Is Rome Worth One Man's Life? 2.0-A Roman TL
- Thread starter SlyDessertFox
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Chapter VI: All’s Chaos On The Eastern Front
While Lepidus struggled mightily to hold his sinking ship together, Antonius’ power and prestige was higher than he could have ever dreamed of. It was at this time that he began associating himself with the people of Asia as the New Dionysus. Also known as Bacchus, the son of Zeus and Semele was the patron of wine, agriculture, and nature’s abundance. Dionysus also presided over mystical cults and their exotic secret rituals. He stood for euphoric eastern irrationality, and thus fit Antonius’ character very nicely. It was, after all, fitting that such a lover of wine and adventure as Antonius, style himself as the Greek God associated with both of those passions.
There were more pressing concerns he had attend to, than indulge himself in the splendor and extravagance of the Hellenes. The Roman treasury, stripped of anything the triumvirs could get their hands on to finance their war against the Liberatores. This was not as easy as it would at first seem, for the usually lavishly wealthy eastern provinces, had been milked in the previous years, to pay for the costly civil wars, the most recent being Brutus and Cassius taking advantage of the east’s vast wealth.
With that in mind, Antonius squeezed every last ounce of wealth he could, not holding back from stripping noble families of whatever they had. The New Dionysus demanded nine years worth of taxes from those residing in the eastern provinces, but soon realized he was going way too far, and reduced his demands to only two years worth. Still strapped for funds, Antonius turned to a different source of revenue. He reached out and met with the various eastern client rulers, most notably the woman styling herself as the New Dionysus’ divine sister, the New Isis. This was none other than the Queen of Ptolemaic Egypt herself, Cleopatra VII Philopator, former mistress of the now dead dictator, Julius Caesar. Antonius was well aware of Egypt’s vast stores of wealth and riches, and so from his residence in Tarsus, sent Quintus Dellius to invite the Egyptian queen to make substantial contributions to his treasury.
Struck by Cleopatra’s mesmerizing charm, Dellius got the idea in his head that if she played her cards right, Antonius would be struck by that same charm. Advising Cleopatra her most captivating attire, Dellius assured her that this would not cause Antonius to do harm to her. Cleopatra accepted his encouraging advice, and picked out her dazzling barge. She sailed up the river Cydnus to meet Antonius at Tarsus, and as Plutarch sets the scene:
[She] was in a barge with a poop of gold, its purple sails billowing in the wind, while her rowers caressed the water with oars of silver which dipped in time to the music of the flute, accompanied by pipes and lutes. Cleopatra herself reclined beneath a canopy of cloth of gold, dressed in the character of Aphrodite.
Antonius waited on a dais in Tarsus’ central square, ready to give the queen a formal welcome. Crowds originally gathered around Antonius, began to travel to port, to get a glimpse of the spectacular barge floating up the river. The rumor spread by Cleopatra and her agents was, Aphrodite[1] was arriving to join Dionysus. She fully understood the immense impact religion had on self-promotion, and she in essence, claiming to be Anotnius’ rightful divine partner. Although Antonius invited her to dinner, Cleopatra had other plans. Antonius’ character was relatively simple and effortless to understand: He was fairly easy going and had a nice sense of humor, enjoyed displays of wealth, and very much liked practical jokes. Although the well-educated and sophisticated Cleopatra did not not enjoy many of these things herself, she had no problem putting up the facade that she did, if it was needed to achieve her aims.
She returned his dinner invitation with a dinner invitation of her own aboard her extravagant vessel, to which Antonius gave in. The following evening, she attended a banquet of his, and this continued for the next four days, until Antonius finally decided to get down to business. Cleopatra agreed on granting practical support to Antonius’ future Parthian campaign (in other words, to fund the campaign with the Egyptian treasury) on the conditions that he carry out the executions of a few political enemies, including her sister Arsinoe [2], who was seeking sanctuary at the temple of Artemis in Ephesus. He hesitated at this, for he would have liked to keep his options open in the event that he needed to replace Cleopatra. She drove a hard bargain however, and he relented, giving the order to have Arsinoe seized and executed.
