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#61
October 29th, 2011, 06:57 PM
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nice chapter
 cant wait for more updates 
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#63
October 29th, 2011, 09:27 PM
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The Wisest Fool: 802-817 Chapter III, Part IV The Roman people were rather reticent to accept their new emperor, for they were unsure about the abilities of the “buffoon,” Claudius. Claudius, however, would prove to be nearly as effective an emperor as Germanicus had been, in spite of his inexperience. Claudius won popularity early on by having Germanicus, his brother, deified as Augustus and Julius Caesar had been. He also made a quick initiative to repair the damage done by his predecessor by repairing aqueducts and roads. In addition, he lifted many taxes on these starving, drought-afflicted areas to facilitate their reconstruction. In doing so, he won immense support in the outer regions of the empire. Claudius removed in large part his image as an idiot by being assertive and firm in his rule. Rebellions had broken out across the Roman Empire as a result of Nero’s neglect. Some of these simply used Nero’s actions as an excuse, however, and seditious governors and commanders rose up purely out of lust for power. None of these managed to gain ground thanks to Claudius’s swift action. He dispatched the most loyal and trustworthy generals in his employ to these areas, where the rebellions were quelled with ease. In the process, he asserted imperial control over the Anatolian territories of Lycia and Pamphylia, as well as over the Mauri [1] in Africa. With his position enforced, his legitimacy would not be questioned. Claudius took a vested interest in the day-to-day legal matters of the Empire, one of his most notable traits among contemporary writings. Perhaps to compensate for his inexperience, he regularly sat in on and presided over trials held within Rome. While not the most effective arbiter of justice, he observed the system with close attention to detail, and was able to manage the legal system of Rome more effectively from his position as Emperor. He also pandered to the senate heavily, a wise move given their uncertainty in his abilities, though it was seen as appeasement in his time. The most notable such move was the relinquishment of two imperial provinces, Macedonia and Achaea, to senatorial control. In spite of this pandering, however, he made an effort to fill the senate with his loyal supporters, a philosophy which he applied to most of his personnel choices. In doing so, he successfully expanded the power of the Principate, which would affect the position of emperors for years to come. The island of Britannia, beyond the world well known to the Romans, had been a supreme irritant to Roman conquerors. Julius Caesar himself had done no more than set up client states and tribunes, all of which were vulnerable. Augustus and Germanicus had both prepared to invade the island several times throughout their reigns, but issues within the empire consistently foiled these plans. To make matters worse, amidst the chaos of Nero’s reign, the structure of indirect rule established by Caesar collapsed when the client states were attacked and conquered by neighboring Brythonic [2] kingdoms. In 808 AUC, Claudius would attempt to subjugate the island of Britannia once and for all. He sent Aulus Plautius with four legions across the channel, beginning the Roman Invasion of Britannia. Plautius’s forces landed near Rutupiae [3], in the territory of the Cantiaci. The kings of the Cantiaci had benefited greatly from the conquest of the Atrebates, a Roman ally in Britannia, and for a short time were able to resist Plautius’s incursion unaided. However, Plautius was a bold commander, and supplies and additional forces flowed in frequently from Gallia. Within a month, the Cantiaci were forced to appeal to the powerful Catuvellauni to the north in order to tip the scales. The brothers Togodumnos and Caratacos led the Catuvellauni over the Thames River against Plautius. The Catuvellauni made a large push towards Calleva Atrebatum, the former capital of the Atrebates, recently taken by the Romans. They laid siege to the city, which Plautius had fortified heavily when he heard of the impending assault. The siege raged on for seven days, owing to heavy fortifications and Brythonic persistence. Eventually the siege was broken by Plautius’ forces, which then pushed back the Catuvellauni from the city. The Romans continued to push back the Catuvellauni toward the Thames, where they would meet in battle again. The Catuvellauni were beaten once again, and Caratacos was slain during the fighting. Togodumnos would use this to stir the wrath of his people, and incite them to avenge Caratacos. As a result, his numbers were boosted significantly, and his army was invigorated. When Togodumnos began to deflect the Roman advance, Plautius saw the need for additional aid, and sent for reinforcements from Rome. Claudius himself was tied up in a minor revolt in Syria, and was unable to lead the reinforcements himself, as