An Age of Miracles Continues: The Empire of Rhomania

Well, you've got one more Megas Kyr supporter in your corner dude, good luck.

Awesome! Thank you so much for your support.

Travel safe, wash your hands, and eat your onions.

Is that to help with social distancing? I remember 10-year-old-me loved eating garlic bagels for breakfast because everyone would then leave me alone.


I made it home. Still really tired but other than that am fine. Thank you all for your support and kind words; I really appreciate them. You all stay safe and healthy.

Not touching your face is harder than it sounds.
 
If you click on the Post# on the top-right corner of a post, it'll link directly to it; for example, the direct link to your latest update is https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...s-the-empire-of-rhomania.352434/post-20339331, which you can copy by right-clicking on it.

Every post has a small number next to it. If you click that, you'll get sent to that specific post. Then you can just copy & paste the link.

EDIT: ninja'd!

Thank you both. Been using the right-click of the number to make a link, but that only does the page. Been really annoying me when posting the Patreon stuff.

Alrighty here's the new map! Mostly just updated island asia and added new thingies in the corner since the old betas aren't a symbol ttl. Lemme know if you guys have any suggestions or questions!

What’s the symbol on the lower right supposed to represent? I’ve only seen it in Stargate SG-1 (and there will be a Roman version of that ITTL).

Can I ask what is he supposed to be nickname?
Though I still like him to be called the islam slayer. If not well there is also nicknames that is well suited for his legacy "the wrathful, the bloody and the vengeful".

I was thinking “the Comet”, as in ‘spectacular and seen by all’, but continuing the astronomical theme I was on at the time I came up with that. But unless there’s a historical Great Comet happening during his reign (which I have to re-check, but I’m pretty sure the answer is no), it feels rather random.

New Constantinople was in Ambon all this time?

I always thought it was Manila! I have no idea how that got into my head.

When New Constantinople was founded, I said it was on Ambon but since then have just been saying New Constantinople. So it was a case of missing one-line. Sorry for the confusion.

If I recall there are 4 Kaptenates. Taprobane(Sri Lanka), Singapura (Singapore and Malaya), New Constantinople (Indonesia and Papua), and Pygros(Philippines).

In terms of strength Taprobane is the strongest while Pygros is the weakest but all are expanding power rapidly as more and more natives are Romanized.

These updates have been enlightening on the relative strengths of the eastern powers. I thought that the Triunes would be main impediment to Rhoman dominance but it is pretty clear that Spain will be the main opponent especially with Triunes and Lotharingians killing each other for the foreseeable future.

I still think that long term Rome is going to come to utterly dominate the arc from Taprobane to the Philippines; their approach to race and integration is just far superior to all others; but it is clear it will not happen as quickly or one-sidedly as I originally thought.

One OOC advantage of doing all these regional updates is that it’s making me flesh out areas, which gives me new ideas for taking things. It was fun taking my occasional comments and turning them into a coherent narrative.

I echo those who have said that these regional updates are quite good. Not only are they up to this timeline's usual high standard in terms of writing they also get me to look up information about a time and place I knew next-to-nothing about. Early/Mid-Modern Asia was a fascinating place!

Thank you. It’s been fun looking into early modern Indonesia.

Rome has settlements in papua? Where? Not doubting you just wondering so i can add it to the map

There’s been some exploration of the area by Romans and Spanish to see whether there’s anything worth anything beyond the Moluccas, but no settlements. There’s nothing there that justifies the expense. Think the OTL Spanish explorations of the region in the 1500s.

I wonder if there is anything like the Treaty of Tordesillas ITTL to clearly delineate the spheres of influence of the Catholic powers or Arletian powers. Arles is probably unable to compete with Spain so quietly hunkers down and tries to grab what it can.

New Constantinople choosing to go tall I see. How does it compare to Pekan's 40k population?

Do you mean first two btw? Latter two are under Spanish influence.

Updates getting soooo close to Australia. I'm wondering how soon Europe will rediscover and scheme for it again.

No delineating treaties. It’s a case of ‘first come, first serve’.

New Constantinople has a smaller population, around 15,000. It doesn’t have the space.

Banggai and Manado were vassals of Ternate or Tidore, so when the Romans took over the overlord, they followed. When the Portuguese replaced the Romans as the hegemon, Banggai and Manado followed along and are currently under Spanish influence.

Things are looking interesting. I do hope that Rhomania takes most of Australia as they could name it Notosia or Notia edafi. Making the capital sideroupoli in otl Melbourne perhaps.

Another reason for ending Wu is that it opened up the possibility of having a Roman Australia.

Yes, though I hope that the Australian Aboriginal people manage to get into the Varangian Guard.

Hadn’t considered that.

Maori Varangians: I had not considered that, but I love the idea.

I wonder if Georgia is gonna take a bigger bite out of the ottomans than the trans aras region
I think to go further would require some level of hands-off control. Effectively finding a regional minority to empower. In this case maybe Azeri - or the Mazanderani. The latter is a good target I think, as it'd allow Georgia to dominate the Caspian, and whilst it is quite fortified with mountains and the like, it opens a second, easily defended front for the Georgians, but less so for the Iranians.

