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The effects of Dacia's conquest on the later empire is an interesting thing to ponder. It kind of left a power vacuum in the region, Roman control never being complete in the late 2nd to 3rd centuries. The power vacuum of course was filled by migrating tribes, namely the Marcomanni and the Goths.

So let's assume for a moment that Trajan does not go on a campaign of conquest of Dacia. Since I don't want to alter too many other variables, Trajan is still in power, but instead he attempts a much more limited venture against Decabalus, aimed at stopping the raids across the Danube and maybe forcing Dacia to give some form of tribute (as for his reasoning, assume he views Dacia as a distraction to a far more lucrative prize in the east). Trajan still gets sick and dies in the east before he can solidify his holdings and Hadrian still pulls back.


Now what effects does this have on the Roman Empire? How does it affect the migrations south (namely, the Goths), now that there is a strong, wealthy, and centralized independent state in Dacia?
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