Deleted member 67076
Constantius III was a Roman military commander during the early years of the chaotic Fifth Century who became one of the most celebrated and one of the few competent figures during the period.
During much of the 410s he became the effective power behind the throne, serving as Generalissimo to Honorius and cleaning the Roman House, ending the threat of several usurpers, defeating and demobilizing the Visigothics (eventually settling them in Aquitaine), reintegrating the disparate Western Roman Armies back under central command, and generally clobbering the Alans, Silingi, Suevi and other barbarians in the region.
Despite his many achievements (and how relatively quickly he was able to do all this), I don't see him able to magically solve all the problems of the Roman state all at once, simply because the structural issues of the chaotic period between the 390s-420s were beginning to pile up.
Issues such as:
-The Western Roman Army being around 45% smaller than its 395 due to frequent civil war, invasion, cost cutting measures, etc
-The empty spots of the Roman Field Army having to be staffed with barbarian troops, fresh recruits and garrison troops not used to offensive and mobile operations
-Rome working in practice like a One Party State
-Infrastructural and agricultural damage caused from marauding barbarians.
-A mounting budget deficit caused from lack of tax collection, lower yields and marauding barbarians.
-Marauding Barbarians
-Damaging the various barbarian tribal groups in battle has the annoying habit of causing them to put aside their differences and unify, such as with the Franks, Visigoths, and Vandals
-People inevitably wanting to challenge his rule, especially if and when Honorius dies
-Honorius dying, thus prompting his promotion to the purple and ironically weakening his position, since now he is bound by imperial duties and lacks the freedom he once had to conduct operations)
-The Huns are coming, prompting even more invasions of Roman soil
And other stuff. Still, his death prompted a decade of chaos and even more civil war, usurpations and invasions until Aetius comes around in the 430s. Avoiding that might do wonders.
During much of the 410s he became the effective power behind the throne, serving as Generalissimo to Honorius and cleaning the Roman House, ending the threat of several usurpers, defeating and demobilizing the Visigothics (eventually settling them in Aquitaine), reintegrating the disparate Western Roman Armies back under central command, and generally clobbering the Alans, Silingi, Suevi and other barbarians in the region.
Despite his many achievements (and how relatively quickly he was able to do all this), I don't see him able to magically solve all the problems of the Roman state all at once, simply because the structural issues of the chaotic period between the 390s-420s were beginning to pile up.
Issues such as:
-The Western Roman Army being around 45% smaller than its 395 due to frequent civil war, invasion, cost cutting measures, etc
-The empty spots of the Roman Field Army having to be staffed with barbarian troops, fresh recruits and garrison troops not used to offensive and mobile operations
-Rome working in practice like a One Party State
-Infrastructural and agricultural damage caused from marauding barbarians.
-A mounting budget deficit caused from lack of tax collection, lower yields and marauding barbarians.
-Marauding Barbarians
-Damaging the various barbarian tribal groups in battle has the annoying habit of causing them to put aside their differences and unify, such as with the Franks, Visigoths, and Vandals
-People inevitably wanting to challenge his rule, especially if and when Honorius dies
-Honorius dying, thus prompting his promotion to the purple and ironically weakening his position, since now he is bound by imperial duties and lacks the freedom he once had to conduct operations)
-The Huns are coming, prompting even more invasions of Roman soil
And other stuff. Still, his death prompted a decade of chaos and even more civil war, usurpations and invasions until Aetius comes around in the 430s. Avoiding that might do wonders.