One of the frequent topics on the board is the division of the Empire, and how it was needed, how it wasn't, and all other arguments around the West and the East and the Empires size being unmanageable.
Ignoring all those aspects, I've always seen an interesting scenario for the Romans being an Empire in 5s. But not the original territory, but an enlarged one, in a TL where Majorian does the seemingly impossible and rebuilds and stabilises the Western Empire. (I personally love this TL idea, and always feel sad that there aren't more Majorian timelines, alas).
My thoughts are that if you can have a functioning WRE/ERE partnership, and a heavily German Western Empire (or Gothic/Gallic, choose a cultural term here), and a highly Greek Eastern Empire, then other than the common aspect of being Roman, they'll obviously be largely different Empires in character.
So I guess this is turning into a AHC : If you have a Majorian Lives TL where he reconquers the Empire in the West, how do you have the following
1) The Central Empire (ERE minus Egypt but with Pannonia and the Black Sea).
2) The Western Empire (WRE minus Britain)
3) The Northern Empire (Britain, Germania, Scandinavia)
4) The Eastern Empire (Persia)
5) The Southern Empire (Egypt, Arabia, Ethiopia)
This includes some sort of functional method of co-operation, a lingua franca, and peace. A nominal or practical 'uber-Emperor' is acceptable, but I'd be curious how it works.
I'm also curious as to the cultures that dominate these groupings, and whether or not there is any major cross-jurisdiction culture groups, and what you imagine the dominance common culture would be.
Ignoring all those aspects, I've always seen an interesting scenario for the Romans being an Empire in 5s. But not the original territory, but an enlarged one, in a TL where Majorian does the seemingly impossible and rebuilds and stabilises the Western Empire. (I personally love this TL idea, and always feel sad that there aren't more Majorian timelines, alas).
My thoughts are that if you can have a functioning WRE/ERE partnership, and a heavily German Western Empire (or Gothic/Gallic, choose a cultural term here), and a highly Greek Eastern Empire, then other than the common aspect of being Roman, they'll obviously be largely different Empires in character.
So I guess this is turning into a AHC : If you have a Majorian Lives TL where he reconquers the Empire in the West, how do you have the following
1) The Central Empire (ERE minus Egypt but with Pannonia and the Black Sea).
2) The Western Empire (WRE minus Britain)
3) The Northern Empire (Britain, Germania, Scandinavia)
4) The Eastern Empire (Persia)
5) The Southern Empire (Egypt, Arabia, Ethiopia)
This includes some sort of functional method of co-operation, a lingua franca, and peace. A nominal or practical 'uber-Emperor' is acceptable, but I'd be curious how it works.
I'm also curious as to the cultures that dominate these groupings, and whether or not there is any major cross-jurisdiction culture groups, and what you imagine the dominance common culture would be.