much as he wished to. As a result, he instead sent Marcus Cornelius Cossus, who had led the Roman forces in the First Germanic War. With him, Cossus brought some of Rome’s heaviest armaments, including war elephants, with the goal of intimidating the Brythons into submission. When he arrived with these reinforcements, Rome’s victory would be all but assured. Cossus’s forces joined Plautius as they were preparing to cross the Thames for a second time, which would almost certainly be the last, regardless of who won. The Roman forces attacked the Catuvellauni capital of Verulamion [4], where their vastly overwhelming forces awed the Brythons, making for an easy victory. The Catuvellauni fled east to the city of Camulodunon [5], where they would make their final stand. Camulodunon was well-fortified, but against the Romans the defenders could do little. After a five-day siege, Roman soldiers stormed and captured the city with ease. Togodumnos himself was captured, and sent back to Rome, where he would be executed. With the victory at Camulodunum, as the Romans now called it, numerous Brythonic tribes surrendered without a struggle. The Roman Empire had now conquered a large portion of Britannia, so Claudius decided to halt his expansion and spend the remainder of his reign consolidating and stabilizing the new territory. Plautius and Cossus were both given a triumph when they returned to Rome, and the former was chosen as governor of Britannia, which he would rule from Camulodunum, Britannia’s new capital. With his crowning achievement completed, Claudius spent the remainder of his reign relatively relaxed. After all, with the Brythonic tribes crushed so easily, what harm could possibly come to Rome now? [1] TTL’s term for Moors [2] British Celts [3] OTL modern Richborough, England [4] Brythonic Verulamium, Southwest of OTL modern St. Albans [5] Brythonic Camulodunum, OTL modern Colchester Map will be up later today with any luck. EDIT: Well, what do you know? There's a map after all! Last edited by Vinland; October 30th, 2011 at 10:35 PM..
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#64
October 29th, 2011, 11:01 PM
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Interesting. I'm curious how the Germanic Union will use this time where Rome is otherwise occupied. Perhaps expanding its borders north- and/or eastwards, to bring more people under their control? Though it might be somewhat early for that, depending on their internal stability. In the long run, though, I'm hoping the Baltic Sea and the surrounding lands become for the GU what the Mediterranean and its surrounding lands are for the Roman Empire.
- Kelenas
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#66
October 30th, 2011, 04:55 PM
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very nice update. i like that border for roman england...
better then the standard hadrians wall we always see  eitherway, keep it coming
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#67
October 30th, 2011, 05:19 PM
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#68
October 30th, 2011, 06:21 PM
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MOLON LABE!!!
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#69
November 6th, 2011, 12:38 AM
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An Empire Sundered: 817-818 AUC Chapter III, Part V In 817 AUC, Claudius died. His son Britannicus, heir-designate from birth, became Emperor at the age of 23 in the first filial succession in imperial history. Being the son of Valeria Messalina, the disgraced and executed third wife of Claudius, his accession was hardly short of controversy in all parts of the Empire. In particular, Agrippina the Younger raged at the notion of Britannicus ruling the Empire. Her own son, Nero, had fallen to disease as a child, and Agrippina had failed to produce any more potential heirs. Agrippina was overcome with envy and hatred, and her emotions would plunge the empire into chaos. Only four months after accession, Britannicus was assassinated. Agrippina was the most obvious suspect, and the senate and populace alike were swift to blame her. However, they had little time to accuse before panic set in. There were no heirs to be found, the Julio-Claudian dynasty was dead, and aspirants to the purple raised their armies across the empire. The Imperial Succession Crisis had begun. Gaius Iulius Vindex had built a successful political career over the past few years. Vindex was the heir to a royal family in Gallia, which had retained some influence even after Caesar’s conquest. When Claudius allowed Gallian noblemen to enter the senate, Vindex and his father had both earned a place in their ranks, and Vindex would later became governor of the province of Gallia Lugdunensis. Vindex was now preparing to seize control of the empire, not to rule it himself, but to find a strong emperor to save it, or so he claimed. He sent out emissaries to the various cities of Gallia, inciting Romans and Celts alike to join in his rebellion. From his capital at Lugdunum [1] Vindex rallied several legions to his cause and began to sweep across Gallia. One after another, every