Cadavera Vero Innumera

[Jaydoh]

Hey there. I've been a lurker for a LONG time (for over three years at least) and I've finally started organizing a timeline of my own. The genesis of this timeline was that I wanted to see what the world would be like if both the Western AND Eastern Empires had fallen in the 5th Century. I have a basic outline of events up until 525, but I've diverged from the original idea enough that I really have no idea where this is headed. Hopefully I'll have the next five years finalized soon.

451:

The Huns sack Divodurum [Metz], but are later defeated at the Battle of Catalaunum [Chalons] [1]
​

The Sassanids defeat the Armenians at the Battle of Vartanantz [Avarayr], killing Armenian leader Vartan Mamikonian, whose nephew Vahan would continue Armenian resistance
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The Council of Chalcedon is held, in which the doctrine of dyophysitism is adopted [2], and the Patriarch of Alexandria, Dioscorus I, is exiled for his miaphysite beliefs and is replaced by Proterius of Alexandria
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452:

The Huns invade Italia and destroy the city of Aemona [Emona]
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Venetia is founded by Italian refugees fleeing the Hunnic invasion
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Pope Leo I is able to convince Attila the Hun to withdraw from Italia
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453:

The Huns invade the Balkans (again) [3]
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General Aëtius is assassinated by Valentinian III, who feels Aëtius wants to put his son on the thrown [4]
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Marcellinus, who controlled the soldiers in Dalmatia, rebels in response to the assassination
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454:

The Huns besiege Constantinople, and Attila's son, Ellac, proves himself a capable commander
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Axum decides to support the miaphysites in Ægyptus
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Valentinian III is killed by former soldiers of Aëtius, and is replaced by Petronius Maximus [5]
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Geiseric, king of the Vandali, invades the Western Empire, feeling Valentinian's death voids his treaty from 442
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Petronius Maximus is killed by a mob, and soldiers declare magister militum Avitus Emperor, who is in Tolosa [Toulouse] getting Visigothic aid against the Vandali
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Olybrius flees to Ephesus
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Pope Leo I convinces Geiseric to leave Roma intact, but the Vandali do loot and take Empress Eudoxia and her daughters Eudocia and Placidia hostage [6]
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455:

The Visigoths are ceded Septimania in order to give them a Mediterranean port so that they may aid the Roman navy against the Vandali [7]
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The Jutish ruler Hengest defeats the Briton king Vortigern and gains control over Kent
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The Vandali sack Capua
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The Isaurians begin to revolt against the Eastern Empire
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Marcian dies and is replaced by Leo I
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Leo I makes peace with Attila by resuming the tribute and ceding most of the Dioceses of Dacia and Thracia
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A navy led by Ricimer and Theodoric I defeats the Vandali off the coast of Corsica
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Avitus is deposed due to his consideration as a foreigner by the Italians and the famine in Roma brought about by the Vandali blockade
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[1] The first noticeable divergence from OTL is the survival of Theodoric I during the battle
[2] The council's decision is rejected by Armenians, who couldn't send a delegation due to their rebellion, and many in Ægyptus and Syria, who felt dyophysitism was too similar to Nestorianism
[3] The second noticeable divergence is that Attila doesn't die, and thus he is able to continue out his plan to punish Marcian for canceling the Eastern Empire's tribute to the Huns
[4] Butterflies cause this to happen a year early
[5] Some believe that Petronius Maximus was also behind the assassination of Aëtius and felt spited for not being named a consul after his death
[6] Geiseric's son, Huneric, is engaged to Eudocia
[7] Theodoric I has an issue to settle with the Vandali, as Huneric was previously married to one of his daughters, but later sent her back home with her ears and nose mutilated


Questions? Comments? (Constructive) Criticism?

 

[basileus]

Leo I makes peace with Attila by resuming the tribute and ceding most of the Dioceses of Dacia and Thracia

That would likely cost him his head...

 

[Jaydoh]

That would likely cost him his head...

Yeah, I know it's kind of unlikely, but it had to be sufficient enough to appease Attila (and for Leo to need to find a scapegoat who will play a pivotal role over the next couple decades), but not so much to be utterly implausible. My logic behind it was that, as per the agreement after Attila's previous invasion, the East Romans were to evacuate a strip of land going 300 miles east of Singidunum up to 100 miles south of the Danube, so they had precedent for giving up Balkan territory to the Huns, not to mention the fact that this is the third time in 15 years that the Huns had pillaged the Balkans, so the territory wasn't worth as much as it had been. Do you have any ideas for a more likely, yet still relatively unpopular, concession?

 

[Jaydoh]

No more comments?

Hopefully this will attract some more. Basically, the Huns continue on pillaging, Leo gets an even larger headache, the Vandali decimate the Roman navy, and Ricimer's political machinations continue.

456:

Burgundians negotiate territorial expansion with local Roman senators
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Disturbances begin on the Armenian frontier of the Eastern Empire
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The Huns turn back north, defeating Marcellinus's Dalmatian forces and forcing him to pay a hefty tribute
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Aspar, the Eastern Empire's magister militum, is used as a scapegoat for the defeat against the Huns; he is accused of treason but manages to escape to Achaea
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Ricimer declares Majorian the Western Emperor
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Visigoths capture the Baleares from the Vandals
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457:

The Huns, once again, invade Italia, but are halted at the Battle of Bononia [Bologna], during which Attila is killed
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Ellac, Attila's successor, barely manages to keep control of his vassals, and spends two years putting down rebellions across his empire [8]
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Hormizd III seizes the throne after the death of his father, Yazdegerd II, prompting his elder brother Peroz to rebel against his rule with the support of the Hephthalites
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Albania revolts against Persian rule
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Aspar begins fermenting revolt against Leo I
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To try to regain some face, Leo I pays the ransom for Eudoxia and Placidia
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Childeric I succeeds Merovech as king of the Salian Franks
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The Vandali are defeated in Campania by magister militum Nepotianus
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Hengest and his son Oisc defeat the Britons, who retreat back to Londinium [London]
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458:

