Responses
To Stevep: Ah yes! I recall what you are talking about now, thank you. I wrote the first part of this timeline many weeks ago, so it is slightly difficult to remember my exact thought process when dealing with this particular subject. However, I think what I did, was to have Arbogast (as we know him) butterflied away due to the altered life of his father. In any case, this renegade magister militum never becomes a significant part of the history of the Western Roman Empire in this timeline and therefore never kills Valentinian II, who lives on until A.D. 402, largely as a puppet for his mother and various ministers.
I suppose you are right in that with this revolt never occurring, the final destruction of Paganism will be much more prolonged, however, I still perceive the Pagans as swimming against the tide. The longer lifespan of Theodosius I, however, means that it is still likely that the old religion will suffer a series of rapid defeats. This allows what I consider to be several interesting alterations. First and foremost, Theodosius I will never order the massacre of several thousand Thessalonicans in response to their assassination of his military governor (who will never be assassinated). As a result he will never be excommunicated by Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, and will never have to submit to the Church, meaning that the power of the Church over the state will be greatly reduced, at least for a while. Also, the so called Theodosian decrees will be greatly altered, meaning that while the Emperor will still carry out his war on Paganism, Pagan places of worship and Pagan art will likely still endure. This means that the statue of Nike, the Goddess of Victory will never be removed, and the eternal fire, never extinguished.
I too have heard of the idea connecting the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa to the various other disasters and it does seem to be an interesting connection. Environmental changes in the present often lead to other hardships. Hmm…
To Thermopylae: Thank you, I did enjoy your timeline very much, and I hope the same is true of you with this one.
To Faeelin: Hmm, indeed an interesting question. As you’ve probably noticed in this timeline the Western Roman Empire has been left intact, while the Eastern Roman Empire (or the lands which formerly made it up) have been reduced to something akin to “spiritual and cultural deserts” (at least for a while and in terms of the native’s perspective). Therefore, due to the reforms of Theodosius II (which healed the Empire internally); Western Europe has already recovered to those levels. This of course, does not mean that there are not dark times ahead, quite the contrary, as this period has none of the hope that the Renaissance in our timeline gave the region.
As for Germania, the various tribes are busy with their rampant internecine warfare and this will continue for quite a while. Their populations, however, are slowly expanding, claiming and cultivating the wilderness and building up a small, but steady powerbase. Then too, cultural influences from their nearby powerful neighbor (Rome) are slowly, but steadily filtering into the region.
To Smaug: Thank you, I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you, but I will reveal that at least one of the things you mentioned will, at least partially, occur (although you may have to wait for the update after next to read about it).
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