A/N: Hello all! I'm here again with another Chapter of Roma Renovata est. As said before, Majorian's time is winding down as he goes into his 50s. What will happen during this time remains to be seen...
The Turning of the Wheels
473AD
In comparison to the years both preceeding and following, the times of 472-481 were a relatively peaceful time for the Empire. The year of 473 was no different in this regard, being in a time for recovery and stabilisation of the empire.
That is not to say that nothing happened in this time, nor did it mean things were perfect in the empire. Though things like corruption and economic instability were less crippling, these were still issues the empire had to deal with. Whilst Majorian tryed to fix these issues in the first half of his reign with varying degrees of success, he knew he would not be able to fully deal with issues such as these at this stage. He was now in his 50s, so he did not have the same energy as he did when he started his reign. More importantly, his affliction, which had been getting steadily worse as the years went on, meant he could not be as active in the day to day proceedings as he once was.
He would ultimately have to leave those issues to his son and successor Theodosius, hoping he would be able to continue on the trajectory Rome had set. For now, Majorian was content with his work. He had managed to take the sickly, dying empire and against all odds, had brought it back from near total destruction. For the first time since West split from East, the Western Roman Empire was on the rise. Though still not as mighty as it had once been, it was no longer a mere shadow, but an entity capable of standing against those that wished to oppose it.
Now the new generation was coming in, and Majorian wanted his successor to be as prepared as possible. In April of 473, Majorian reached out to Leo for a swap. Arcadius would be sent West while Theodosius would be sent East in order to further their training. After a month of waiting for a response, Leo agreed to this offer/request. Starting from July of 473, both were to go to their respective sides for 5 years. This only ended up lasting a year.
Despite its rather short span, this would be important, as it would mark the first meeting of Honorius and Arcadius. Though it took a bit as a result of the clashing personalities of the two, Honorius' charm eventually won Arcadius over. This establishment of friendship would become one of the most important factors for the survival of the west in just a couple of decades time.
In was also during this that Honorius would meet Rugalius, the son of Procopius Soranus. Rugalius was similar to Honorius in his energetic extroversion. As a result, it wasn't long before the two became friends, as well as friendly rivals. Rugalius essentially became a second to Honorius, being his best and most trusted friend. Alongside Aetius, these three could be seen as something of a mini triumvirate, especially as they were later known as the 3rd Triumvirate.
Most surprisingly, Arcadius and Luccius also became something of friends during this time, bonding over their love of books, particularly plays and philosophical texts. Luccius also came to respect the tenacity and energy of Honorius during this time, though still not enjoying his company.
Perhaps even more surprising than Luccius being friendly was news from beyond the Germannic Kingdoms. In Late 473, there were reports of raids on the borders, particularly the Alemanni and Rugii borders. What was most shocking was the group doing the raiding; the Huns. Whilst their empire had fallen, the Huns themselves had remained under their kings. Back in 469, under their kings Dengizick and Ermak had won some minor victories against the ERE and had raided south of the Danube. Since their fall at the Battle of Nedao, the Huns had been slowly rebuilding, trying to reestablish themselves.
Though still not as powerful as they were under Attila, they were slowly becoming a threat. One that could be staved for the time being, but a threat nevertheless. It worried Majorian and his administration that in due time, the Huns could force the Germannic Kingdoms to force themselves into Roman territory, as they had done when they first arrived.
Majorian knew that he needed to prepare for such an eventuality, namely by securing his borders. He decided he would start with the Kingdom of Armorica. Though small, Armorica had been something of a blindspot to the empire. It proximity to Gaul meant that should the likes of the Franks push into Gaul again, then Gaul could be at severe risk. Majorian would begin to prepare to reconquer lost lands once again.
One last time.
A/N: And that is all for now! Bit of a shorter Chapter compared to recent ones, mainly acting as a set up to later events in the story. Majorian now has his sights set on Armorica, intent on stabilising the frontiers against the Huns. We shall see how that goes soon. Thank you to everyone who has read this series, it has been great to all the discussions the memes and the feedback, so please, keep them coming! See you next Chapter!