Olybrius marries Placidia
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Majorian reverses the territorial gains of the Burgundians
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Envoys from Aspar reach Ellac and Tarasicodissa [9] asking for help in his rebellion against Leo I
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Isaurians sack Iconia
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Proterius, a dyophysite Patriarch of Alexandria, is deposed and replaced by the miaphysite Timothy II of Alexandria
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459:

Peroz I becomes the Sassanid Shahanshah after deposing Hormizd
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Albania brought back under Persian control
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The Huns, once again, invade the Balkans and lay siege to Constantinople
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The Vandali ambushes and destroys the Western Empire's fleet off of Hispania, forcing Majorian to recognize Vandali control of North Africa, Sicily, and Sardinia
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Theodoric II becomes King of the Visigoths [10]
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Aspar is by now in control of most of Achaea
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460:

Peroz I takes advantage of the discord in the Eastern Empire and invades Syria
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Aspar decides to put forth Anthemius as a claimant to the throne [11]
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A mutiny forces Majorian to resign as Emperor and Ricimer proclaims Olybrius emperor [12]
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Aegidius, magister militum per Gallias and a supporter of Majorian, sets up his own rump state in northern Gaul
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[8] Unlike OTL, Dengizich and Ernakh don't fight against Ellac over who gets what tribe, although there is enough tension between them to provoke rebellions amongst some of the vassals
[9] Tarasicodissa in OTL would become Emperor Zeno, but in ATL he's leading the Isaurian revolt
[10] Theodoric I and his son Thorismund were on one of the ships sunk by the Vandali
[11] Anthemius was one of the leaders against the Huns in Thracia and was thus also scapegoated by Leo I
[12] Olybrius is chosen because of his wife, both for her connections to bloodline of Theodosius I and her connections to the Vandali via her sister

 

[Jaydoh]

Still no comments?
Well, here's the next five years of the TL.

461:

The Isaurians sack Perga [near modern Antalya]
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Hilarius succeeds Leo I as Catholic Pope
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The Sassanids capture Damascus, but are later defeated at the Battle of Caesarea Philippi [Banias] by Basiliscus, magister militum per Oriens and Leo's brother-in-law
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Aspar is by now in control of most territory up into Thessaly and a few revolts break out in Asia [13]
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A failed coup causes chaos in Constantinople, providing the Huns with an opportunity to break through the city's walls and loot the {insert expletive of choice} out of it [14], prompting Leo to flee to Ephesus
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The Huns cross over into Anatolia, and Aspar's army "liberates" Constantinople
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462:

With a stalemate in the Levant, Peroz I turns his attention to the Eastern Empire's Armenian territories, and captures Amida [Diyarbakir], Arsamosata [Elazig], and Theodosiopolis [Erzurum]
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The Isaurians sack Antiochia [near modern Yalvaç]
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The Huns capture Nicomedia [Izmit], Nicaea [Iznik], and Dorylaeum [near modern Eskisehir]
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463:

Aspar is by now in control of most of the Diocese of Macedonia
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The Isaurians sack Caesarea [Kayseri]
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In order to cut his losses, Leo cedes eastern territory [15] to the Sassanids
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Basiliscus feels cheated out of possible victory, so he rebels, disregards Leo's peace treaty, and continues the war
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What remains of the East Roman Levant pledges support to Basiliscus
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Dengizich succeeds Ellac as Khan of the Huns
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The Germanic vassal tribes of the Huns rebel; they are led by the Ostrogoths under Theodemir and the Gepids under Ardaric
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464:

Dengizich is killed at the Battle of Heraclea Perinthus [Marmara Eregli] and is succeeded by Ernakh, who flees back with the remaining Huns to Pannonia
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The Heruli and Scirii, led by Odovacar, continue to travel east, capturing the city of Gangra [Cankiri]
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Basiliscus gains support from Ægyptus, and the miaphysites that live there, by allowing Timothy II to return as Patriarch of Alexandria
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Aegidius and Childeric I halt Visigothic expansion northward at the Battle of Limonum [Poitiers]
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A famine begins in Sassanid territory
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Basiliscus recaptures Damascus and Palmyra [Tadmor]
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A loose coalition of Germanic tribes, led by the Ostrogoths and Gepids, capture and hold Constantinople [16], forcing Aspar and Anthemius to flee back to Achaea
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Anthemius establishes diplomatic relations with Marcellinus in hopes of forming an alliance against the Ostrogoths and Gepids
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Syagrius succeeds Aegidius as Dux of Noviodunum [Soissons]
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Orestes, formerly in the service of the Huns, returns to the Western Empire
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465:

Due to the famine, the Sassanids are unable to make the annual tribute to the Hephthalites, who invade soon after
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Theodemir formally declares an Ostrogothic kingdom based in Thracia and northwestern Anatolia, and he captures the cities of Claudiopolis [Bolu], Ancyra [Ankara], Pessinus [Ballihisar], and Cyzicus [Kyzikos]
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Ardaric establishes a Gepid kingdom in approximately the Diocese of Dacia
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With the threat of invasion from the east, Peroz I negotiates peace with Basiliscus by ceding all territory southwest of the Euphrates
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The area around the cities of Antioch [Antakya] and Tarsus pledge their support for Basiliscus
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Marcellinus allows the Rugii to settle in his territory in exchange for military service
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Odovacar captures Sinope [Sinop] and Amasia [Amasya]
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The Isaurians sack Tyana [Kilisse-Hissar]
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Marcellinus, bolstered with his new Rugii soldiers, invades the Gepid kingdom and captures Singidunum [Belgrade]
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[13] The province, not the continent
[14] Aspar is, obviously, not happy at all with the Huns, but Ellac reminds him that it is he who has the larger army
[15] Osrhoene, inland Syria, and western Armenia
[16] The city's repairs were more focused on defending against further invasion from the west, not the east

 

[Uber_Amoeba]

I think there are no comments because everyone is too shocked by the idea of someone wanting Byzantium to fall earlier.

It doesn't look too shabby so far, but I imagine you'll start to get a lot of comments when this diverges significantly and starts getting interesting.

