles that Rulers of Rome liked to take, not Emperor but something like it.

It's good though.

[Grey Wolf]

Originally Posted by Jammy

He's king i get that but is he king in his own right or king with Byzantine support?

Also does he have any of the old Roman titles that Rulers of Rome liked to take, not Emperor but something like it.

It's good though.

He'd probably have the rank of Caesar but not Augustus

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

[Jammy]

Thats the kinda thing i ment GW

[Abe Lincoln]

Originally Posted by Jammy

He's king i get that but is he king in his own right or king with Byzantine support?

Also does he have any of the old Roman titles that Rulers of Rome liked to take, not Emperor but something like it.

It's good though.

He's king of Rome but as a principality of the Byzantine.

[Astronomo2010]

good to see the Roman Empire rise again, and i hope that he reconstitutes the Legions , and assume the Trone as Emperor, and then rebuilds the Roman empire , but this time conquerinq all of Europe , Asia, Africa, And the American Continent, and then Space as the Final frontier.

[Northstar]

Just a post to get the little "You have posted in this thread." bookmark, so I can find it again.

[Solitarius Valentinus]

A possible resurrection of Rome? Led by the British Romans? I wonder if it will fall to the same problems as the last Roman empire or not.

Could it be possible that they'd rebuild the Roman Republic or am I dreaming too much?

Regardless, I'm interested.

[TimeJockey]

Coming along nicely!

[usertron2020]

OK, I'll play Devil's Advocate. What about Marcus Aurelianus? Or Vortigern? Or Artorius? Now granted, the men can be butterflied, but the wasting cannot. I am referring to the 535 explosion of Krakatoa (made the 1883 blowup look like a popgun) that caused a world-wide ecological catastrophe. For several years there were major crop failures and outbreaks of plague striking around the world. The plagues tended to hit the more developed parts of the world where there was commerce. The barbarians who came after (Jutes, Frisians, Saxons, and Angles) came from more remote areas and the plagues had mostly passed over them. The Britons were not so much conquered as shoved out of the way by now overwhelming numbers. You didn't mention whether the Britons are using the new horse archery and heavy cavalry units from Artorius' day (500-550) that made him so devastating against the Saxons at Mons Badonicus (Cadbury Hill). If this OTL has the Romano-British using Roman style legions against the Goths, who definitely have heavy cavalry, they'll be curbstomped. If you're letting the Britons have OTL British weapons ITTL, they will kick Saxon ass as in OTL (the Saxons were very primitively armed), but the legion system went back to Alexander. Military technology had moved on. I grant the Goths were very poorly led in OTL, but just how much can leadership defeat overwhelming numbers? Belisarius? He had the new military tech too. The difference was both the Eastern Romans and Goths had heavy cavalry, but only the Byzantines had mounted archers.

On another note, it took the Romans in their heydey with the full support of the whole Empire from 43 to 81 to "conquer" Britain, and the only major tribe to be totally conquered (Romanized) was the Belgae. It took many years to complete the extensive road system in Britain that made control possible. In Hibernia? Where are the means for maintaing control? The Irish Sea is quite nasty for invaders to deal with for a campaign that could be expected to last a generation. Also, they will have no Roman roads there.

When the Roman Army left Britain to fight the Huns (Who could blame them? They hadn't been paid since 383.)in 410 they took ALL their engineers with them. The British lost the means of making Roman roads and stone buildings, forts, and permanent fortifications. The fortress at the Battle of Mons Badonicus was wooden, that's why there's nothing left of it. I always felt, when the engineers left, that for all practacle purposes the glue of Western Civilization in Britain left with them. Though it would take almost two hundred years after the Roman Army left before it could be said that Britain's Dark Ages had begun.


I am sorry, but the environment, population loss/migrations, decay, ignorance, poverty, and famine just isn't going to allow for the romanticized Romano-British blitzkrieg this TL is outlining.

[Nikephoros]

One minor nitpick in usertron2020's argument, and I only mention it because it bugs me:

The Roman Army left Britain not to stop the barbarians, but rather to seize control of Ravenna for themselves. Which failed horribly.