would-be-emperor in Gallia was crushed, Vindex writing them all off as weak, corrupt opportunists at best. He secured dominance in Gallia when he defeated the commander of the Germania Superior army, Lucius Verginius Rufus, but still the heroic leader for which he searched for had not arisen. Then, in Hispania, he found his candidate. Servius Sulpicius Galba, governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, revered veteran commander of the wars against the Mauri, had declared his intent to seize the principate and become emperor, inspired by the success and intentions of Vindex in part. Galba had, by popular acclamation, the traits of a great leader. As such, upon hearing of Galba’s uprising, Vindex sent to him a proposal of an alliance, which Galba accepted wholeheartedly. Between the two, they now controlled the bulk of Hispania and Gallia. Near the end of Claudius’s rule, Marcus Cornelius Cossus had been sent to Asia Minor following the Invasion of Britannia to calm unrest and deal with minor Parthian aggression. Now, he had far greater concerns on his hands. Of all the aspirants, Cossus was most interested in preserving the legacy of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, and sought to save the empire from collapse, not unlike Vindex and Galba. Cossus had become very popular in the wake of his military campaigns, and was by no means short of supporters, especially among the legions. No time was lost in bringing the eastern empire under his command, and so he pushed onwards through Illyricum to Rome. Galba pushed towards the Italian peninsula through Narbonensis himself, crossing over the Alps and into Italia. Galba had beaten Cossus to Italia just by a hair’s breadth, and when Cossus arrived, battle ensued. Cossus’s forces well outnumbered those of Galba, and Cossus was more skillful as a commander. When their forces met at Mediolanum, Galba was defeated soundly, and was forced to retreat to Gallia. Cossus pursued with haste, and caught Galba’s forces as they fled through a mountain pass. Galba’s forces, diminished in number and greatly demoralized, were routed easily, and Galba was taken captive. With his only choice for emperor now taken captive, Vindex now stepped up himself. With no other options, he took full control of his territories and declared his intention to become emperor. By this point, however, there was little hope that he would be able to make good on these claims. When Lugdunum was taken, Vindex resolved to make his final stand in the city of Burdigala on the western coast of Gallia. When Cossus came to Burdigala, he found a city filled to the brim with soldiers, more than a hundred thousand at least, well-defended, and supplied to endure an extended siege. Vindex, a reasonably talented commander himself, was able to hold for a week and then break the siege, forcing back Cossus’s armies. Vindex knew, though, that this momentary boost could be crushed in seconds if Cossus regrouped his forces elsewhere. Thusly, Vindex took desperate measures to evade destruction. As he set out to recapture lost territories in Gallia, Vindex sent a petition for aid to one of the Roman Empire’s greatest foes: the Germanic Union. In his message, he promised an alliance with the Germanic Union in any wars they may wage on Rome, if the Germanic Union would agree to provide military assistance to Gallia. The Theudanaz, seeing the benefits of such an alliance, agreed to Vindex’s proposal, though it spawned many a heated debate in the Thingan Hauhaz. Thus, Vindex had secured his position, and his new empire. When Cossus, now back in Rome, got word of the newly-formed alliance, he decided that Rome could not endure any further strife. He and the Roman people were all too weary of the conflict, and the Empire had been damaged severely during the Succession Crisis. As such, he made no further attempts to reconquer Vindex’s territories in Gallia. A peace was made, and the Gallic Empire was born, with Vindex as its emperor. Cossus was made emperor in Rome, beginning the Marcian dynasty of emperors. The Succession Crisis had left three players on the stage of Europa: the Roman Empire, the Gallic Empire, and the Germanic Union. Their actions from this point onward would shape the future of the entire globe, through blood and fire. Throughout all the years of the Julio-Claudian dynasty past the First Germanic War, Rome’s enemy to the east had made hardly a noise. Word from their lands scarcely entered Rome, and Germania remained as shrouded in mystery as it had always been to them. All was not quiet in Germania, however. As Rome stood trying to hold itself together, the Germanic Union was being re-forged. Their unity, their identity, and their fate had all been wrought anew. [1] Modern OTL Lyon, one of the most important cities in the empire [2] Modern OTL Bordeaux ------------------------------------ Next chapter covers Germania, then we'll be skipping forward maybe a hundred years. Map'll be up tomorrow or later tonight.
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#70
November 6th, 2011, 05:51 AM
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Great update. 818 AUC is 65 AD, right?