 

[Fearless Leader]

I like the premise, what kind of successor states could we expect to see once the last vestiges of the Eastern Empire fall away?

Is Islam still going to rise in TTL? Will their be a strong enough power in the east to counteract it?

 

[Jaydoh]

I like the premise, what kind of successor states could we expect to see once the last vestiges of the Eastern Empire fall away?

Is Islam still going to rise in TTL? Will their be a strong enough power in the east to counteract it?

One thing I've found with collapsing the East AND West Roman Empires is that there just aren't enough barbarians to go around (as hard as that is to believe). I would have had the Huns return to the steppes as OTL, but it just didn't look right on the map (which will be finalized after the TL gets to 475) to have that territory blank, and I also would have Achaea collapse as well if I could. The Isaurians will only survive until I can find some other power to put in Anatolia.

I do plan on having Islam develop, but I'm going to try to put a twist in it, probably with Ægyptus keeping the Arabs out of North Africa. I'm still deciding whether I'm going to have an Arabic Anatolia or Persia.

I'd also like to make an addition and some changes to the timeline (it seems that I can only edit my most recent post in this thread)

460:

The Suevi are contained in western Hispania by Theodoric II at the Battle of Segovia
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I also moved up the Sassanid invasion to 459, and during that year they capture Edessa [Sanliurfa], and in 460 they capture Palmyra [Tadmor]

 

[DuQuense]

Will their be a strong enough power in the east to counteract it?

even if the empire falls, Constantinople is not going away, And Eygpt is the population centre of the ERE at this time

 

[fortyseven]

You bastard , you killed Byzantium

Looks interesting. It would be helpful if you explained who everyone is (Hormizd III, Orestes, etc)

 

[The Sicilian]

You bastard , you killed Byzantium

Looks interesting. It would be helpful if you explained who everyone is (Hormizd III, Orestes, etc)

Heh. You're in my good books for that.

I agree with 47 about name explanation.

 

[Jaydoh]

I've started putting together a who's who for what some of the major characters did in OTL. I've still got many more people to add, but this is what I've got so far.

VARTAN MAMIKONIAN: Armenian sparapet [commander-in-chief] who was forced to convert to Zoroastrianism, but later refuted the religion and led an Armenian rebellion against the Sassanids. He was killed in the Battle of Vartanantz and is regarded as a Saint by the Armenian church. His close friendship with Theodosius II (Emperor of the East Roman Empire from 408-450) is a major reason that Armenia separated from the church in Rome.

VAHAN MAMIKONIAN: Nephew and successor of Vartan. Continued the insurrection and eventually won Armenia greater autonomy with the Nvarsak Treaty in 484.

DIOSCORUS I: Supporter and former secretary of Saint Cyril and later Patriarch of Alexandria. Felt that dyophysitism (the doctrine that Christ had both a human and divine nature that was adopted at the Council of Chalcedon) was too similar to Nestorianism, but stressed the difference between monophysitism (Christ had one nature) and miaphysitism (Christ had one nature, but it was a union of the human and divine natures). He led the Second Council of Ephesus, but its acts weren't approved by the Catholic Church. One of the decisions at the Council of Chalcedon was to depose him as Patriarch and exile him to Gangra Island, where he died in 454. He is regarded as a Saint by Oriental Orthodox Churches.

PROTERIUS: Chalcedonian (dyophysite) Patriarch of Alexandria, appointed by the Council of Chalcedon to replace Dioscorus I. The mostly miaphysite church of Alexandria decided to elect their own Patriarch, Timothy II, and later killed Proterius.

POPE LEO I: Roman Catholic Pope from 440-461. Was a firm believer of Chalcedonian doctrine and established the primacy of the Bishop of Rome. Convinced Attila not to invade into Italy in 452 and convinced Geiseric to leave Rome intact in 455.

AËTIUS: Roman General who grew up as a hostage to the Goths and later the Huns. Led an army of Huns into Italy in support of putting Joannes on the throne as emperor, but later received a pardon after Joannes's execution. Prevented Visigothic expansion and mortally wounded his rival Boniface in battle. He fled to Dalmatia and, with the Huns' assistance, managed to get restored to power, for which the Huns received Pannonia. He asked for the Huns' help again in defeated the Burgundians, and used the Alans to restore order to Brittany. Yet, when the Huns invaded Gaul, he allied himself with the Burgundians and Visigoths to defeat them. His son married Valentinian III's daughter, leading Valentinian to believe that he wanted his son to be the next emperor. He was slain by Valentian's own hands.

VALENTINIAN III: Became emperor at age 6 after Joannes was deposed. Due to his young age, he was controlled at first by his mother, and then later by Aëtius. His reign saw the loss of North Africa to the Vandals and the abandonment of Britain. He believed Aëtius was going to depose him, and with the help of Petronius Maximus he assassinated the general. When the title of Patrician instead went to another co-conspirator, Maximus arranged for two Hunnic friends of Aëtius to assassinate the emperor. Most of the soldiers who were with Valentinian at the time were supporters of Aëtius and did nothing to intervene.

MARCELLINUS: Rebelled against Valentinian III after the assassination of his friend Aëtius. He would briefly accept Roman authority during the reigns of Majorian and Anthemius. When Majorian was emperor, Marcellinus aided in the war against the Vandals, but Majorian was killed by Ricimer, who also tried to undermine Marcellinus by bribing his troops when he was away in Sicily. Upon his return to Dalmatia he worked closely with Eastern Emperor Leo I. When Anthemius became emperor, he tried to give Marcellinus more power to counteract Ricimer's influence. He was prevented from participating in the botched invasion of North Africa in 468 and was killed in Sicily, probably by Ricimer's orders. He was uncle of the next-to-last Western Emperor, Julius Nepos.

PETRONIUS MAXIMUS: Conspirator in the assassination of Aëtius and also conspired to kill Valentinian III after not becoming patrician. He tried to legitimize his rule by marrying Valentinian's widow, Eudoxia. When the Vandals invaded soon after, he was killed by an angry mob, having only ruled for two months.

