Caracalla and Geta divide the Roman Empire

From the Wiki article on Geta:

"In 205 Geta and Caracalla were consuls together although they did not get along. When their father died, Caracalla tried to rule alone with his brother Geta playing the role of emperor in name only, but Geta or their mother Julia Domna wouldn't go along with this. Geta and Caracalla tried to divide the empire, but Julia Domna stood opposed."

The division was going to be through the Bosphorus, with Caracalla ruling the western half from Rome and Geta ruling the eastern half from Antioch or Alexandria.

What would have happened had Caracalla overruled his mother and the split taken place?
 
If Caracala didn't take the east his later Edict (212) would not give right of Roman citizenship to the East and Byzantium would never be Eastern Roman Empire then.Upon the fall of the west(476) the east could not hold exclusively the Imperium Romani(not that they wanted to) and that would eventually devolve upon HRE.with immediate result further and faster enstrangement between the two parts with less animosity but with attempts of the west to reconquer the east fact which would not find the eastern mediterannean in agreement and we would probably see the emergence of a hellenic empire but with an ambivellant attitude to Christianity or to the secular or spiritual power of the bishop of Rome.
 
Last edited:

OS fan

Banned
Caracalla hated his brother. The separation would have been temporary. Sooner or later, Caracalla would have attacked. This wouldn't have meant that he would automatically win, however. At this time, the population of the western half of the empire was falling, while the eastern provinces were densely populated. Which makes it even more surprising that Caracalla made such a suggestion. Yet even more so since Julia Domna also came from Syria. If it wasn't for Rome, Geta definitely would have gotten the better half of the deal.
 
Top