With business taken care of, the New Isis convinced the New Dionysus to winter at Alexandria, and the pair sailed off to Egypt. Antonius chose to replace his Roman garb for an informal Greek tunic, and along with Cleopatra, organized a dining club designated as the “inimitable Lives, spending his vacation thoroughly enjoying himself. This of course, included engaging in sexual activity with the Ptolemaic queen, which resulted in twin offspring, named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene [3]. This was nothing out of the ordinary for Antonius’ (or for that matter, many a Roman aristocrat) personality, and he was in no way in love with Cleopatra, just simply indulging in an enjoyable vacation.
Pharos Lighthouse Overlooking Alexandria
The holiday would have to be cut short however, when towards the end of February of 40 BC, news reached Egypt from the Syrian governor, Lucius Decidius Saxa, that the Parthians had launched an all out invasion of Syria. Prior to their defeat, the Liberatores Brutus and Cassius had sent out a delegation lead by a certain Quintus Labienus, son of the highly talented former legate of Caesar-cum-enemy, Titus Labienus, to court the Parthian king to aid them. After Philippi, Labienus chose to remain in Parthia, lobbying for a pre-emptive strike, and finally got his wish. An invasion lead by Labienus and the Crown Prince Pacorus was drawn up, and the Parthians finally launched their attack across the Euphrates.
He and Pacorus swept away all resistance before them and soon reached Antioch on the Mediterranean Sea. No Persian had been master of Antioch since Alexander the Great evicted them some 300 years before. When this news reached Antonius, he packed up his bags without hesitation (something you would not expect from someone in love with the Egyptian Queen) and quickly made way to the Phoenician port city of Tyre. The developments were even worse than he could have ever imagined: The Parthian army steamrolled everything in their path, helped along by the convenient situation that a large portion of Antonius’ troops had served under the republican banner, with many either joining Labienus or putting up only half-hearted resistance.
Saxa tried to put up whatever resistance he could until he was killed in battle, thus ending Roman resistance in Syria. Riding on the euphoria of an unbroken string of success after success, the Parthian split their army. Labienus surged into Asia Minor, while Pacorus was welcomed into Judea, establishing the popular client king, Antigonus, to rule over the Jewish kingdom. If the developments all around him were not bad enough, Antonius received disturbing news Italy: Lepidus was injured in a riot. His brother Lucius, and wife Fulvia, attempted to restore order, but were forced out of the city, as things increasingly spiraled out of control. With the situation in both the east and the west both in urgent need of attending to, Antonius had to decide whether to evict the Parthians himself, or hastily return wast and restore the situation there before turning his full attention to Parthia.
[1] Aphrodite was identified by many as Isis
[2] Arsinoe IV- half sister of Cleopatra, who had for a brief time seized the throne, but was captured by Caesar and paraded in triumph, before he allowed her sanctuary in Ephesus.
[3] Helios meaning sun, and Selene meaning Moon.
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I decided to make the text bigger (I edited it for all of the previous updates) because I figured it was too small if you don't have it zoomed in more (I usually zoom in my screen to make everything fit the screen so I didn't notice it). Hope that makes it a little easier to read.
slydessertfox
Well, decision time. The question is, unless he can match Sextus's fleet can Antonius actually do anything about the situation in the west? If that's the case he might be better off staying out east and trying to rescue the situation there. Else apart from anything else returning west will only make him look inefficient and hence result in a loss of face.
If he thinks he can defeat Sextus then heading west is probably still better as Italy is still the centre of political and military power in the empire. Although the loss of much of the east would be a big blow and I think Cleo will be a lot less favourable to Antonious if he does return east having left Egypt in the lurch.
I suspect he will stay in the east as the wealth and lifestyle there will be attractive. Also it sounds like the Parthians may have made a mistake by splitting their forces. If he can defeat the ones in Syria as well the terrain in Anatolia will be less suited to their style of warfare as well I suspect.