AVITUS: Appointed magister militum by Petronius Maximus to get Visigothic aid against the Vandal invasion, he was in Toulouse when Maximus was killed and was urged by the Visigoths to declare himself emperor. He wasn't well like by those in Italy however, which led Ricimer and Majorian to start a general revolt against him. He was defeated at Placentia, but was allowed to live. He still feared for his life and tried to flee to Gaul, but died en route.

OLYBRIUS: Relative of Petronius Maximus who fled to Constantinople in the wake of the Vandal invasion. There he was made consul and married Placidia who, as the sister-in-law of Huneric, gave Olybrius a tangible connection to the Vandals. In 472 Eastern Emperor Leo I sent him to assist Anthemius against Ricimer, but ended up getting declared emperor against his will, ascending to the throne unopposed after Anthemius's murder. He died of natural causes soon thereafter.

GEISERIC: Was King of the Vandals and Alans from 428-477. He took advantage of the discord between Boniface, governor of North Africa, and the Roman government, leading 80,000 people from Hispania Baetica into Africa and winning many battles against the divided Roman forces. He eventually was recognized by Valentinian III as ruler of what would today be Morocco and northern Algeria. In 439 he caught the Western Empire by surprise by taking Carthage and a large part of the western Roman navy without a fight. While the Vandals were Arian, he allowed religious freedom for Catholics and gave the common folk low taxes, with only the rich and the Catholic clergy having a heavy tax burden. He later gained control of Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and the Baleares, and in 442 the Romans signed a peace treaty, acknowledging his conquest of Carthage. He considered the agreement void after the assassination of Valentinian III and invaded, looting Rome and taking Empress Eudoxia and princesses Eudocia (who was to marry Huneric) and Placidia (who would later marry Olybrius). The Western and Eastern Empires joined together against the Vandals in 468, but the fleet led by Basiliscus was defeated and the Romans decided to abandon the campaign. He attempted to invade the Peloponessus, but was turned back. He made peace in 474 and died in 477.

HUNERIC: King of the Vandals and Alans from 477-484. Married Placidia, daughter of former Roman Emperor Valentinian III, who gave him a son, Hilderic. He allowed the election of a new Catholic bishop of Carthage and persecuted Manichaeans. He later decided to persecute Catholics by attempting to make their property fall to the state. Under East Roman pressure, however, he started to simply banish Catholics instead. In 484 he organized a meeting between Catholic and Arian bishops, but declared Catholics heretics less than a month later. A few Catholics were martyred, and he also murdered many members of the Hasdingi dynasty. Under his rule, the Moors captured some Vandal outposts, cutting off Tangiers from Carthage.

HENGEST: Jutish ruler of Kent. Was invited to Britain by Vortigern to fight the Picts and later invited more Germans to settle in the area. He rebelled against Vortigern and established himself as king of Kent after the Britons didn't make an agreed payment. Possibly fictional figure.

VORTIGERN: Briton warlord who invited Germans into Britain as mercenaries, only to have them revolt and establish independent kingdoms when he didn't pay them 'their monthly allotments.' Possibly fictional figure.

MARCIAN: Eastern Emperor from 450-457. His first act was to repudiate the payment of tribute to Attila. He repelled attacks into Syria and Egypt in 452 and quelled disturbances on the Armenian frontier in 456. He tried to mediate between the rivals theologies at the Council of Chalcedon. He ignored the affairs of the Western Empire, not aiding them when Attila invaded or when the Vandals sacked Rome. It is possible, however, that he played some part in Attila's death. He and his wife Pulcheria are regarded as saints by the Eastern Orthodox Church.

 

[Jaydoh]

Here's some more of what some of the character's did in OTL.

LEO: Eastern emperor from 457-474 who was placed on the throne by Aspar. To overcome Aspar's influence, he made an alliance with the Isaurians by marrying his daughter to their leader, Tarasicodissa, who would later succeed him as Emperor. Had a large influence on the Western Empire, appointing Anthemius as emperor in 467 and aided them in the campaign against the Vandals in 468. His greatest influence was perhaps the raising of Gothic king Theodoric the Great in his court. He died of dysentery on January 18, 474.

RICIMER: Arian king-maker who became magister militum under Avitus. His father was a Suevi prince and his maternal grandfather was Visigothic king Wallia. He became a war hero against the Vandals and used his popularity to gain Senatorial consent for an expedition against the unpopular Emperor Avitus. Shortly after Avitus's defeat, he was given the title of patrician by Eastern Emperor Leo I. He spent the rest of his life as the de facto ruler of the Western Empire, but was prevented by his Germanic heritage and Arian religion from becoming emperor, so he decided to rule through figurehead emperors. After Avitus he put Majorian on the throne, but Majorian proved too independent, so he was assassinated in 461 and replaced with Libius Severus. This gained disapproval from Leo I in the Eastern Empire, Aegidius in Gaul, and Marcellinus in Dalmatia. Severus died in 465 and Ricimer ruled the Western Empire for 18 months without an emperor. After negotiation, Leo's candidate Anthemius became emperor, and Ricimer married Anthemius's daughter. He was close with Geiseric, king of the Vandals, and wanted the expedition against them in 468 to fail, which it did. In 472 he besieged Rome with the intent of putting the candidate favored by Geiseric, Olybrius, on the throne. The city was taken, Anthemius was killed, and Olybrius became emperor, but Ricimer died two months later of a malignant fever. His nephew Gundobad, a Burgundian, succeeded him as patrician.

ASPAR: Alan who became a patrician and magister militum of the Eastern Empire. He played a crucial role in the overthrow of the usurper Joannes and the installation of Valentinian III. He helped negotiate a treaty after Geiseric invaded Africa. He couldn't become emperor because of his Arian religion, so he became a kingmaker by placing Marcian on the throne and then Leo I after him. Leo turned on him and Aspar and his son Ardabur were killed in 471 after Ardabur attempted to bribe Leo's soldiers, the Isaurians. Aspar taught Theodoric the Great, future king of the Ostrogoths, and had a son, Ermanaric, with Theodoric Strabo's sister.

