Gaius Domitius Caesar
Part 1
Gaius Domitius Corbulo (henceforth referred to as Domitius), son of the late Roman general Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, hides in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire as a result of his father’s suicide by order of Emperor Nero. He narrowly escapes the emperor’s soldiers in Syria by fleeing southward to Judaea, but in doing so Domitius can no longer escape to Parthia where he sought asylum and instead finds himself in the middle of a province engulfed by war and rebellion with only a handful of loyal retainers. After weeks of evading Romans and rebellious Judeans, Domitius is captured by legionaries loyal to General Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the Roman commander that Nero assigned the task of suppressing the Jewish uprising.
Vespasian is duty-bound to execute Domitius, who had been declared an enemy of the state by the Roman Senate (at Nero’s “request” i.e. command) for not taking his life like Corbulo before him. Titus, Vespasian’s firstborn son, is reluctant to comply unlike his father, who fears falling from Nero’s good graces a second time. With the help of Yosef ben Matityahu, a Jewish rebel captured during the siege of Jotapata, Titus convinces Vespasian to keep Domitius alive while Nero’s rule crumbles in the face of Galba’s rebellion as well as dwindling support in the Senate and the army.
Following the death of Nero, the Senate is divided between those who remain loyal to the imperial family and the rest who are ready to hail Galba as the new emperor. With Nero’s death, Domitius stands as one of the last living male descendants of Emperor Augustus; in fact, Domitius is Augustus’ great-great-great-great-grandson through his mother, Cassia Longina, a descendant of Augustus’ first granddaughter Julia the Younger. His own loyalty to the bloodline of Augustus notwithstanding, Vespasian begins to see an opportunity to raise the Flavian family’s fortunes by putting Domitius on the throne. It is a gamble, however. Failure will lead to certain death, but in Vespasian’s mind the benefits outweigh the potential consequences and he ultimately declares his support for Domitius, who signals his intent to claim the legacy of his ancestors by assuming the name Gaius Domitius Caesar.
Behind the scenes, Domitius agrees to a number of terms that Vespasian sets in exchange for his allegiance. Domitius agrees to a betrothal with Julia Flavia, the daughter of Titus; Vespasian also wants a guaranteed consulship after they take Rome, a joint-triumph celebrating himself and Domitius, as well as his younger son Domitian’s appointment to the College of Pontiffs. Titus will be appointed commander of the entire Roman army in the east, but Domitius will not permit his sister, Domitia Longina, to marry Vespasian’s eldest son until after he has married Julia and she produces an heir. Julia is only four years old at the time of this arrangement, however, and therefore both parties must wait several years or more before their dynastic plans can come to fruition.
Though recognized as emperor by Vespasian’s army, Domitius must march on Italy and capture Rome if he ever hopes of gaining universal recognition for his status as the legitimate heir to the Roman Empire. Vespasian is reluctant to leave Judaea before fully suppressing the rebellion, but neither he nor Domitius want to give Galba or some other would-be usurper time to build their strength. Using his pedigree as an advantage, Domitius raises his own army composed by loyal soldiers and veterans who served under his father Corbulo, which is supplemented by troops that remain faithful to the deified bloodline of Julius Caesar and Augustus.
After months of preparation, the nineteen year-old Domitius Caesar leads his army westward in a bid to take what he views as his birthright: the rule of Rome. Although he is the son of a great general, Domitius himself is untested and is therefore accompanied by Vespasian, who takes half of his own army while leaving Titus with the rest to finish off the rebels in Judaea.
[Note 1] It’s been a long time, but I’m back at it again with a new alternate timeline. My first timeline, The Reign of Romulus Augustus, was a lot of fun to make. A lot of hard work too and by the end of it I was just so burned out. I appreciate any feedback that helps me as I develop this timeline. Aside from the Late Roman Empire, the Julio-Claudian dynasty is one of my favorite subjects and I wanted to make an alternate timeline based on their history, but I just never got around to it until now.
[Note 2] OTL Corbulo had two daughters, Domitia and Domitia Longina. In this alternate timeline, he has a son and later a daughter (an alternate version to Domitia Longina, how similar or different she’ll be I don’t know yet, but it might be interesting to explore). In this timeline, the elder Domitia doesn't exist and therefore Corbulo doesn't have a son-in-law who gets implicated in a conspiracy, which leads Nero to order Corbulo to commit suicide. However, in my view Nero had grown quite paranoid when it came to just about anyone who could threaten his hold on power. That and his propensity for making bad decisions leads me to conclude that he would have likely had Corbulo killed sooner or later, which he does in this timeline. I considered keeping Corbulo around, but realistically Nero would have ordered him to kill himself and Corbulo would comply without question, the victim of his own sense of honor and loyalty.
[Note 3] This timeline is inspired by IMPERIUM to some extent. While its website is no longer active, IMPERIUM was an online role-playing game that chronicled the history of an alternate Julio-Claudian dynasty, in which the main character is the Emperor Domitius (Gaius Domitius Caesar). That individual was born in AD 16, and was the son of an emperor named Castor (a fictional grandson of Augustus). My version is the son of Corbulo and was born around AD 48.
[Note 4] I admit this timeline's late AD 60s look very similar to the OTL version. Domitius' birth didn't negate Nero's rise or fall from power, but his existence and reign will change the course of history going forward into the Post-Nero years.
