An Age of Miracles Continues: The Empire of Rhomania

That much "disposable" labour could offer two large investments, if the empire was not being governed by facists. First, a massive roads and ports upgrading and expanding, with second, new settlements on those new networks. With the highlands becoming wilder, it would make sense to building new roads into them and organize it. The cost would be monumental, but with the mini ice age, now is the time to find and develop new lands not needed to be considered before. The higher elevations would experience the seasonal melt earlier, and could be what puts the potato on the Roman plate. And stop messing around and finally invent blue potato gnocchi.

Heraklios needs to wake the hell up. I know not every Sideros is going to be like the first three, it just sucks he is right after them. Like he could have been just a caretaker Sideros and that wouldn't have been tough, even with the mini ice age. I hope at least some cultural blossoming will happen like modern theatre and orchestras. He is indulgent if not indolent. Chariot racing too, imagine the bitter irony of the masses watching better fed horses running around while chewing their free loaf.
 
The Romans are doing the Enclosure Acts just as the Kingdom of England did IOTL. And just as in England, it's spawning masses of human misery in the name of agricultural efficiency.

The Army of Suffering must be a peasant revolt that grows into a national crisis of sorts.
 
The Army of Suffering must be a peasant revolt that grows into a national crisis of sorts.
Judging from where the story is going, I am thinking the Army of Suffering consists of dispossessed peasants that are too impoverished and very desperate for any kind of money/social mobility.

A revolt/revolution against the Tourmarches is certainly likely though. Unhappy people being forced to fight is not a recipe for high morale.

Heraklios needs to wake the hell up.
I think he is too busy whoring around with his mistress to care.
 
Are the Tourmarches looking to expand the size of the Roman army too? IIRC the Romans are the only ones with an entirely standing army, so an expansion will strain the finances.
Are they generate additional revenue too?
 
Rhomania might turn from ‘a state with an army’ into ‘an army with a state’. Others, including Nereas, seemed to like such an idea.
Somebody has a little Frederick in him. Whether he has the tactical genius and organisational acumen however, is yet to be seen.

Cheap labour is cool and all (for the rich), but all it takes is another crisis or a speck of economical mismanagement to spark off the flames of revolution among the unemployed and angry youth. All in all, this sets the stage for an exciting age of revolutions. Vlachia, Rhomania, Germany (again?) taking center stage before all of Europe is lit ablaze.
 
It may still be policy. I have noticed the threads on the Ukraine war in political chat are cut off around 500 pages.
This is wierding me out.

I'm 99% sure that requirement was removed but I can't find where Ian said it's no longer necessary and it looks like mods are still enforcing it for some reason, or at least Burton seems to be. I'll just go ask.
 
This is wierding me out.

I'm 99% sure that requirement was removed but I can't find where Ian said it's no longer necessary and it looks like mods are still enforcing it for some reason, or at least Burton seems to be. I'll just go ask.
Yes, I asked in the help topic and moderator @Burton K Wheeler indicated that although it may no longer be a technical limit, the policy is still to lock threads at 500 pages and start a new thread.

It’s not necessarily a technical limit, but we still lock threads at 500 pages.
 
almost to 500! also, I maybe this already has been resolved but is the avignon/maniz schism still ongoing at 1650? if so i've been wondering about the chances of unification even if its at first only de jure, in order to present a united front against the romans to the south and the bohmist triunes to the northwest.
 
It's a recipe for a French Revolution...and Leo Kalomares will be the Napoleon who "cleans up" the mess after.
Aging up Napoleon is a good way of making sure that he keeps his head straight. He won't have the time to play world conqueror when he's in his early 60s with a presumably young, inexperienced heir.

Assuming he takes the throne, anyway. He might just make himself "Regent for life" or something.
 
Aging up Napoleon is a good way of making sure that he keeps his head straight. He won't have the time to play world conqueror when he's in his early 60s with a presumably young, inexperienced heir.

Assuming he takes the throne, anyway. He might just make himself "Regent for life" or something.
Tbh, I would be interested to see if the Tourmarchs and then Leo might finally lead to the end of the Imperial Period, or at least the start of that road. No idea what it'll be like but it'd be interesting for sure
 
The whole period between Augustus to now, more or less, essentially are we going to see a move away from Emperors - even if to a Constitutional system
My brain did a real confusion there as I read that as 'a Constantinople system' and I was really confused for a few moments there because I thought they were already in that.
 
The whole period between Augustus to now, more or less, essentially are we going to see a move away from Emperors - even if to a Constitutional system
My pet theory is that we're going to see more legalistic approach to monarchism, where legitimacy is bound up into the monarch's role as head of state rather than their dynastic heritage. Sort of like how after the Glorious Revolution, the British monarch explicitly derives their authority from being selected by parliament rather than (just) divine right or inheritance.
 
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