Divergent Longitudes: an East-West swap scenario

[shearsforest]

---

Romulus and Remus, suckling on the teats of the she-wolf.

“To this very day, Europe is one of the states most
enriched with history. The tale of the European
peoples stretch for thousands of years, from the
humble Minoans of Crete, all the way to the
multicultural People's Republic. However, Europe's
history is commonly taken to have started with the
rise of a small kingdom in the city of Rome in 0 AUC [754 BCE].”
— Manchu-European author, Dale Wieyang, 2775 AUC [2022 CE]​

The story of Europe is the story of the Romans, for as much as the demographics of Europe have changed since then, the Romans have been the guiding and dominant force throughout Europe, and it is safe to say that both are heavily intertwined.

Rome's origins are unknown, but it is believed that the kingdom arose from local tribes uniting into a single polity around 5 AUC [748 BCE]. The more retold version of their origin comes from European mythology. There were once two brothers, named Romulus and Remus, who were abandoned as children, but raised by a she-wolf. This shared bond quickly eroded once they grew into men, and devolved to constant arguments and in-fighting between the two. When Remus proposed the construction of a city, the brothers disagreed on where to place the foundation, and Romulus ended up bludgeoning his brother. It is here where the city of Rome gets its name.

The city would grow to encompass more of the surrounding peoples, ultimately transforming into a monarchy. This monarchy would be overthrown in 245 AUC [509 BCE], creating a republic on the Italian Peninsula and Hispania[1], which would persist until the early 8th centurion AUC [44 BCE]. It is at this point that a conspiracy surrounding general Julius Caesar would boil over into a failed assassination attempt[2]. From here onward, it seemed as if Caesar's mind was different from his mind before the attack, and far more insane.

Caesar would wage war against the other generals, even going as far as to unify Gaul under his command. He would succeed in this massive endeavor, starting the Caesarean dynasty of the Roman Empire, which would exist in various different forms until 2665 [1912 CE], when it would become a democracy yet again.

To those interested in Roman history, this origin is well-known. We will skip over much of the details, moving straight to the end of the Warring Generals and the assassination that changed Roman history.

[1] While unmentioned here, European history begins to diverge from our own after Rome and Carthage sign a peace treaty during the 3rd century BC, thus averting the Second Punic War. Rome remains within Italy and Hispania, while Carthage falls into a relative period of decline.

[2] Another divergence from our timeline comes during the assassination of Julius Caesar. The conspiracy goes as in our timeline, with other senators enraged at Caesar's dominance over the Senate. One of the conspirators' blades strikes Caesar in the skull, altering his personality to become more belligeric. This culminates with him causing a Roman Civil War against the other generals of Rome, creating his own dynasty, and waging a war of conquest against the Celtic tribes of Gaul. He will be a parallel to the Dragon Emperor, Qin Shi Huang.

 

[shearsforest]

— MAP INTERLUDE —
Ides and Tides of History​

---

A map of the Mediterranean in 44 BC, days before the failed assassination of Julius Caesar.​

 

[shearsforest]

— MAP INTERLUDE —
Ave, Caesar!​

---

A composite map of the Caesarian wars of conquest, and neighboring countries in 28 BC.​

 

[shearsforest]

---

The fateful assassination attempt that changed European history.

“Et tu, Brute?”
— Then Roman senator and general, Julius Caesar, 710 AUC [44 BCE]​

Thus would have ended the life of Gaius Julius Caesar, Rome's most renowned general.

Many European scholars have speculated, based on a close analysis of Caesar after the attack, that the assassination plot against him could have ended entirely differently. Fortunately, it is believed that one of the conspirators' blades narrowly missed vital parts of his brain, leaving him alive but giving him enough brain damage to explain his growing madness over the next decades.