Anyway looking forward to seeing how things develop.
Steve
Well, decision time. The question is, unless he can match Sextus's fleet can Antonius actually do anything about the situation in the west? If that's the case he might be better off staying out east and trying to rescue the situation there. Else apart from anything else returning west will only make him look inefficient and hence result in a loss of face.
If he thinks he can defeat Sextus then heading west is probably still better as Italy is still the centre of political and military power in the empire. Although the loss of much of the east would be a big blow and I think Cleo will be a lot less favourable to Antonious if he does return east having left Egypt in the lurch.
I suspect he will stay in the east as the wealth and lifestyle there will be attractive. Also it sounds like the Parthians may have made a mistake by splitting their forces. If he can defeat the ones in Syria as well the terrain in Anatolia will be less suited to their style of warfare as well I suspect.
Anyway looking forward to seeing how things develop.
Steve
Thanks. You are right, there are great incentives for Antonius to stay in the east. At the same time however, he can one of his lieutenants to deal with the problem in the east, whereas the west is something that requires personal attention.slydessertfox
Well, decision time. The question is, unless he can match Sextus's fleet can Antonius actually do anything about the situation in the west? If that's the case he might be better off staying out east and trying to rescue the situation there. Else apart from anything else returning west will only make him look inefficient and hence result in a loss of face.
If he thinks he can defeat Sextus then heading west is probably still better as Italy is still the centre of political and military power in the empire. Although the loss of much of the east would be a big blow and I think Cleo will be a lot less favourable to Antonious if he does return east having left Egypt in the lurch.
I suspect he will stay in the east as the wealth and lifestyle there will be attractive. Also it sounds like the Parthians may have made a mistake by splitting their forces. If he can defeat the ones in Syria as well the terrain in Anatolia will be less suited to their style of warfare as well I suspect.
Anyway looking forward to seeing how things develop.
Steve
It's a tough choice.
Chapter VII: The Die Is Cast
The Senate did not know what to make of the rapid developments across Italy and in Rome itself. Initially, they stood passively on the sidelines, reluctant to commit and face the wrath of furious Caesarians, yet not wanting to actively help Lepidus stabilize the situation either. As the situation spiraled out of control however, the more vocal anti-Caesarian war hawks who managed to survive the civil wars and proscription, were beating the drums of war and calling louder than ever for Marcus Lepidus and Lucius and Marcus Antonius to be declared enemies of the state, and to bring into effect the Senatus consultum ultimum[1]. As the Senate watched the events from there unfold, unsure of weather to be delighted or horrified, the war hawks gained considerably more support. The Republican cause was gaining steam once more, and it only needed a small spark to set off the powder keg.
That spark came when Lepidus was nearly killed in an attempt to address the rioting civilians and soldiers. Lucius Antonius then attempted to subdue the riot with force, but the rioters refused to back down, and Lucius was forced to extract himself, Fulvia, and Lepidus from Rome. Marcus Valierus Messala Corvinus fanned the flames in the Senate, and the calls for declaring the Caesarian’s enemies of the state reached a fever pitch. The decision was sealed when one of the consuls for the year, Gaius Asinius Pollio announced his support for the motion, and put it before the Senate. This came as a shock to many, for Pollio had been a loyal Caesarion, and was even with Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon. When looked at closely however, Pollio had a personal enmity towards Lepidus going back to Caesar’s assassination in 44.
When Caesar was murdered in 44 BC, Pollio was in Hispania, waging Caesar’s half-hearted fight against Sextus Pompeius. Lepidus was appointed governor of Spain, but Pollio announced from Corduba that he refused to hand over his province to anyone who had not been commissioned by the Senate. One humiliating defeat by Pompeius later lead him to have to flee in disguise, thus ending that encounter before it escalated. Despite having sided with Antonius in the feud prior to the forming of the Second Triumvirate, and despite having no love for Sextus Pompeius, the de facto leader of the republican cause, Pollio saw the way the wind was blowing. His consular colleague, Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus, a supporter of Caesar who joined Octavian and had no love for Antonius, felt the same way, and came out in support of the calls for making the three Caesarians enemies of the state.
