Honoria doesn't propose to Attila

Hi!

What would have happened if Honoria doesn't propose to Attila? Perhaps she realizes that there's no way it will work. Will Attila remain an ally of the Western Empire and allow it to stay around longer?
 
The proposal of marriage was just a pretext for Attila to invade. I'm sure that no marriage would not have stopped him.
 
Attila had extorted all the money he could out of the east for the time being so was either going to attack Persia or the WRE. Regardless of Honoria he'll find another pretext yo invade if he wants to.
 

GdwnsnHo

Banned
Attila had extorted all the money he could out of the east for the time being so was either going to attack Persia or the WRE. Regardless of Honoria he'll find another pretext yo invade if he wants to.

See, offhanded that it may have been, and invasion of Persia is a really interesting idea. I'm not sure it would happen, and this is why.

Attila invading created a huge pressure from those fleeing before him, against the WRE and ERE. If he then turns around and takes his forces to Persia, he adds another Empire that has interests in destroying him, and gives the WRE a breather.

I wonder if the WRE and ERE could use the time given by a Hunnic invasion of Persia (via the Caucauses or Central Asia) to turn the foederati on Germania - paying them in land grants, or offering protection to the now resettled peoples. This moves the battlefield out of Roman territory, and that frontier can be prepared for the Huns.

It'd be an interesting turn of events, turning the Pax Romana on its head - the Romans (probably Western Rome) will be expect to protect the Germans, in exchange for some tribute, for fear of outside forces.

As I said before, I don't think it is the wisest idea, half of the reason the Huns were so strong was that they forced other tribes to serve/work with them, which snowballed, taking these people to Persia, or reducing the pressure, allows someone else to step in. But then again, Persia is pretty rich at this point - and an abrupt Sassanid Empire would drastically change history. Especially if his ideas of a Scythian Empire involve a Persian client state. I can't imagine it surviving his death, but - anything to give the WRE a breather and the ERE a leg up in the future.

This might be the most roundabout butterflying of Islam that isn't just "PoD before time period in question", but fundamentally changes the geopolitics of the region so that Islam, butterflies permitted, might be unable to defeat the ERE that hasn't had to fight a full-strength Persia (or is even destroyed as they've exhausted themselves fighting the Huns).
 
See, offhanded that it may have been, and invasion of Persia is a really interesting idea. I'm not sure it would happen, and this is why.

Attila invading created a huge pressure from those fleeing before him, against the WRE and ERE. If he then turns around and takes his forces to Persia, he adds another Empire that has interests in destroying him, and gives the WRE a breather.

I wonder if the WRE and ERE could use the time given by a Hunnic invasion of Persia (via the Caucauses or Central Asia) to turn the foederati on Germania - paying them in land grants, or offering protection to the now resettled peoples. This moves the battlefield out of Roman territory, and that frontier can be prepared for the Huns.

It'd be an interesting turn of events, turning the Pax Romana on its head - the Romans (probably Western Rome) will be expect to protect the Germans, in exchange for some tribute, for fear of outside forces.

As I said before, I don't think it is the wisest idea, half of the reason the Huns were so strong was that they forced other tribes to serve/work with them, which snowballed, taking these people to Persia, or reducing the pressure, allows someone else to step in. But then again, Persia is pretty rich at this point - and an abrupt Sassanid Empire would drastically change history. Especially if his ideas of a Scythian Empire involve a Persian client state. I can't imagine it surviving his death, but - anything to give the WRE a breather and the ERE a leg up in the future.

This might be the most roundabout butterflying of Islam that isn't just "PoD before time period in question", but fundamentally changes the geopolitics of the region so that Islam, butterflies permitted, might be unable to defeat the ERE that hasn't had to fight a full-strength Persia (or is even destroyed as they've exhausted themselves fighting the Huns).

Do recall though, up until the prelude to the invasion, Aetius more or less still viewed the Huns as people he could trust to be on his side, even if not on Rome's side. So Attila might well decide that is a relationship to maintain at least for the moment, while some rich plunder awaits in the Middle East. It's not like past Hun attempts at the region were abysmal failures either, Hunnic forces had raided into Syria at one earlier point IIRC. So it's definitely there as an option.

Though the most likely scenario is still an invasion of the WRE. It's a relatively easy target compared to the east, so on the surface provides the easiest source of prestige and military acclaim for Attila. There's of course the problem that invading Gaul stretches Attila's logistics beyond its maximum reach, but Attila interestingly either didn't give that much serious consideration or thought he could overcome it. He'd face the same problems in Persia as well logistically. Though at the same time, Persia is much wealthier than the west.
 
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