Days after the attack, after Caesar had recovered, it is reported that he would express reverence to the gods for granting him another chance to live, a chance to avenge his assassination and cement himself in history. He would even sleep with his wife after he had recovered, believing that his current streak of luck will pass on to his potential heirs. While other senators had heard of the attack, the failure to kill him and his behavior over the next few days convinced others, as well as much of the populace of Rome, that he was favored by the gods to rule. It is in this state of public adoration that Caesar made a move that would pivot Roman and European history on another path entirely:

He would name himself as Emperor, picking the imperial name Julian.

The Imperator, as Julian would be called centuries hence, would then begin a series of daring conquests, cementing him as one of the greatest generals in human history.

Initially, Julian would cross the Alps[1] over into Hispania, creating a bridge between then-exclaves Massalia and Narbonia, before marching into northern Iberia and taking on the Vascones, Cantabri, and Astures. He would then proceed to annex tribe after tribe, making his way down to the Counei and Lusitani before finishing off central Iberia. For the next leg of his conquests, Julian would begin a conquest of Gaul, first in Aquitania, then the coastlines, and just like in Iberia, central Gaul last. One notable conflict during this period of his conquests was the Battle of Alesia, which allowed him to conquer Gaul and proceed onwards to Germania.

It is in Germania that Julian would perform one of his greatest feats yet: the construction of a massive series of fortifications along the Rhine: the Great Rhenish Wall(s). While initially a set of structures, later emperors would add onto the walls and connect them into one massive fortification.

It is also here that historians start to notice another thing the great Emperor is known for: his insanity. As detailed in his writings, Julian would begin to reflect on his many European conquests thus far, connecting them to his idol: Alexander III of Macedon. In this mindset, he would grow more and more unhinged throughout his entries in Germania, explaining that he wants to be like Alexander and take over just one more territory. This mindset would take him to Illyria, where he would fight numerous more campaigns before being killed in battle in 28 BC.

Lasting over 16 years, the Caesarean wars of conquest would see Rome elevated from a Mediterranean power to the dominant nation in Europe. This isn't solely from the war, for in between his campaigns, an exhausted Caesar would settle in Rome, where he would pass reforms designed to centralize the state and standardize currency, measures, and writing across the empire.

Immediately after his death, the role of Roman emperor would be disputed between Caesar's heirs, but through circumstances that will be discussed next, it would go to Caesar's 15-year old son: Veturius.

[1] To elaborate a bit further on the (First) Punic War, the Treaty of Lutatius goes differently; Sicily is partitioned similarly to its condition before the war, while Rome and Carthage agree to have peace between each other. This, in turn, butterflies Hannibal Barca's crossing of the Alps, a feat now held by Julius Caesar.

 

[shearsforest]

I've decided to keep track of people and their established equivalents in OTL thus far.

Key
OTL equivalent — TTL equivalent

QIN DYNASTY
Qin Shi Huang (Qin dynasty's first and most famous ruler) — Julius Caesar/Emperor Julian
Qin Er Shi (Qin Shi Huang's lesser sucessor) — Caesar Veturius/Emperor Veturian; no OTL equivalent, hypothetical 4th child of Julius Caesar
Li Si (assistant to Qin Shi Huang and Qin Er Shi) — Mark Antony
Zhao Gao (eunuch instrumental in bringing down the Qin dynasty) — ???
Ziying of Qin (rump final ruler of Qin dynasty) — ???
EIGHTEEN KINGDOMS / CHU-HAN STRUGGLE
Xiang Yu (ruler of Chu) — Sextus Pompey
Liu Bang/Gaozu of Han (ruler of Han; first Han emperor) — Gaius Octavius/Emperor Augustus
HAN DYNASTY
...
Xian of Han (last emperor of the Han dynasty) — (Marcus Aurelius) Severus Alexander(?)
Dong Zhuo (Chinese warlord) — ???
THREE KINGDOMS
Cao Cao (ruler of Cao Wei) — Gallienus(?)
Sun Quan (ruler of Eastern Wu) — Postumus(?)
Liu Bei (ruler of Shu Han) — Odaenathus(?)

 

[shearsforest]

Not logged in • Sign up • Log in​

AMIJITEN

​

🔍Search...