MAJORIAN: Western Emperor from 457-461. Was placed on the throne by Ricimer after Avitus was deposed. He faced resistance in Gaul, who favored Avitus. He was forced to lead an army into Gaul to defeat the Burgundians and Aegidius put down a Visigothic rebellion. He drove the Vandals out of Campania and assembled a large invasion force to invade North Africa at Cartagena, but the Vandals caught word of it and launched a surprise attack, destroying the fleet and forcing him to recognize the Vandals' gains. Ricimer sought to avoid being associated with the defeat and orchestrated a mutiny, which forced Majorian to abdicate. He died five days later of disease (or murder).

YAZDEGERD II: Sassanid Shahanshah from 438-457. Invaded the Eastern Empire soon after he came to power, catching them by surprise and only being prevented from advancing into Roman territory by a heavy flood. Negotiations in 441 led both empires to promise not to build any new fortifications along their border territories. Persecuted Christians and, to a lesser extent, Jews, while supporting Zoroastrianism. This led to a rebellion in Armenia, which he defeated at the Battle of Vartanantz. He spent most of his reign after the war with the Eastern Empire battling the Kidarites.

HORMIZD III: Sassanid Shahanshah from 457-459. He seized the throne after his father's death, as his older brother, who later became Peroz I, was at that time Governor of a distant province. His brother made an alliance with the Hephthalites and with them defeated Hormizd in battle and held him captive. Sources differ as to what happened to him after, Peroz either having him killed or pardoning him.

PEROZ I: Sassanid Shahanshah from 459-484. When his younger brother Hormizd III seized the throne after their father's death, he formed an alliance with Hephthalite king Khush-Nevaz, who helped him defeat his brother and place himself on the throne. He brought Albania back under Persian control after it had declared independence in the wake of the civil war. He persecuted Chalcedonians but favored Nestorianism. Under his reign, Persia and the Middle East faced a seven-year famine from 464-471. Went to war with the Hephthalites, but suffered a large defeat and had to surrender his son, future Kavadh I, as a hostage. During that war, Iberia rose in rebellion. Peroz sent the Governor of Armenia to quell the rebellion, but without the governor there, Armenia also rose up. Peroz blundered by frequently rotating military commanders, letting the rebellion continue for the rest of his reign. Peroz I later tried to invade the Hephthalites once more, but succeeded in only getting himself killed.

MEROVECH: Founder of the Merovingian dynasty of the Salian Franks. Was rumored to have been descended from a sea god/sea monster, but this may just be story used to legitimized his rule. Possibly fictional figure.

CHILDERIC I: King of the Salian Franks from 457-481. He established a capital at Tournai and, in conjunction with Aegidius, defeated the Visigoths, who were trying to extend their dominion along the banks of the Loire. He assisted Paul of Angers against the Goths, but later captured the city and killed him. He assisted Odovacar in stopping a band of Alamanni from invading Italy. There is a probably fictional story in which he is expelled from the Franks for womanizing, stays in Thuringia for eight years, and returns with former Thuringian queen Basina as his wife.

NEPOTIANUS: Magister militum of the Western Empire and father of next-to-last Western Emperor Julius Nepos.

 

[fortyseven]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Jaydoh]

This is the final addition (for now) to the "who's who" for what some of this TL's characters did in OTL. I'll add to the list after I get this timeline through 475. Expect an update for years 466-470...eventually.

TARASICODISSA: An Isaurian warrior who caught the eye of Eastern Emperor Leo I, who was looking for an alternative to his Germanic and Alan mercenaries. He exposed the treachery of Ardabur, the son of Aspar, and survived an assassination instigated by Aspar while campaigning in Thrace. He was considered Leo's best general and was made magister militum after Aspar was killed on Leo's orders. To make himself more acceptable to the Romans and Greeks, he adopted the Greek name Zeno and married Leo's daughter Ariadne in 468. This was supposed to simply secure Isaurian support against Aspar, but Ariadne had a son who succeeded his grandfather as Leo II in 474. Zeno reigned with him as co-emperor and became sole emperor when Leo II died of illness later that year. He was unpopular due to his heritage and was forced to flee to Antioch when Leo I's widow Verina fermented revolt in favor of her brother, the botched general Basiliscus. Basiliscus soon became unpopular as well, and Zeno returned to Constantinople unopposed less than two years later after the Isaurian general Illus defected. He later accepted Odovacar's ending of the Western Empire and negotiated a long lasting peace with the Vandals. He faced rebellion in 478 from Verina and the Ostrogoths which was put down by Illus, who revolted on his own in 484. He dealt with the problem of the Ostrogoths by sending them to fight Odovacar, whom he felt was exerted too much power. He issued the Henotikon in an attempt to reconcile between the Chalcedonians and the miaphysites, but failed to satisfy either side.

TIMOTHY II: Miaphysite who became Patriarch of Alexandria after the murder of his predecessor, Proterius. He persecuted Chalcedonians, was expelled by Emperor Leo I, and was replaced by the Chalcedonian Timothy III. A rebellion in 475 saw his return to Alexandria, where he ruled as Patriarch for the rest of his life.

ANTHEMIUS: Western Emperor from 467-472. Commanded the military in Thrace in 453 and 454 and was magister militum from 454-467. He was appointed consul and gained the rank of patrician in 455. He almost succeeded Marcian as Eastern Emperor, but Aspar chose Leo I instead. He campaigned against the Ostrogoths and Huns and married Leo's daughter Euphemia. When Olybrius, with his ties to the Vandals, was seen as a potential candidate for Western Emperor after the death of Libius Severus, Leo I nominated Anthemius emperor. Ricimer agreed, and Anthemius married his daughter Alypia to him. Marcellinus, revolting leader of Roman troops in Dalmatia, once again pledged allegiance to the Empire. Anthemius worked with the Eastern Empire to launch a major invasion of North Africa, which ended up being a failure. He gained the support of the Briton Riothamus, whose army joined Anthemius's when Euric, king of the Visigoths, took the thrown and attempted to take control of all of Gaul. Euric was victorious, however, killing Anthemius's son and three leading Roman generals, as well as annexing many cities in Gaul still loyal to Rome. This defeat led to a falling out with Ricimer, who led an army against Rome in 472 to replace him with Olybrius. The siege lasted for three months and Anthemius was caught trying to escape. He was beheaded on the order of Ricimer's nephew, the Burgundian Gundobad.

