Can the Eastern Roman empire retake the entire Roman empire?

If a city state is able to do so, what makes it so hard for the Eastern Roman empire to retake the lands lost after the collapse of the WRE?

Why can't they take back gaul, Britain and so on?
 
I doubt it. Justinian's plague was only the immediate reason for stopping the expansion. Ultimately, the biggest problem was that the West didn't want to be under the control of the Eastern Empire. Given 100-200 years, it might have been possible. But unless we can get Islam out of the picture, I just don't see it as a likely scenario.

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Bill
 
I doubt it. Justinian's plague was only the immediate reason for stopping the expansion. Ultimately, the biggest problem was that the West didn't want to be under the control of the Eastern Empire. Given 100-200 years, it might have been possible. But unless we can get Islam out of the picture, I just don't see it as a likely scenario.

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Bill

Justinian's Plague spreads to the Arabian penisula via trade routes (there must have been some). It gets to Mecca, wipes out Mohammed's ancestors and butterflies him out of existence
 
Well, the most important problems are that the West is far more capable than the barbarians that the original Romans crushed the first time around and that the Eastern Empire is excessively dependant on competent rulers. Justinian's reconquest was possible because of an unprecedented string of competent emperors and no major civil wars.

Say, 4 or 5 competent emperors in a row with 1 or 2 exceptional ones combined with no plagues or civil wars and the Eastern Empire can certainly recover the entire Med Basin. While unlikely, there is nothing ASB about it.
 
Justinian's Plague spreads to the Arabian penisula via trade routes (there must have been some). It gets to Mecca, wipes out Mohammed's ancestors and butterflies him out of existence

The plague DID spread to the Arabian peninsula, destroying the existing polities and creating the situation which allowed the rise of Islam.
 
Well, the most important problems are that the West is far more capable than the barbarians that the original Romans crushed the first time around and that the Eastern Empire is excessively dependant on competent rulers. Justinian's reconquest was possible because of an unprecedented string of competent emperors and no major civil wars.

Say, 4 or 5 competent emperors in a row with 1 or 2 exceptional ones combined with no plagues or civil wars and the Eastern Empire can certainly recover the entire Med Basin. While unlikely, there is nothing ASB about it.

Also your got the additional problem that the empire and neighbouring lands are overwhelmingly Christian by now. That means that the lands of the former empire are riven by deep and probably unbridgeable divisions. This makes it far easier for groups who want to stay outside the emperor's control to do so. During the period of Roman expansion that was not the case and religion was far less of a barrier to such expansion.

Steve
 
Also your got the additional problem that the empire and neighbouring lands are overwhelmingly Christian by now. That means that the lands of the former empire are riven by deep and probably unbridgeable divisions. This makes it far easier for groups who want to stay outside the emperor's control to do so. During the period of Roman expansion that was not the case and religion was far less of a barrier to such expansion.

Steve


I am not sure I would agree that Religion is a factor preventing the reconquest of the Western Empire.

That being said, I think we need to keep in mind that the most remarkable fact about the Roman Empire is that it retained so much of its territory for as long as it did. It simply was too large to remain stable. A reconquest of the Western Empire would not have changed that basic fact.

As far as I can tell, the Empire could never be really stable. It either had to be growing or it was in a state of decay. When it was growing, strong ambitious generals had an outlet for their ambitions. When it was in a state of decay the generals turned their ambition to the throne. In a world where it would take months to get from one end of the empire to the other, it was simply impossible to react to all the threats that were occurring.

When the Byzantine Empire had to face the challenge of Islam it contracted fairly quickly to a state that was a fraction of its size under Justinian and then managed to stay fairly stable for several centuries (and it may have persisted if not for the 4th Crusade).

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Bill
 
Justinian's Plague spreads to the Arabian penisula via trade routes (there must have been some). It gets to Mecca, wipes out Mohammed's ancestors and butterflies him out of existence

A new prophet comes out of the desert every week. New religions catch on because specific social, economic, and political circumstances leave the masses open to their message. Unless you get a substantially different situation in early 7th century Arabia you'll still get a Muhammad-type figure at some point.
 
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