🔒 This is a medium-risk article. Edits have been limited to registered users.🔒​

Julian
(READ • VIEW SOURCE • ARTICLE HISTORY • DISCUSSION)

---

from Amijiten, the public information database.​

日付と名前は、一部の視聴者のためにニッポニア語[1]から「英語」[2]コンラングと即興ユリウス暦[3]に翻訳されています。元の記事にアクセスするには、ここをクリックしてください。

Dates and names have been translated from Nipponian[1] to the "English"[2] conlang and Improvised Julian[3] calendars for some audiences. To access the original article, click here.

Julius Caesar (12 July 100 BC – 4 September 28 BC), or Julian, was officially the first Roman emperor who reigned from 44 BC until his death in 28 BC. He is known for being the founder of the Julian dynasty, the first dynasty of the Roman Empire, and is renowned by historians as one of the greatest leaders in human history. His cognomen was subsequently adopted as a synonym for "Emperor"; the title "Caesar" was used throughout the Roman Empire.

Caesar was an accomplished author and historian as well as a statesman; much of his life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns. Contemporary accounts of him vary from praise to disdain, and controversy has erupted over some aspects of his wars of conquest and his brief periods of reforms in between campaigns, largely sparked by assessments from the succeeding Augustine dynasty. Ever since the mid-20th century, scholars have largely shifted their perspective, creating considerable discussion on the actual nature of his policies and reforms. Regardless, according to eurologist Zhen Yichang, "few would contest the view that the achievements of his reign have exercised a paramount influence on the whole of Europe's subsequent history, marking the start of an epoch that ended in 1911".

---

AUTHOR NOTES:
[1] A form of Japanese, partly influenced by neighboring Chinese and Korean languages.
[2] A conlang that imagines a Brythonic language with greater influence from Anglic and European dialects.
[3] An adjusted form of the Julian calendar that corrects discrepancies by fixing the leap year system. Equivalent to the Gregorian calendar.

 

[shearsforest]

— MAP INTERLUDE —
Octavian is the New Romulus​

---

The Roman Empire in 117 AD.​

 

[shearsforest]

---

Marcus Antonius, higher Roman official.​

In the wake of the death of Emperor Julian, his son Veturius was chosen by Mark Antony (a friend of the elder Caesar) and [ZHAO GAO EQUIVALENT] to avoid the accession of Veturius' brother Octavian, who was their rival. This was done through the means of an imperial Edict that ordered Octavian to kill himself. When it seemed like that had happened, Veturius was placed on the throne, becoming the next Roman emperor. This has been called into question by recent findings, which show that Veturius personally went and killed off Octavian so he can be the next emperor. In a twist of fate, however, the assassination wouldn't go as planned, setting up the events of the next few years.

Under the newly-crowned Emperor Veturian, the Roman Empire grew more authoritarian. Regular "purges" were conducted to ensure the absolute obedience of the highest generals to the State, and commoners were often punished for minor crimes. This was partly a result of Veturian growing mad with power like his father did, while also being the result of [ZHAO GAO]'s growing influence in Roman politics.

All of this, combined with Veturian's military incompetence as compared to his father, led the Roman Empire into a downward spiral, ultimately resulting in its fragmentation by 25 BC. As for Veturian, [ZHAO GAO] would ultimately turn on him in an attempt to gain more power, forcing Veturian to commit suicide. Following his death, [ZHAO GAO] took the throne for himself, but it was too late; the Roman government, shattered through the actions of Veturian and [ZHAO GAO], collapsed into numerous warring states and remaining generals.

This period, also known as the Veturian Fragmentation, would only last for months, as 2 rivalling forces would emerge from the mess: a Hispania-based force led by Sextus Pompey, an enemy of Caesar's, and an Italy-based force led by none other than Octavian, who had survived the attack on him by Veturian and continued to live undetected for the next several months. In a series of battles, Octavian would reconquer the Roman Empire, starting from Italy outward. Following the death of Pompey, Octavian would sit himself on the throne, proclaiming himself as Emperor Romulus.

The Romulean dynasty had begun.