With an overwhelming majority, the Senate declared Marcus Antonius, his brother Lucius, and Marcus Lepidus enemies of the state. Immediately following, they enacted the Senatus Consultum Ultimum. Messala Corvinus was given imperium to raise legions, and Sextus Pompeius and Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus both had their military commands officially recognized by the Senate. The Senate acted as fast as they could, knowing there was no turning back now, and that Lucius Antonius and Lepidus could gather veterans from Italy and quickly put an end to the insurrection if they hesitated. Every moment was precious. The die was cast.
[1] Final Act of the senate. It effectively replaced the dictatorship, and was used in emergency situations by removing restrictions on magistrate’s powers. It was last used when Caesar crossed the Rubicon in 49 BC.
slydessertfox
An appropriate chapter title, as this is a big step. How much force do the Caesareans actually have in Italy because as the senate should know by now who controls the legions pretty much has the final say.
Sextus has a big chance if he can step in and gain control of Italy. As well as the prestige and potential wealth it still supplies the vast majority of Roman forces. Plus with less civil wars [so far] this is not yet drained.
on the other hand it also means responsibility. He has to restore order then defend Italy as this move will make up Antonius's mind for him. Furthermore while we see Sextus as the leader of the rebels/republicans I note the senate has mentioned other people and given orders for Corvinnus to raise legions. There will be a lot of mistrust between the assorted factions.
As Pericles says there is the chance of a division of the empire, or more clearly, as I don't think a Roman state can survive outside Italy at this point, of substantial loss of eastern territories. Could easily end up with Egypt and Parthia in loose alliance and possibly a lot of continued unrest in the Greece lands [including Anatolia] which would take a lot of effort to recover. It all depends on what the assorted parties do there and how much Antonius can leave behind.
One typo I noticed. You have weather rather than whether at one stage.
Steve
An appropriate chapter title, as this is a big step. How much force do the Caesareans actually have in Italy because as the senate should know by now who controls the legions pretty much has the final say.
Sextus has a big chance if he can step in and gain control of Italy. As well as the prestige and potential wealth it still supplies the vast majority of Roman forces. Plus with less civil wars [so far] this is not yet drained.
on the other hand it also means responsibility. He has to restore order then defend Italy as this move will make up Antonius's mind for him. Furthermore while we see Sextus as the leader of the rebels/republicans I note the senate has mentioned other people and given orders for Corvinnus to raise legions. There will be a lot of mistrust between the assorted factions.
As Pericles says there is the chance of a division of the empire, or more clearly, as I don't think a Roman state can survive outside Italy at this point, of substantial loss of eastern territories. Could easily end up with Egypt and Parthia in loose alliance and possibly a lot of continued unrest in the Greece lands [including Anatolia] which would take a lot of effort to recover. It all depends on what the assorted parties do there and how much Antonius can leave behind.
One typo I noticed. You have weather rather than whether at one stage.
Steve
Well Italy is really going to be a pain for the Senate. It's full of Caesarian veterans recently settled, and while some might remain on the sidelines, Lepidus and Lucius are going to have an easy time gathering an army together.
Sextus is weary about invading Italy for the same reasons he didn't OTL, and the same reasons TTL that the Senate is facing. Like I said, Italy is swarming with Caesarian veterans. Though he may take this chance to see if he can't nab Spain and Africa.
Yeah, it is really a coalition of Senators who don't normally see eye to eye. The most blatantly obvious example of this is the two consuls being Caesarian's and not knowing how loyal they are to the cause.
I guess you'll have to wait and see.
Thanks, I'll fix that immediately.
The office of dictator had ironically been abolished by Antony after Caesar's assassination.