AEGIDIUS: Leader of troops in Gaul under Aëtius. He supported Majorian's rise to power and declared independence after Majorian fell out of power. He allied himself with Childeric I, king of the Salian Franks, even being said to have ruled the Salian Franks for a period while Childeric was banished. He died in 464 and was at first succeeded by Paul of Angers, who was killed by Childeric, and then by his son Syagrius.

POPE HILARIUS: Roman Catholic Pope from 461-468. He was an archdeacon under previous Pope Leo I, and during that time he fought for the rights of the Roman See and opposed the Second Council of Ephesus. As pope he continued Leo's policy of strengthening papal authority over episcopal discipline. He is regarded as a Saint by both Chalcedonians and miaphysites.

BASILISCUS: Eastern Emperor from 475-476. He was the brother of Empress Verina, wife of Emperor Leo I. This let him pursue a military career that ended in 468 after he led a disastrous invasion of Vandal-held North Africa. He helped in the murder of the Alan Aspar. This sparked a revolt in Thrace led by the Ostrogoth Theodoric Strabo, which Basiliscus put down with the help of his nephew Armatus. When Zeno rose to the throne, the populace disliked him because of his Isaurian origins. He was also disliked by the Ostrogoths, upon whom Leo I had been dependent on, but began bringing in Isaurian officers to reduce that dependency. Basiliscus then bribed the Isaurian general Illus, who helped him, Verina, Armatus, and Theodoric Strabo in overthrowing Zeno and placing him on the throne. Unfortunately for him, when Zeno fled the capital he took the royal treasury with him, forcing Basiliscus to levy heavy taxes. Also, soon after assuming the throne, Constantinople suffered a massive fire, which was seen as a bad omen. Basiliscus lost the support of his sister after executing her lover, Patricius, who she had hoped would become emperor. He lost the support of Theodoric Strabo when he raised Armatus to the rank of magister militum, which was the same rank Theodoric had. And he lost the support of Illus after he allowed the massacre of Isaurians. He was also not liked because of his support for miaphysites as opposed to Chalcedonians. When he sent Illus to capture Zeno, Illus turned on him and marched with Zeno to Constantinople. Basiliscus sent Armatus to stop them, but Zeno bribed him to betray his uncle. When Zeno arrived at Constantinople, the citizens opened the gates for him, preferring an Isaurian Emperor to one who was non-Chalcedonian. Basiliscus was then sent to a fortress in Cappadocia with his family, where they died soon after.

THEODEMIR: King of the Ostrogoths until 474 with his two brothers, Valamir and Videmir. He was a vassal of the Huns who led a revolt after the death of Attila. He was succeeded by his son Theodoric, later known as Theodoric the Great.

ARDARIC: King of the Gepids. He was Attila's most prized chieftain, but led a revolt after the Hun's death when he believed that Attila's sons were treating the vassal tribes as nothing more than slaves.

ODOVACAR: AKA Odoacer, was the son of the Scirian chieftain Edeko. The Scirians were a vassal tribes of the Huns, and after the death of Attila, they split up. Those who didn't join with the Visigoths or Ostrogoths went with the Herules, another former vassal tribes, to become foederati of the Western Empire. Odovacar became the leader of the foederati in 470. In 475, Orestes was appointed magister militum, making him head of the foederati in Italy. Orestes promised the foederati 1/3 of the Italian peninsula if they revolted against Western Emperor Julius Nepos. Nepos was forced to flee to Dalmatia and Orestes placed his son, Romulus Augustulus, on the throne. However, Orestes rescinded his offer, prompting the foederati under Odovacar to revolt against Orestes, who was captured and killed. The foederati proclaimed him King of Italy, and he forced Romulus to abdicate and renounced the title of Emperor, declaring himself Patrician of the Western Half (which was by then limited to only Italy). He was confirmed in his role as Italian king by Zeno in 476. Despite the fact that he was an Arian, he won a high level of support from the Roman people by leaving the Roman administration intact. He kicked the Vandals out of Sicily in 477 and reclaimed Dalmatia from Nepos in 480. He allied with the Visigoths and Franks against the Burgundians, Alamanni, and Saxons. Zeno began fearing Odovacar as a rival, and the final straw was the defeat of the Rugian kingdom which had been set up in Noricum. Zeno promised Theodoric the Great the Italian peninsula for he and his people (the Ostrogoths) if they defeated Odovacar. After a prolonged siege of Ravenna, Theodoric and Odovacar agreed to jointly rule Italy. At a banquet organized to celebrate the agreement, Theodoric killed Odovacar with his own hands. The remaining Scirican and Herule foederati were allowed to remain in Italy.

SYAGRIUS: Ruled the rump state in northern Gaul as Dux of the Gallo-Romans from 464-486. After being defeated by the Frank king Clovis at the Battle of Soissons, he sought refuge with the Visigoths, but their King Alaric II returned him to Clovis, who had him murdered.

ORESTES: Was an aristocrat from Pannonia who joined Attila's court after that territory was ceded to the Huns. He served as a diplomat between Attila and Valentinian III and return to Rome after the collapse of the Hunnic Empire. He was appointed magister militum by Western Emperor Julius Nepos, but he would convince the foederati to revolt against Nepos, who fled to Dalmatia without a fight. Orestes then elevated his son to the throne as Romulus Augustulus. Romulus was not recognized as legitimate by the Eastern Emperors Zeno or Basiliscus, but they were too busy in a civil war with each other to do anything about it. Orestes refused to grant lands to the German mercenaries of the Western Empire, so they revolt under the leadership of the Scirian Odovacar. Orestes was captured and executed near Piacenza in 476.

