Hi! I have posted this thread as a way to collect ideas on how the Germanic migrations could have gone differently for a TL I have very tenatively planned. The PoD is early in the 2nd century (in Germany) and the changes mainly begin in the Third Century for Rome, and has a better-utilized and widespread foederati system, allowing for some pretty crazy ethnic resettlements within the Imperial borders. Please strike down ASB's. Due to plague and famine in the Pre-Migration years, the core area of Roman assimilation will be heavily reduced- Southern/Central France, Northern Spain, Italy and Romania. These ideas cover many, many centuries and so far cover Germanic and Viking migrations.
So far I have:
Vandal Ethiopia- result of Vandal foederati taking over Southern Egypt after the decay of the Tetrarchy system. Vandals have boomed in size due to successful agriculture, and march down into Axum, eventually moving their capital there. The eventual state will have a Vandalo-Ethiopic culture, largely speaking Amharic as the main language. Said state will also be the main Germanic successor state with a navy. The rulers will become native, but I plan to have some Germanic influences stay due to the fractious nature of Ethiopia and Nubia as continual states.
Suehanes in Hispania- Yes, you heard me, Swedes (and some Danes) in Baetica and Lusitania. These people will be unique in clinging to their own spoken language while adopting the Roman alphabet, owing largely to economic factors (Swedish becomes the language of social mobility), Roman depopulation due to plague/famine, and the use of proto-Swedish as a religious language in the Lustenrike.
Pagan Greeks- Yes, the classic ERE scenario will be turned on its head- a new pagan-derived faith will sweep Hellas/Anatolia, and the Roman successor state there will subscribe to said faith.
Gaelic Mesopotamia- An ambitious Hibernian and Caledonian campaign, along with restless tribes and the need for troops leads to Gaelic foederati settling a war-torn, famine-stricken, formerly plague infested Mesopotamia. Prepare to see Irish Manichaeans. I liked the idea of Gaelic foederati, and it always seems that ME just gets lumped into Sassanid and ERE spheres in a post-Roman world. No longer.
Tocharian Northern France- These people move in with the Huns rather than stay in the Tarim Basin, and establish a kingdom in Aremorica before conquering plague-ridden Northern France (if not already basically established, there will be a debilitating plague before the Migrations that kills off good chunks of Roman population in many areas.
Tayfallan Britain- The Tayfals vassalize the Alans and invade Britain. The Taifal kingdom in Eboracum will first conquer Caledonia, then the rest of Brittania, and then the largely depopulated Hibernia. Since the Taifals were thought to be Sarmatic, expect some Persian titles here or there, with some Romanization. The Alans, now Ossetians, speak an East Iranian language.
Albanian Balkans (Below Danube). Encompassing much of what is now Bosnia and Croatia, the Albanians will form their own kingdom, unfettered by the invasions of the Danubian basin. They will be close to the Hellenic empire to their East due to their conversion.
Sklavenoi Italy- Romanized slavs, Slavicized Roman titles, all below the Po. The Western Slavs will be assimilated into the Huns (and conquered by the Germans).
German kingdoms covering Netherlands, Belgium, parts of Northern France, Lombardy above the Po, Switzerland, Bohemia, Austria, and eventually parts of OTL Poland, Danzig, Osel, Kurland and Prussia.
Finns with ships- Finns end up developing longships (after owning much of Scandinavia for a while) and sail to N.A. This Finnish expedition ends up in Northern Canada. While diseases wipe out many Inuit, lack of contact with the southern part of the continent prevents mass outbreaks. More Finns end up going on expedition due to attribution of divinity to the quest, and we end up with isolated Finnuit kingdoms in what is now Alaska. Estonians join towards tail end of this migration, and we have Estkimo tribes in Western Canada. These two groups consolidate into a larger Kingdom encompassing much of the Pacific North-Northwest and OTL Canada. By the time conditions for mass disease occur, the old European immunities have been bred out.
Viking Germany- Norwegians do extremely well conquering Prussians, Danzig, Poznan and Pommerania, along with Northern Germany and Jutland. Large, non-feudal Norse kingdom conquers many smaller Germanic states from Seine to Osel, from Jutland to Po. Basically fill role of Charlemagne, but with a smaller empire and better centralization. No fragmentation.
Russian Scandinavia. The Rodina owns all, the Rodina will conquer. Basically, East Slavs intermarry with remaining Nordic peoples, end up with various small principalities covering OTL Estonia, Kievan Rus, areas with Pagan Fennic tribes, Ukraine and all of Scandinavia (not Jutland, Sjaelland or Jylland- those belong to Viking kingdoms.
Arabs, Visigoths and Roman settlers in OTL Romania- A culture similar to Spanish springs from fusion of Roman settlement, Arab foederati (lots of Bedouin soldiers fighting off the Huns) and Visigoth conquerors.
Galicia as alt-Soissons. Roman culture lives on in Northern Spain and Lusitania as the old Roman culture shifts slowly into a new, non-Classical age.
Hunnic and then Avar Poland-Lithuania. Parts of both OTL states belong to a Hunnic successor state that is eventually conquered and settled by Avars, and then by Seljuq-esque Turkomans.
Anglo-Saxon Aquitainia/Septimania/Ebro March.
Now, I know some of this may be ASB, but the period we are talking about was very, very chaotic, and I think I could try to make these scenarios work. I think the Finns might have to be scrapped, but I really like the idea. I know many OTL tribes are not represented here- these are the eventual results. Many Germanic tribes will just be conquered and eventually assimilated into a larger, pan-German state.