Thanks, glad you are enjoying it.
She knows patience is vital to achieving her aims.
You'll have to wait and see to find out.Also, if Italy is lost, what will Antonius do? I see material for splitting the Ronan Empire, though I doubt that's your intention
Chapter VIII: The Roman Civil War Part I: Agrippa’s Revival Of Fortunes
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa [1] had had an uneventful two years since his friend and patron,Octavian was slain at Philippi. Agrippa had been there at the battle that was supposed to have signaled the end of republican resistance, just as he had been at Munda 45 BC, when Julius Caesar thought he had put the nail in the coffin for republican resistance. As always, Agrippa had been the man running the show for Octavian behind the scenes, for although Octavian possessed great qualities, military strategy was certainly not one of them. When the Caesarian camp fell into Brutus’ hands, and the day seemed all but lost, it had been Agrippa that had prevented the humiliating defeat from turning into a complete catastrophe [2].
After Philippi, Agrippa returned to Italy, to see if he could not make advancements in his political career. As a novus homo, Agrippa had served as Tribune of the Plebs in 43, the same year the triumvirate between Antonius, Octavian, and Lepidus had been formed. Octavian and his consular colleague Quintus Pedius arranged for Caesar's assassins to be prosecuted in their absence, and Agrippa was entrusted with the case against Gaius Cassius Longinus. It was hardly a good resume for attaining public office, and without Octavian’s support, he found himself instead lending Lepidus a helping hand in settling the veterans.
Now as the Senate attempted one more time to throw off the Caesarian yoke, Agrippa found himself right where he felt most comfortable at-in the thick of the action. Attaching himself to Lucius Antonius and Marcus Lepidus, he joined in the rounding up of Caesarian veterans to quickly put an end to the revolt. Gathering a total of eight legions, they ignored Rome and marched into Campania to deal with Messala Corvinus.
Corvinus had had a pitiful time of raising an army. Luckily for him and the republican cause Domitius Ahenobarbus and Sextus Pompeius, were willing to commit forces to the peninsula. Ahenobarbus contributed all he could, which amounted to one of his three legions, maintaining the rest of his force to continue his dominance of the Adriatic and Aegean, should Antonius try to make his way to Italy. Pompeius had a completely different strategy on his mind, one that was preparing for what he saw as the inevitable loss of all of Italy again, but landed five legions[3], who were more accustomed to naval than land warfare, which was far from encouraging to Corvinus. Altogether, his motley assemblage of legionaries could hardly hope to stand up to the seasoned veterans they would be up against.
Back in Rome, the consul Calvinus seemed to have a change in heart, for no sooner after he shocked the Senate by supporting the motion to declare the leading Caesarian’s enemies of the state, he abandoned the city and joined the Caesarian army. Pollio on the other hand stuck to his guns, and attempted to calm the Roman populace. He was helped greatly in his mission by the arrival of grain courtesy of Sextus Pompeius temporarily lifting his blockade on the city. By now Lucius Antonius and Lepidus had moved into the Campanian countryside, breaking into many a town by force to procure their grain, as cities shut their gates in an attempt to hoard what grain they could hold on to.
Corvinus of course had no such food problems, for Pompeius made sure the necessary amounts of grain reached his army. Antonius and Lepidus made for Corvinus’ base of supply in Neapolis. A skirmish broke out a couple of miles from the city, and although the republican force was easily brushed aside, a javelin found itself in Antonius’ stomach, after he came to close to the fighting. Knocked off his horse, Antonius was dragged back to his tent, where he died later that day.
Lepidus assumed complete control of the army now, but the soldiers, perhaps quietly encouraged by Agrippa, were tired of what they saw as a pathetic excuse for a leader. It was thanks to his terrible management in Rome that they were fighting in the first place, and many believed the rumor that he was secretly negotiating with Corvinus. A riot broke out, and the soldiers demanded he explain himself to them face to face. He made the fatal mistake at hesitating at first, which only confirmed their beliefs of his cowardice and his plan to betray their cause. When Lepidus finally did come out to address the army and attempt to suppress the mutiny, he was received by the foulest of insults, but at least at first, the men refrained from assaulting him.
