Fallen Byzantium 2.0

Seraphiel

Banned
I decided to try and recreate this TL which failed so horribly the first time. this time will try to write better and longer updates along with a more plausible TL.


A gigantic earthquake rocks Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The great walls of the city are damaged tremendously as is the city itself. Confusion occupies Byzantium, fires start, looters and criminal’s rampage, and Attila gets word of it through a few very fast spies and scouts. This is too good and offer to pass he thinks and so he lets his siege equipment stay where it is and using the customary Hunnic speed rushes to the much weakened city. Once they reach the city, with its walls still not rebuilt, hell ensues (for the Romans). Hunnic soldiers attack without mercy plundering, killing raping and in general destroying everything. Theodosius manages to escape by ship and watches from his swaying warship the destruction of his city. Vowing revenge he lands in Asia Minor and plans on creating an army to overthrow the barbarian king. But the city had not fallen without a fight and Attilas army is greatly weakened and has grown a little lazy, after all they now have more than enough loot, and isn’t that the only reason they came to fight anyways? So Attila the Hun proclaims Byzantium his capital city and prepares to consolidate his massive empire. It is 448 AD and the world is altered forever.

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After the Sack

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Huns at the small Battle of Constantinople

Fighting continues in Greece between Greek and Hunnic troops with Athens being captured by the Huns exactly 6 months after the fall of Byzantium. The Peloponnesus manages to stave off the Huns long enough for Theodosius to reinforce it from Anatolia and the small peninsula remains free from barbarian rule. Attila renames Constantinople, Attilopolis (actually it was something different but this is how modern scholars have come to name it after the Hunnic conquest) and makes plans for building navy, due to constant Greek raids along his coastlines. Theodosius makes Antioch his capital and props up eastern border defenses for it seems the Persian is on the move again.

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Huns in the Battle of Greece
 
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Not much to comment on at this point. Though walls or no walls, I'd like to know how Atilla manages this - Constantinople is bound to be strongly defended, and paying dearly in blood to take the city isn't something the Huns are going to be enthusiastic about.
 
I really like the idea, to be honest. The typical thing of an alternate timeline is to give the Byzantine Empire a far longer life than history gave it. Killing it prematurely is actually surprisingly uncommon.

I'm really curious what the ripples will be of this... They will inevitably be more of a tsunami than mere ripples.
 

Seraphiel

Banned
Not much to comment on at this point. Though walls or no walls, I'd like to know how Atilla manages this - Constantinople is bound to be strongly defended, and paying dearly in blood to take the city isn't something the Huns are going to be enthusiastic about.

Unhappy Huns are going to be instrumental in this TL.

I really like the idea, to be honest. The typical thing of an alternate timeline is to give the Byzantine Empire a far longer life than history gave it. Killing it prematurely is actually surprisingly uncommon.

I'm really curious what the ripples will be of this... They will inevitably be more of a tsunami than mere ripples.

thanks will post the next update tommorow.
 
Unhappy Huns are going to be instrumental in this TL.

Well, there's a fine line between "unhappy" and "will violently overthrow Atilla for proposing this". I'm hoping (but uncertain) you're on the right side of the line, because the premise is interesting enough to want to see how that works out.
 
Hmm this is plausible.
One question since Atilla conquered Constantinople expect why didnt he proclaim himself as the ERE?
I'm also interested in what Theodosius will do.
About the revolters i doubt the huns would overthrow atilla. I mean Ailla conquered Constantinople. In effect he has just won an immense amount of prestige and glory so I doubt he can be overthrown anytime soon.

What I suggest he do to prevent Theodosius from launching a counterattack is ally with the Persians. If he allies with Persia then Theodosius will in effect be facing two hostile enemies.
Next instead of expanding further atilla must consolidate this empire. Its huge stretching from Ukraine through germany through balkans. Maintaining control will be difficult.

Plus if Atilla marries an imperial princess Im sure his legitamacy would be vastly improved. Still this is an interesting scenario. Eager to see what happens.:D
 

Seraphiel

Banned
Attila’s people were not happy at all, far too many men had died at Constantinople, and to be honest they had not gotten that much loot anyways. So on December 14th 450 AD, a young and ambitious captain in the Hun army by the name of Edeco gathered his followers (about on third or more of the Huns) and marched away from the Balkans and northwards. Treason. Attila immediately marched with his army right behind Edeco, intent on killing him and his supporters. But on the march near the small town of Morsattil (named so due to Attila dying there) Attila suffered a severe stroke and died a few days later. The Huns were at lost as what to do, and it didn’t help anything when Attilas sons started arguing. Ellac the eldest wanted to go after Edeco and kill him, Dengizik wanted to go west and attack the Western Roman Empire, while the youngest Ernakh wanted to go back south where his lovely Eudoxia waited, another spoil from Byzantium, the daughter of the Eastern Emperor himself. Ellac and Dengizik got into a sword fight a week after their father’s death and the result was a dead Dengizik and Ellac as the now most influential brother. But things didn’t go Ellacs way and Ernakh escaped with a large number of Huns. This brought Ellac to another dilemma, go after his brother or after Edeco, he chose Edeco. Ernakh went back south where his prize waited for him and Ellac marched north and towards his death.
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Ellac on his throne.
Meanwhile Edeco had already established himself in the north and had founded a Hunnic dynasty which was to rule Sarmatia for over 2 centuries.
The Persian King Yazdegerd II had finally gotten his army ready and was ready for war. The Persian and Greek armies clashed in western Mesopotamia, near the city of Callinicum. There the might of the Persian army met the best the Eastern Romans had to offer. Yazdegerd used the customary Persian tactics, using mobile archer calvary as much as possible. The Persians repeatedly attacked the Roman flanks with their archers; this forced the Romans to send their few calvary hither and thither tiring them out. After the Persians sensed that the Roman flanks and calvary were weak enough they launched an all out attack on the Eastern Roman army focusing especially on the left flank. The Persians then managed to destroy the left flank and create confusion in the Roman ranks. After that it didn’t take long and the Roman army fled from the field and Yazdegerd has won the decisive battle of Callinicum opening the way for the Persian army to take Mesopotamia. Soon after the battle a messenger arrived from the Huns in Attilopolis.

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The Battle of Callinicum
 

Seraphiel

Banned
Hmm this is plausible.
One question since Atilla conquered Constantinople expect why didnt he proclaim himself as the ERE?
I'm also interested in what Theodosius will do.
About the revolters i doubt the huns would overthrow atilla. I mean Ailla conquered Constantinople. In effect he has just won an immense amount of prestige and glory so I doubt he can be overthrown anytime soon.

What I suggest he do to prevent Theodosius from launching a counterattack is ally with the Persians. If he allies with Persia then Theodosius will in effect be facing two hostile enemies.
Next instead of expanding further atilla must consolidate this empire. Its huge stretching from Ukraine through germany through balkans. Maintaining control will be difficult.

Plus if Atilla marries an imperial princess Im sure his legitamacy would be vastly improved. Still this is an interesting scenario. Eager to see what happens.:D

Glad your interested and i think the last update answered your questions.
 
This TL is interesting. Would a surviving Western Roman Empire actually be in the works? Other than that, I'm not sure why this is discontinued but if possible, can I borrow your ideas from this TL? I was going to make a complete TL that may have elements from your TL.
 
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