Could Crete/Sicily work as Constantine's capital?

[Harald Sigurdson II]

I know alternate Constantinoples have been discussed before, but I think these two have the same benefits. As islands, they are protected from invasion, and aren't quite as developed as other cities, making it a blank slate, plus they are both in the middle of the empire, and the center of respecetively the ERE and WRE, more or less. If so, which one? Would it move? Could they both be the capitals of the West and East after the split? Would there be a Patriarchy of Knossos?

 

[St. Just]

As islands, they also have much less access to water supplies than land capitals would.

 

[Agricola]

I know alternate Constantinoples have been discussed before, but I think these two have the same benefits.

Yes, we had discussed this already. Nicomedia was the informal capital of the roman empire before it became Constantinopolis. Because it is between the 2 most important fronts of the empire: Danube and Euphrat.

So Sicily is not even close to the middle of the empire from a strategic point of view. Even Creta is worse than the Bosporus. And Creta has no perfect harbor and defensive geographical conditions like the Golden Horn. Furthermore it is an island. And seafaring is risky in roman times for at least 4 month every year.

So no, there is no other city with similar benefits. Byzantion is by far the best choice.

 

[Lampiao]

As islands, they also have much less access to water supplies than land capitals would.

There's also the minor issue of feeding the city's population.