The catcalls got louder and louder as he spoke, and soon his voice was drowned out completely by the cries of the disaffected soldiers. Calls for Agrippa, who’s superb generalship at Philippi and close ties with Octavian were not lost on them, to overtake command gained steam. Their mood turned murderous, and it finally dawned on Lepidus that he was about to get torn to shreds if he did not make a hasty exit. This backfired however, and as he attempted to extrapolate himself from his dangerous position, he only encouraged the murderous frenzy. He was quickly seized along with his small bodyguard , and would have been beaten to death had it not been for the timely arrival of Agrippa on the scene.
Agrippa arrives on the scene
Perhaps Agrippa’s timing was mere coincidence, or perhaps he had planned to arrive at this very moment all along. Whether planned beforehand or not, Agrippa quickly gained control of the situation and managed to prevent the frenzied mob from finishing off what was left of Lepidus’ sorry physical state. If we are to believe his arrival was a well timed coincidence, then he quickly recognized the immense opportunity that presented it to himself, and seized it without hesitation. Hailed by the vast majority of the army as imperator [4], Agrippa immediately took over full command of the army, and hastily arranged for Lepidus to be sent off to a comfortable exile.
The coup was complete. Having failed to achieve success by political means, Agrippa became either a brilliant schemer, or the ultimate opportunist. Taking advantage of the chaos, the novus homo had thrust himself to the forefront of the Roman power struggle through military means, as became almost a right of passage for this generation of Roman politicians. Now he looked to capitalize on his newly aquired power, and finish off Corvinus.
[1] And you guys probably thought we wouldn’t see him again.
[2] This is an assumption on my part. Remember this.
[3] Adding up all the numbers mentioned in Anthony Everett’s book gives Pompeius a total of 13 legions, though mostly used for his navy.
[4] In the sense of their leading commander, not in the sense of emperor or in Caesar’s case, dictator
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slydessertfox
Ugh! I was worried if any revolt in Italy would be quickly crushed and this is looking ominous. Agrippa is too capable as a commander, both by land and sea, which could be fatal even if Sextus gets his legions out OK. [Sounds like he's planning on Italy to fall back into Caesarian hands again but hopes to get something out of it, possibly emerging as the clear leader of the republicans or picking up some useful assets]. However that all presumes that he manages to avoid disaster.
The other question, with a single and capable leader in command of Italy, is how Agrippa and Antonius will get on. Both are military men who's power is in control of the legions so they could gel or utterly mistrust each other. If the latter one has the wealth of the east at his command, if he can defeat the Parthian invasion but the other has the manpower and prestige of Rome.
Given his rapid change of position and long history of involvement with the Caesarians I wonder if Calvinus was deliberately acting as some sort of agent provocatur, possibly seeking to smoke out dissenters before they get too numerous or even as part of some plot to totally discredit Lepidus.
Its not over yet and as long as Sextus controls the seas he can cut the food supply again and Agrippa has to face angry citizens. However I suspect Agrippa will be a lot more competent that Lepidus was.
Steve
Ugh! I was worried if any revolt in Italy would be quickly crushed and this is looking ominous. Agrippa is too capable as a commander, both by land and sea, which could be fatal even if Sextus gets his legions out OK. [Sounds like he's planning on Italy to fall back into Caesarian hands again but hopes to get something out of it, possibly emerging as the clear leader of the republicans or picking up some useful assets]. However that all presumes that he manages to avoid disaster.
The other question, with a single and capable leader in command of Italy, is how Agrippa and Antonius will get on. Both are military men who's power is in control of the legions so they could gel or utterly mistrust each other. If the latter one has the wealth of the east at his command, if he can defeat the Parthian invasion but the other has the manpower and prestige of Rome.