Interesting, period you selected there. Christianity is still possible depending on Butterflies, but with different events in Europe, it may take a completely different direction. Linguistically, this can go pretty crazy. Because the West Germanic family has so many dialects that seem to pick and choose from a big set of sound changes instead of the way other IE language families do, it can be quite difficult try to isolate when the sound changes occur. At this point in the story, there are four or so sound changes wandering select parts of the West Germanic family. It shouldn't be hard to add a few more.
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#71
November 6th, 2011, 02:18 PM
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Christianity is still going to become prominent, albeit with drastic changes. Do you mind explaining a bit more about the sound changes? Linguistics were never really my strong suit. From what linguistics I do know, I feel that maybe the western Germanic language could end up phonetically closer to Old French or Old English, Given that the Germanics won't be migrating across Western Europe this time. Still though, when it comes time to start making some lingual changes, I'm probably going to need some help and a ton of research.
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#72
November 6th, 2011, 02:28 PM
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The best thing to do, I think, is what Muslim scholars do and put two dates. First the date of the Hegira, then the date on the calender. You could do that here, too.
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Wrestling to become a king? Nomads battling Greeks and Persians? A cult to Cybele? It's all there in Sons of Cimmeria.
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#73
November 6th, 2011, 04:52 PM
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Dialects at the extremes are mostly unintelligible. Over time, Norse dialects were distant enough to be called North Germanic languages, but other Germanics continue to have this fluctuation. Old English branched off after isolation in Britain. While Frankish and Dutch were far enough away that sound changes affected them at a different enough time that they became languages in their own right. Today, we still have this continuum. For example, Highest Allemannic in the Alps has completed the second Germanic consonant shift while Low Saxon on the North Sea has not, but each of these dialects are still called German because they are mutually intelligible with close-by dialects. Within West Germanic, there were three groups, since you listed Old English and Old Frankish and because Erminaz's Cherusci were in that general area, you should look at Ingvaeonic and Istvaeonic. You could look at Irminonic which lead to High German since the Marcomanni are big players in the Union. When it comes to the sound changes, I would recommend making a set for "Standard Germanic" for most names and stuff while acknowledging that local dialects can vary a lot.
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#75
November 6th, 2011, 09:21 PM
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Great story! A shame the Frissii and Batavi got mauled!
 Will they end up as part of the Germanic union at some point, or will they remain seperate entities? Also, great twist with the Gallic Empire, did not see that comming!
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"Leo told me, a healthy mind makes a healthy body. I told him that's not always the case. Look at Stephen Hawking." - Karl Pilkington
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#76
November 6th, 2011, 09:45 PM
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Looking at the latest map again, I'm curious what'll become of the Roman possessions in Britannia, or Britannia in general. With Gallia now seperate from the RE, and thus the short and easy route cut off, Roman ships would have to sail from Hispania and either follow the (hostile) Gallian coast northwards, or brave the open ocean; neither which is an attractive prospect, be it long- or short-term.
So, do the Britannian territory fall to Gallia? - Kelenas
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#77
November 6th, 2011, 10:59 PM
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The Frisii and Batavi haven't really been "mauled." They just got their asses booted out of the rest of Germania by Erminaz. By no means are they out of the picture. To predict what's going to happen to them, you have to take into account what happened in OTL: They were forced into becoming a client state, rebelled in 69 AD along with the Batavi, and were later forced to leave into Germania when the Zuiderzee (the big lake in the middle of the Netherlands) started swallowing up their lands, as it tends to do. As for the Gallic Empire thing, I'd been planning it from the start . Vindex was a real person who rebelled against Nero's taxes, and Galba joined him. But in real life, Vindex died. Looked like a prime opportunity to ruin Rome's day. I'm afraid the whole thing didn't come off nearly as smoothly as I wanted it to, though. Not my best update.Quote:
Anywho, as you can see, Britannia isn't cut off just yet. Rome still has eastern Gallia and Belgica, so Britannia isn't going to hell just yet. Someone's going to have to conquer that sooner rather than later, though, because I can't upload a full map of Europe as long as Rome has that stupid panhandle. Eugh, how I hate panhandles.