 

[Jaydoh]

I would have had this update posted sooner, but the hotel I was in didn't have an internet connection

Anywho, here's the next five years:

466:

Hengest and his son Oisc slay 10 Briton leaders at the Battle of Wippedesfleote
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Ardaric is killed in a battle near Naissus [Niš] and the remaining Gepids flee north across the Danuvius [Danube] to the Pannonian Basin, and Marcellinus and Anthemius divide up the former kingdom between them
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Marcellinus refuses to swear allegiance to the Western Empire
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The Isaurians sack Seleucia [Silifke]
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Leo officially recognizes Basiliscus's independence
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Aspar forms an alliance with the Vandali against the Eastern Empire [17]
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Odovacar captures Neocaesarea [Niksar]
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Theodemir defeats a large East Roman army near outside of Sardis [Sart] and takes the city
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467:

Peroz I is defeated in battle by the Hephthalites and his son Kavadh is taken hostage
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The Vandali decimate the Eastern Empire's navy off of Creta, which falls under the control of Aspar and Anthemius soon after; this defeat prompts the Western Empire to declare war on the Vandali
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Olybrius's ties to the Vandali are no longer seen as beneficial by Ricimer, so Olybrius is deposed and Glycerius becomes the Western Emperor
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Odovacar captures the remainder of NE Anatolia still loyal to the Eastern Empire
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Theodemir besieges Ephesus
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468:

Simplicius succeeds Hilarius as Catholic Pope
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Anthemius and Aspar decide to support the Vandali in their war against the Western Empire
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Ricimer defeats the Vandali at the Battle of Agrigentum [Agrigento]
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Marcellinus does not ally with Anthemius and Aspar against the Western Empire, but he offer them the use of some of his troops
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Ephesus falls to the Ostrogoths and Emperor Leo is killed
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Patricius declares himself Eastern Emperor [18]
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Anthemius defeats a West Roman army at Brundisium [Brindisi]
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469:

The Vandali defeat Ricimer at the Battle of Catina [Catania]
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The last East Roman military resistance is quashed by Theodemir at the Battle of Myra [Demre], during which Patricius is killed [19]
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Cyprus, the last bit of territory controlled by the Eastern Empire, pledges allegiance to Basiliscus
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Theodoric Strabo convinces Theodemir not to launch a campaign into Aspar and Anthemius's territory, as he is Aspar's brother-in-law
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Euric succeeds Theodoric II as King of the Visigoths
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470:

Glycerius request the aid of Briton king Riothamus against Visigothic expansion
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Ricimer is killed in the Battle of Syracusae [Syracuse] by the Vandali and is succeeded as magister militum by his Burgundian nephew, Gundobad
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Glycerius is forced by the Vandali to reaffirm their recognition of Vandali overlordship of North Africa, Sicilia, and Sardinia
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The Visigoths utterly defeat Riothamus's army in central Gaul, but he manages to flee to Burgundian territory
​

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[17] Aspar feels spited because Leo recognized Basiliscus's independence and not his
[18] Patricius is placed on the throne by Verina, Leo's widow, as Patricius has been her lover for some time
[19] This marks the traditional end of the Eastern Empire

 

[Jaydoh]

I had nothing better to do, so I wrapped up the rest of the quarter-century. Now I'll finish up the who's who with any new characters and then I'll post a map of Europe.

471:

Acacius succeeds Gennadius as Patriarch of Constantinople [20]
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Aspar dies mysteriously, but is survived by his sons Ardabur and Ermanaric [21]
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The Sassanid famine ends
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Gundobad convinces Glycerius to substantially increase the Burgundians' territory
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472:

The Visigoths force Glycerius to recognize their independence
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Roman senators revolt against Glycerius and proclaim Julius Nepos to be Emperor [22]
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Marcellinus declares allegiance to Julius Nepos
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Peroz I finally collects enough money to pay for the release of Kavadh
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Nepos's army defeats Gundobad's at Florentia [Florence]
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473:

An attempted invasion of Marcellinus's territory is halted near Siscia [Sisak]
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Anthemius declares allegiance to Julius Nepos [23]
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Gundioc, king of the Burgundians, dies and his territory is divided amongst his four sons, Godegisel, Chilperic, Gundomar, and Gundobad, who is replaced as magister militum by Orestes
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Romulus Augustus succeeds Glycerius as West Roman Emperor [24]
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The Rugii serving Marcellinus revolt, not wanting to be part of the Roman Empire
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474:

With the deposition of the unpopular emperor Glycerius and the rebellion in Dalmatia, Nepos movement loses momementum and his army is defeated by Orestes's at Asisium [Assisi], forcing him to retreat far to the south
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Marcellinus is killed in battle with the Rugii at Salona [near modern Split]
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With Marcellinus's death, the Gepids begin to travel back south to retake their former territory
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Romulus Augustus attempts to reverse the territorial expansion granted to the Burgundians, leading Gundobad and his brothers to revolt against Roma
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Gundobad defeats Orestes near Taurinorum [Turin]
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475:

Orestes is captured near Brixia [Brescia] and executed shortly thereafter
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Anthemius annexes the last remnants of Dalmatia not controlled by the Rugii or Gepids
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The Burgundians capture Ravenna and depose Romulus Augustus
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Gundobad announces the end of the Roman Empire, and the newly formed Regnum Italia (which includes the Burgundians' territory) is divided amongst him and his three brothers
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[20] Theodemir is trying to keep the Roman (well, technically Greek) populace from revolting by leaving most of the internal administration intact
[21] Anthemius is the most likely cause of Aspar's death, as he is now solely in charge of the kingdom
[22] The official claim for his legitimacy is that he is married to former Eastern Emperor Leo's niece, but the fact that he is Marcellinus's nephew probably shows where most of his support is coming from
[23] Anthemius feels that the longterm survival of his kingdom could depend on friendly relations with Roma
[24] Romulus is Orestes's son...connect the dots

Comments welcome. Suggestions appreciated. Criticism expected.