Given his rapid change of position and long history of involvement with the Caesarians I wonder if Calvinus was deliberately acting as some sort of agent provocatur, possibly seeking to smoke out dissenters before they get too numerous or even as part of some plot to totally discredit Lepidus.
Its not over yet and as long as Sextus controls the seas he can cut the food supply again and Agrippa has to face angry citizens. However I suspect Agrippa will be a lot more competent that Lepidus was.
Steve
Sextus is already planning on how to get out of Italy and what his next move is going to be.
As for Agrippa, he is a very capable naval commander as well as a land one, but he lacks any real fleet to challenge Sextus. Even OTL, he needed to basically train a navy from scratch, and needed to make his own little lake to train them in a position safe from Sextus' raiding. You are correct, Antonius is not going to be very happy when he hears about Agrippa sending Lepidus into exile without any authority to do so. At the same time, Agrippa's not just going to lay down his newly one command. How the Antonian generals in the north (i.e. Gaul) handle the situation is going to be crucial to Agrippa holding on to his power or not.
That is always a possibility.
Yeah, without a navy to deal with Ahenobarbus and Sextus, Agrippa's going to have a tough time. Though you are right, he is much more competent ITTL than Lepidus. I can see the people showing a little more sympathy or him though, because he is not an aristocrat and was friends with Julius Caesar's heir. He's going to stress that point, that he's merely carrying on with Octavian's wishes (maybe even styling himself as Octavian's heir) , because its the only card other than the military he has right now.
Interesting series of updates! Agrippa honestly was too wasted to simply remain in the shadow, while I'm concerned about the loss of Syria and Iudaea. Now I'm curious to see if Anatolia will fall as well or if Egypt will be the next target...
Anyway I don't think the Romans in this kind of situation will be able to hold Asia Minor for the moment, so maybe a new Plotemaic empire could arise again?
And the West is chaotic as usual... It's surprising the Gauls didn't search yet the opportunity to revolt... maybe they're missing a new Vercingetorix?
Anyway I don't think the Romans in this kind of situation will be able to hold Asia Minor for the moment, so maybe a new Plotemaic empire could arise again?
And the West is chaotic as usual... It's surprising the Gauls didn't search yet the opportunity to revolt... maybe they're missing a new Vercingetorix?
Thanks!
Yeah, I just couldn't leave such a talented figure like Agrippa on the sidelines forever.
Well OTL, they stayed more or less put in Judaea and Syria, while Bassus fought off Labienus in Asia Minor.
Well the situation in the east isn't much worse than it was OTL. Even when Antonius took a large force back to Italy with him OTL to deal with the aftermath of Lucius and Fulvia's failed attempt to oust Octavian, Bassus acheived remarkable success with what he had.
Cleopatra really isn't in a position to revive the Ptolemaic Empire's fortunes by any show of force. That's why she had to attach herself to Caesar and Antonius OTL. Though I imagine she won't be idle.
Well there were sporadic revolts OTL during the years from Caesar to Octavian's triumph at Actium, but the Antonian leaders in Gaul seemed to do just fine subduing them. So at least for now, I don't see why that would change, but new developments could change that.
Chapter IX: Antonius' Counterattack
Antonius had hardly made up his mind when word reached him that he had been declared an enemy of the state by the Senate, a body he had believed to be pacified after the proscriptions dealt with his most vocal enemies. Whereas last time it had been Cicero who fanned the flames of anti-Antonian sentiment, this time it came from Marcus Valerius Messala Corvinus. Antonius berated himself for not republican hothead after Philippi when he had the chance, and instead showing clemency by letting him return to Rome without any punishment. He prayed to the gods that Antyllus been spared, or at the very least had escaped Rome before a hand could be laid on the young boy.