Mazandaran could work. It’s compact and isolated from the rest of Persia. Otherwise further Georgian expansion would be just biting random chunks off of the Iranian plateau, and that seems like a bad long-term idea.

Who here has been active on this tl since 2012?

Me.

Personally, I want the Maori to colonize the Wu remnants and form the great Aotearoan Empire and go on to rule over all Polynesians.

That would be a cool idea. I like the idea of an independent Kingdom of Hawaii that stays independent (although it probably ends up sucked into the orbit of one of the big Pacific powers).


The next ‘Megas Kyr’ update has been posted on Patreon, which looks primarily at the opening years of Theodoros II’s reign, a war with the Bulgarians, frictions with his nobles, and a sudden debilitating illness that leads one Michael Palaiologos to get ambitious.

Thank you again for your support.
 
@Basileus444 to be honest with you I have no idea what it's supposed represent. I just kinda put it in there because it just looked cool. If anybody has any suggestions for a symbol to put in its place I would be happy to add it.
Also Rhoman stargate? Fuck yeah!
 
Mazandaran could work. It’s compact and isolated from the rest of Persia. Otherwise further Georgian expansion would be just biting random chunks off of the Iranian plateau, and that seems like a bad long-term idea.

Do the Ottomans have a Caspian Sea Navy? I assume the Georgians are still the premier naval power in the Sea to protect their capital. Aside from Mazandaran, Georgia could take the rest of non-allied Caspian Coast as a gateway to rich Transoxiana.
 
I really love how well Georgia is doing, I can't wait for them to tag team the ottmans with the rhomans. Hopefully they wont ever try to betray the the empire any time soon!
 

Cryostorm

Monthly Donor
I really love how well Georgia is doing, I can't wait for them to tag team the Ottomans with the Rhomans. Hopefully they wont ever try to betray the the empire any time soon!
Really depends on their future ambitions. They are essentially about to reach their apex as they are bounded by the Rhomans to the west, the Russians to the north, the Ottomans to the south, and the Caspian and more Ottomans/Turkic tribes to the east. So unless they decide to betray someone, which would be epically stupid as all three of their neighbors can take them one-on-one, then they may need to find a way to improve that does not include expanding their borders.
 
I remember they used to be really good at making armor if im correct, what sort of industry is Georgia known for now? And what will their economy be like after the first industreal revolution?
 
Really depends on their future ambitions. They are essentially about to reach their apex as they are bounded by the Rhomans to the west, the Russians to the north, the Ottomans to the south, and the Caspian and more Ottomans/Turkic tribes to the east. So unless they decide to betray someone, which would be epically stupid as all three of their neighbors can take them one-on-one, then they may need to find a way to improve that does not include expanding their borders.
Interntal Devolpment most likely strengthing the borders, spreading their religon in their terriotry and their culture as well
 
I remember they used to be really good at making armor if im correct, what sort of industry is Georgia known for now? And what will their economy be like after the first industreal revolution?

I don't know about the first industrial revolution but with all that oil in and around the Caspian Sea they are very well set up for the future, especially if they keep close relations with Rhomania and Russia.

@Wolttaire is right - Georgia should look inward. Better infrastructure is key. Building roads in the Caucuses isn't an easy endeavor but it needs to be done. Same with improving port facilities and eventually railroads. Not to mention things like better education and other social services for their people.
 
Just want to check. Spain is actually the union between Portugal and Spain ruled by the Portuguese king? What is the name of this country, Spain, Portugal-Spain or something else?
 
Just want to check. Spain is actually the union between Portugal and Spain ruled by the Portuguese king? What is the name of this country, Spain, Portugal-Spain or something else?
No.

Spain ITTL is a union of Portugal and Castile. It is called Spain. Aragon is independent ITTL rather than Portugal. They are not ruled by a king of one country just like Spain never was. It's king is king of Portugal AND Castile, though the capital city is Lisbon.
 
But the ruling family is from portugal, correct?
That's not how a personal union works. It's a union of crowns, that involves a marriage. They'd be at least part Castilian. And even if they were wholely one or the other it functionally does not matter.

The royal family lives and rules in Portugal, an intrinsic part of Spain, and have done so for at least a century. Even if they were Habsburgs they'd long since be Spanish, not German and not Portuguese or Castilian. It is one country, joined in constitutional (not just personal) union. The monarch is raised in their culture. To draw a distinction between Portugal and Castile ITTL would be like comparing South and North France IOTL. Portuguese and Castilian (along with Galician and Leonese for that matter) are just regional varieties of Spanish culture and dialects of their language. They don't fundamentally matter from the perspective of the question 'what culture is the ruling family?' It'd be like saying English kings were Sussexian (Sussexer? Sussaxon? Sussexite?) or French kings were Parisian, technically correct but functionally a pointless descriptor to the people of the period.
 
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