"For I Am One Favored By the Gods": The Rise And Fall of the Mauritian Dynasty

And now... a little something extra...

PART ELEVEN B: "...OTHER LANDS AND COUNTRIES, BEAUTIFUL AND DEEP, LONGING AND ASKING FOR THE GOOD AND BRIGHT..." [1]

“…It is common to state that Macrinus’ peace created two new states in the place of one. This is a simplification. While this was the de facto result of the treaties, the legal myth was that the old eastern empire remained a single state, simply one with two heads. The loose-knit nature of the Parthian Kingdom made this a plausible concept--indeed, for most of the last century, two rival Arsacid claims had quarreled over the crown. [2] Yet in the end, a Parthian monarch ruled a contiguous state in the north, a Persian monarch ruled a contiguous state in the south, and a wise local king was expected to plan his loyalties accordingly…

“…Some have criticized Macrinus for plotting such a peace, noting that he essentially ensured that Parthians and Persians would be at each other throats for the immediate future. These critics miss the point entirely. Macrinus was the Emperor of Rome, and obligated to protect his state’s interest. What was best for the Easterners was tangential to him. The rivalry inherent in his treaty was not a flaw--it was the point. Macrinus not only weakened his Eastern rivals, but ensured that rather then seeking the destruction of Roman holdings in the region, the Parthians and Persians would want them there, to make it difficult for their rival to seize any absolute advantage over them. Both Ardashir and Vologases appreciated this balance, as did their sons. Indeed, for the next few decades, neither King of Kings would declare war on the other, conflicts between the two states being largely proxy wars fought through local chieftains and subject monarchs…

“Of course, peaceful relations with Rome and nominally peaceful relations with their fellow King of Kings did not mean that either Vologases and Ardashir were beating swords into plowshares. The eastern monarchies had always in part justified themselves by war, and the defeats each had suffered meant that both required a victory to shore up their thrones. Ironically, it would be Vologases, generally regarded by both his contemporaries and most of historians as the less-capable of the pair, who would enjoy the first successful war…

“During the War of Disputed Succession, Vologases had bribed Chorasmia with gold and promises to stay uninvolved. Now that affairs were finished, Chorasmia was determined to collect and sent ambassadors to tell Vologases this. The Arsacid king sent them away with a lengthy reply that essentially stated that he considered all promises he made to them earlier have been made under duress, and thus, not binding. This was a calculated insult, and one that Chorasmia rose to, declaring war on Vologases. The result was swift--in a year, Vologases had taken the kingdom’s capital, and in two, the entire royal family was dead, with the local nobles acknowledging the direct rule of the Parthian Arsacids, in the form of Vologases' young son, Mithradates… [3]

“The Chorasmian War is generally seen as the start--by some, as the probable impetus--of the round of empire-building that engulfed the Eastern states after the Succession War. Rome’s ally Tiridates of Armenia would soon march on his cousin Vache of Iberia, the first of many Caucasian Wars. [4] As for Ardashir--even as construction on his city of Kerman began, his eyes were already looking for some way to reacquire the air of glory that had surrounded the Sassanids at the beginning of his reign. The west was out--his troops would likely not have marched against Rome even if he wanted them to at this point--as was the north, if he wished to keep the Empire at bay. As the south was sea, Ardashir’s eyes thus naturally turned in the one direction that could give him what he desired. The Persian Shahanshah [5] looked eastward, and thus, history was made…” [6]

'WE BROTHER MONARCHS: How The Great Dynasties Changed the World.'

----------
[1] A quote from the Avestas.

[2] This was kicked off by an Arsacid named Vologases, who is generally noted as Vologases III, and to whom our Vologases (VI, if you're wondering) is only tangentally related. Things had just settled down, with the Arsacids dragging in Vologases V from Armenia, when Artabanus started them off again.

[3] IOTL, the Sassanids absorbed Chorasmia, which appears to have been quietly collapsing for some time. Vologases is able to pull it off, because even with his reduced kingdom, he's got a lot of tough experienced troops, who, even if they aren't willing to go against the Romans or the Persians so that Vologases can declare himself king of everything, are more than willing to sack a city with bad armies, delusions of grandeur, and lots and lots of money and valuables just waiting to be carried off. As for Mithradates--he's fictional, as we don't know what children Vologases had, though we know he probably had them. And keep your eye on this bastard. He's going to be having quite an effect on things...

[4] By this time IOTL, Tiridates, having been restored to his throne by Macrinus back in 217, was quietly asking the Romans for help against the Sassanids, and not getting much. Here he's got a free hand AND Vologases is perfectly willing to throw over his long-time allies Albania and Iberia to make nice with Rome and Rome's buddy Armenia. It's a bad time to be a kingdom whose survival was heavily invested in the status quo staying--well, the status quo...

[5] The predecessor of the much later padishah, it means, roughly 'King of Kings'.

[6] For those wondering about Kushan--well, consider this the opening of the answer. Ardashir's looking east. How well will he do? Only time will tell. (Well, and me, of course, but I prefer to stay in the background.)
 
Last edited:
Eh, I'll bump this as well. I kind of hope this continues, because I do want to see what happens to Rome, the city.
 
Top