Now he was caught between a rock and a hard place. The Parthian invasion was in a way, an extension of the Republican backlash that sprung seemingly out of nowhere with a terrible vengeance. After all, it was the culmination of almost two years of lobbying by Quintus Labienus, the republican who was leading half the Parthian army through Asia Minor at this very moment. With that in mind, Antonius guessed that Lepidus could set things straight in Italy without his help. Leaving the east in this sorry state would be courting disaster, and he felt he needed to personally halt the Parthian advance and mount a counterattack to drive them out.
Parthian Horse Archers at Carhhae
Antonius gathered his forces in Cilicia. The eleven legions amassed were far better equipped for warfare against the Parthians than their unfortunate counterparts at Carrhae 12 years earlier. Carrhae had caused the Romans to revamp how they equipped their eastern legions to better cope with the Parthian style of warfare. First, the wooden Roman shield that Parthian arrows had pierced with relative ease, had been greatly strengthened. More emphasis was placed on archers, as auxiliary archers using the powerful composite bow favored by the Parthians were attached to every Roman unit. Slingers were used en masse, as a shower of rocks and stones tended to upset horses and throw off the aim of archers. When showered with missiles, the Romans turned to their famous testudo formation, bunching together and overlapped their shields to form a protective formation against armor-piercing arrows.
From Cilicia, Antonius sent out his legate, Publius Ventidius Bassus, with most of his cavalry to control the mountain passes on the edge of Asia Minor. In one brilliant move, he had essentially trapped Labienus, who was held up besieging the coastal cities, inside Asia Minor, cutting him off from his line of supply. He followed close behind with his infantry, learning from Crassus’ mistake by making sure he chose the terrain where the fighting would occur.
Antonius situated himself on top of a steep, sloping hillside overlooking the mountain pass through which the Parthians would have to ride to return home. The approaching horsemen would need to charge uphill over rising and broken ground to get at him, thus neutralizing any advantage they possessed, and playing right into his infantry’s strengths. Labienus foolhardily decided on a dawn attack, and the confident Parthian horse archers were in for a rude awakening. Their charge broken by the rocky terrain, the horse archers were surprised with a wall of bows and slings appearing out of the misty sky, and they struggled to effectively return fire. The missile barrage had been well timed to allow for the Parthians to fully commit to their hill climb, and the effects could not have been more devastating.
The horse archers, having no shields or armor to protect themselves, made a hasty retreat as Labienus quickly brought up his heavily armed cataphracts to break through the Roman line. Charging uphill over rocky ground against a swarm of all-too ready Roman legionaries was a recipe for disaster, and Labienus was about to learn that lesson first hand. The cataphracts were mercilessly cut down by the hundreds. Dismayed at having been so thoroughly out-generaled, Labienus knew the game was up,disguising himself as a camp follower and making a beeline for Pacorus’ army. Antonius quickly began his march towards Syria, eager to exploit his victory and throw the Parthians back across the Euphrates.
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How is Anthony (can't spell Latin form) going to deal with both problems at once. I can't see him being able to turn east without finishing the job against THe Parthians. Great timeline
It's good that Antonius regained Syria, but without the support of the West I don't think he could make great progress respect to OTL... However, he could still try to win the support of the Greeks in some way, and fight the Romans with them. In substance, he could try to raise the flag of Hellenism against Romanity, and push for a secession of the East by creating a sort of united Hellenistic nation... At that point, what he had to lose?
RyuDrago
Could be wrong but I think he's 'regained' Anatolia? That Labienus was invading that region then forces to head back east when Antonius seized control of the Cilician passes. He has now been defeated and his army largely destroyed so no longer threaten Anatolia, although there might be a measure of disorder there.
However the Parthian force that had occupied Antioch and were rampaging through Syria are still on the loose. If their better led then they could be quite a problem to defeat as unless they choose battle in unfavourable conditions they can simply out-manouver the Roman legions and avoid battle.
I can't see him trying to create a Hellenistic counter to Rome, at this stage anyway. He still thinks of himself as Roman and considers it the centre of his power. Also he will be aware this is true for most of his best troops as well and needs their loyalty.
Steve