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#78
November 9th, 2011, 09:17 AM
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"Leo told me, a healthy mind makes a healthy body. I told him that's not always the case. Look at Stephen Hawking." - Karl Pilkington
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#79
November 13th, 2011, 03:09 AM
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The Bonds of All Men Following in Great Footsteps: 789-808 AUC Chapter IV, Part I Following the death of Erminaz in 787, the Thingan Hauhaz selected his closest ally and right-hand man, Manno, to lead the Germanic Union. The new empire was expanding and urbanizing quickly, and stretched from the banks of the Rhine east to the lands of the Burgundi. Along with all of Erminaz’s great achievements, Manno would also inherit every problem that plagued the Germanic Union. Still, they were divided as a people, and still the threat of collapse loomed over them as a result. After the death of Erminaz, the recently conquered Suebi territories to the east began to break into revolt, thinking that without their leader, the Germanic Union would fall into disarray. To their misfortune, they failed to understand that he had been immediately and peacefully succeeded. The Suebi managed to gain some early successes, largely due to the lack of communication infrastructure in their territories, but it would not last. After only a few days, Manno invaded and subjugated the Suebi, alongside Athalwulfaz, who was now the foremost Harjanaz in the Germanic armies. After their rebellion had been successfully quelled, the Suebi were placed under a martial law of sorts. Their rights were restricted, heavily-garrisoned forts were built in strategic locations across their territory, and the Suebi lands were split into three Gawja [1], which were placed under command of military Druhtinoz. This would set a precedent for the firmness and unflinching commitment to unification of Manno’s reign. One of the most notable aspects of Manno’s reign was the advancements in infrastructure achieved in the Union. Manno financed the construction of roads to an even greater extent than Erminaz had. Along with boosting commerce, this provided the key long-term benefit of tying the Germanic peoples closer together. Manno took a step that would vastly improve Germanic recordkeeping, commerce, and science. Manno pushed a law through the Thingan that would require all business transactions, laws, and contracts to be written down on wood or stone. Later on, the large, cumbersome stones and rot-prone wood tablets would be replaced by Roman-style wax tablets, gleaned from their future allies, the Gallian Empire. In addition, a standard form of the Futhark [2] was officially recognized as the alphabet for all such writings. This was more a formality than anything else, as there were very few differences in the runes from tribe to tribe. As a result, trade became more formal and standardized, the Germanic bureaucracy expanded, and clever Germanics began to set their minds to invention and architecture. The third important move made by Manno during his reign was the forging of new alliances with neighboring non-Union tribes. The Saxons to the north were of particular interest to him, for their skill with sword making [3] and metalworking was nearly without equal in Germania. To the east he sought an alliance with the Burgundi, perhaps in preparation for war with their neighbors the Vandali. These alliances were likely bought with sizable offerings, courtesy of the Germanic Union’s growing wealth. Manno wanted these alliances to be genuine, though, for he felt that the tribes of Germania could not be brought together by war alone [1] Probably means something like “province.” Note that they are essentially military districts, as opposed to the Landan, which resemble fiefdoms. [2] The runic alphabet used by ancient Germanic peoples. [3] A quick note about Germanic weapons—swords were expensive and used primarily by nobility due to the relative scarcity of iron. As such, axes, spears, and polearms resembling halberds are the most common weapons used by Germanic warriors. This has little to do with the Saxons, just thought it was a good time to mention this. ---------------------------------------------------- So I've been thinking about religions again, doing a bit more research, and was wondering what you all think about surviving paganism? More specifically, I was thinking of certain pagan groups that would be somewhat more "monotheistic" or focused on a single god, but acknowledging many. Namely, Mithraism or the cult of Sol Invinctus in Rome (leaning towards the former, due to striking similarities to Christianity). Thoughts? Criticism? Witty banter? Also, in a few updates the Germanic Union is getting renamed to the Alamanno Rikijan, or as it'll be called for simplicity's sake, Alamannia/the Alamannian Kingdom. Seeing as "Germanic" is a Roman word, it makes little sense to keep calling them that. Also, this doesn't mean that they're the real-world Alamanni. The name simply means "all men," hence the chapter title.
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#80
November 13th, 2011, 07:23 PM
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i like the idea of a surviving paganistic germany... (lol, the saxons (my ancestors
) must be part of this glorious union )anyways, nice update - nice to see things going on inside germany once more
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