 

[Jaydoh]

Why the lack of comments? I only get yelled at once for having barbarians capture Constantinople (twice)? Does no one have questions about the potential ramifications or my reasonings behind certain parts of the timeline?

Here's the remainder of the who's who of the TL's characters' OTL exploits. If you want hints as to what I'm planning for the next update (if I ever get around to writing it), they're probably in here (and the other who's whos).

Oh, and expect a map soon (maybe that little paper clip symbol off to the side of the thread will attract some comments)

KAVADH: Sassanid Shahanshah from 488-531. He was a hostage of the Hephthalites for two years until his father, Shahanshah Peroz I, paid a ransom. He rose to the throne after discontented nobles overthrew his uncle, Balash. Kavadh fell out of favor when he supported the Mazdakis, a proto-socialist sect. He was deposed, incarcerated, and succeeded by his brother, but he later escape and fled to the Hephthalites, who married their king's daughter and was aided in returning to the throne in 498. Kavadh had to pay tribute to the Hephthalites and he applied for subsidies from the Eastern Empire, which refused. This led to war, and eventually the Romans paid subsidies, but a succession of emperors in 518 renewed the war. During this war, Kavadh died at the age of 82.

GLYCERIUS: Western Emperor from 473-474. He was commander of the imperial bodyguard before he was appointed emperor by Gundobad. Eastern Emperor Leo I saw him as a usurper and sent Julius Nepos with a fleet to overthrow him. Glycerius needs Gundobad's help, but Gundobad's father, who was king of the Burgundians, had died, prompting Gundobad to return to the kingdom and fight with his brothers to become his father's sole heir. Without support, Glycerius surrendered without a fight. Nepos spares his life and he becomes the Bishop of Salonae.

POPE SIMPLICIUS: Roman Catholic Pope from 468-483. He defended the position of the Council of Chalcedon and refuted the assertion that Rome was equal to the eastern patriarchs. When Odovacar ended the Western Empire, few administration changes were made in Rome and Simplicius remained firmly in control of the city.

THEODORIC STRABO: Chieftain of the Thracian Ostrogoths. He was the biological nephew of Aspar's wife and was a rival of Theodoric the Great, who led the Moesian Ostrogoths. He revolted when Aspar was murdered on Emperor Leo I's orders, and he eventually secured a peace in which the Ostrogoths received independence and 2,000 pounds of gold annually. Strabo was also appointed magister militum. He revolted again when Zeno became Eastern Emperor and helped Basiliscus rise to the throne, but he and Basiliscus had a falling out and Strabo did nothing to intervene when Zeno returned to Constantinople. Zeno tried to get Theodoric the Great to attack Strabo, but the two Theodorics joined together against Zeno. Zeno convinced the Bulgars to fight Strabo's Ostrogoths, but they were defeated. Strabo died when he pushed on to Constantinople.

GUNDOBAD: King of the Burgundians from 473-516. He was temporarily the power behind the throne in the Western Empire, but returned to Burgundy when his father Gundioc died and he inherited the kingdom along with his three brothers. He wasn't content with his fourth of the kingdom and turned against his brothers, killing Gundomar in 486 and Chilperic in 493. Both he and Godegisel tried to gain the favor of Frankish king Clovis, who eventually sided with Godegisel. Gundobad was forced to pay a yearly tribute, but later broke the agreement and besieged Godegisel in Vienne, and he murdered him in 501 after breaking into the city via the aqueduct. He made peace with the Franks, became a Catholic, and died peacefully.

GENNADIUS: Patriarch of Constantinople. When the miaphysite patriarch of Alexandria Timothy II was in Constantinople, Gennadius deported him to the Chersonese. He convened a council of 81 bishops against simony. He is believed to have died in Cyprus.

ACACIUS: Patriarch of Constantinople. At the behest of Catholic Pope Simplicius, he argued against Basiliscus and Timothy II's condemnation of the council of Chalcedon. He exceeded his authority by appointed the next Patriarch of Antioch, but Simplicius excused it as a necessity. When conflict arose over who would be the Patriarch of Alexandria, Acacius sought to claim jurisdiction over all of the East, so he supported the miaphysite claimant and set out to reconcile the Eastern churches. He wrote up the Henotikon, a compromise directed at the miaphysites in Egypt. This brought indignation from Simplicius and his successor Felix III, and Acacius's refusal to comply got him perpetually excommunicated. Threats of excommunication to Zeno and the church of Constantinople didn't resolve the issue, and Acacius died while campaigning to obtain acceptance of the Henotikon throughout the East.

JULIUS NEPOS: Western Emperor from 474-475. He was the son of former magister militum Nepotianus, nephew of magister militum per Illyricum Marcellinus, and husband of Eastern Emperor Leo I's niece. He was sent by Leo to claim the throne in Rome after Gundobad appointed his own emperor, Glycerius. When Nepos arrived in Rome, Glycerius gave up without a fight after aid from Gundobad failed to materialize. He negotiated with the Visigoths by ceding them Auvergne in return for them leaving Provence, and he was forced to recognize Vandal controlled of Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and the Baleares. His appointed magister militum, Orestes, raised an army and forced him Nepos to flee to Ravenna and then Dalmatia, and he was replaced as emperor by Orestes's son, Romulus Augustus. He was killed by his soldiers in Dalmatia, and it is suspected that Glycerius was behind the plot.

 

[Burton K Wheeler]

One thing I've found with collapsing the East AND West Roman Empires is that there just aren't enough barbarians to go around (as hard as that is to believe). I would have had the Huns return to the steppes as OTL, but it just didn't look right on the map (which will be finalized after the TL gets to 475) to have that territory blank, and I also would have Achaea collapse as well if I could. The Isaurians will only survive until I can find some other power to put in Anatolia.

I'd suggest that you have the Slavs go south into the corpse of the Eastern Empire. Slavic Anatolia would be very interesting to see, especially as the TL proceeds over the centuries. And yeah, kudos on destroying Byzantium early as opposed to as late as possible. It's good to see fresh ideas like that.

 

[Jaydoh]

Here's the map. Please comment.