Augustus' Dream Empire
Hi this would be my first major attempt at creating an alternate timeline. I'm relatively new at the map thing and so I don't really have the official colors for certain states.(Sorry!) I had a timeline with two main divergences.
Here is the map from 427CI (Years are done since the Senate declared Octavian Emperor. In Latin Its Conditam Imperator.) The previous map had the Empire own territory up to the Vistula River however a combination of the look of the Empire plus the overall size of the Empire made me reverse it and make the river Oder River the borders and I moved Rome a bit closer towards where the Carpathians are and made that kinda another natural border they use.
The Empire is formally created in 1CI when the Senate confers upon Octavian, the title Augustus. The following year Imperatrix Livia Drusilla Caesar gives birth to the first son of Imperator Augustus, Lucius Julius Caesar Augustus. Lucius is groomed to be his father's successor both by Livia and Augustus himself. Tiberius Drusus is left mostly to his own devices except for plans in the extremity of Lucius' death and military campaigns.
Tiberius Drusus is sent 31CI to aid the troops in Magna Germania in subjugating the many tribes located in the region. Publius Quinctilius Varus, a favored general of the Senate was sent to quell a rebellion in Illyricum. Arminius, Varus' close advisor and also a German was furious at the news. It would later be found out that he had planned to unify the Germans and defeat the Romans during the early battles of the Germaniae Bella.(War of Germany) The battles in Germany initially go well until the rebellion in Illyricum and by that time Tiberius along with allies Gaius Sentius Saturninus and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus had made the borders of Rome almost reach the Elbe.
After the rebellion began many legions previously assigned to aid in defeating the Germans were now moved to Illyricum to help Varus. From 33CI to 35CI the land gained by Tiberius, Gaius, and Marcus slowed to almost a crawl and it was only in early 36CI that they finally finished their conquests up to the entire Elbe river. The final battle was fought in what is today Tiberias(OTL Osnabruck) was a catastrophic defeat for the Germans. Those that were able to flee moved eastward deeper into Germania and were thus able to continue plaguing the Roman border like when it was at the Rhine, however, Imperator felt that keeping the Imperial border along the Elbe was safer then retreating back to the Rhine and allowing the tribes they recently subjugated to regain their freedoms.
In 27CI Lucius was brought forth to the Senate by Augustus. Augustus sought the approval of the Senate for Lucius to ensure that his son would be his successor in the case of Augustus' death.(This starts a precedent of the Imperators seeking the approval of the Senate for their successor.)
Finally in 41CI Augustus passes away and is succeeded by Lucius. Lucius had by this time already been married to Claudia Aemilia and had a son Germanicus. In 43CI the Senate wished to bestow upon Lucius' mother Livia the title of Mater Patriae(Mother of the Fatherland designed to go in hand with Augustus' Pater Patriae.) Lucius swiftly passes the bill in an honor to his mother.
