My timeline?

Western Roman Empire Endures..

I am currently in the process of writing a series of short stories based after the Western Roman Empire didn't fall. Now I'm new to this forum but I'm 100% sure something similar has been asked before but instead of surfing through unspecific Q & A that doesn't answer my questions I thought I'd just create a new thread.. p.s. I am by no means an expert and I'm only in the beginning process of creating this timeline so please bare with me and my limited historical knowledge.

At the moment I'm keeping the backstory of the timeline pretty vague as to allow a lot of leeway..

Dawn rose on the city of Rome in AD 565, a city and empire that survived the crisis of the fifth century, and has remained in relative security and peace, except for the near-constant rivalry with the Frankish Kingdom in Gaul. The streets of the eternal city were, as they've always been, crowded with the men and women that built the empire from nothing.. but with them were strangers and not the usual traders from through out the known world, these strangers were Roman. It was these "strangers" that defended Rome against the Huns, it was these "barbarians" that saved the western world.
These "barbarians" had peacefully settled within Rome's borders during the crisis of the fifth century and became instrumental in the survival of the Western Roman Empire. But not all of the barbarians were content with being Romans, in AD 481 Clovis founded the first Frankish Kingdom in northern Gaul and by AD 511 his kingdom encompassed most of Gaul. While the Franks may have been the exception most of the major tribes became Romans; namely the Ostrogoths under Odoacer, who had been appointed to the Roman Senate and overtime acquired the titular "King of Italy" in AD 476.
Over the next several centuries, because of the "foederati" system that applied to the barbarians who settled Roman lands, a feudal state began to develop in the Western Roman Empire. The barbarians, who had become Romanized and spoke varies forms of vulgar Latin, desired more local autonomy from the Emperor and the local Governors and Senators. As such local patricians, usually of barbarian decent and often former generals, gave land grants in exchange for labor and military service. The feudal system took centuries to develop and it wasn't until the rise of Islam and the subsequent loss of historic Roman lands in Africa and Hispania that feudalism become more common.. which brings me to the next great crisis of the Western Roman Empire. The rise of Islam.
The death of Muhammad in AD 632 worried very few, who could have suspected that within the sands of Arabia the largest empire in the history of the world would be founded? Within a century the Umayyad Caliphate expanded from the far Indus to northern Spain. Exactly one hundred years after the death of Muhammad, in AD 732, the Frankish armies under the command of Charles Martel and the Western Roman ninth legion, "Spanish ninth legion", came together at the battle of Tours and defeated the Muslim armies and halted the Umayadd advance into western Europe.
Although Martel never assumed the title of king, he divided Francia, like a king, between his sons Carloman and Pepin. The latter became the first of the Carolingians. Martel's grandson, who would become known as Charlemagne, extended the Frankish realms beyond the Elbe and Pyrenees to include Saxony, and the Spanish March, and in AD 800 became emperor of the west, after emperor Desiderius died without an heir.
On Christmas day, in the year of our lord 800, the crowd cheers as "the man who would be emperor" makes his way to Saint Peter's Basilica by way of chariot, as a true Roman emperor. Past the Flavian Amphitheater, through the streets and in the distance the sight of the imperial place and the sounds of the Circus Maximus. The rare Italian snowfall did not bother him, it comforted him, as if God were announcing to the people of Rome the arrival of a great northern king.
Roman, Greek, Saxon, Frisian, Goth, and all though out the empire adorn Saint Peter's Basilica, to see the man called to Rome. He kneels at the great alter, he eyes animated and full of life on the golden crown before him. As the beloved pope Leo lll stood before him he spoke and the room within the stone roofed basilica stood silent.
"By the grace of almighty God in heaven I crown you, Imperitor Caesar Augustus Karolus Magnus Germanicus, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire."
As the pope places the the golden crown of Saint Constantine upon the fair hair of the 58 year old Frankish king the crowed cheers once more.
"Imperitor, Imperitor, Imperitor Charles Augustus! Crowned by God! Emperor of the Romans!"

Now in conclusion I'd like to write a full length novel based around AD 865-870, about a character, Quintus Flavius Aquila, who travels to the Frisian cost and is captured by vikings and brought to England at the time of the sons of Ragnar.

What do you think about my timeline so far? How plausible is this scenario? And any and all creative advise and opinions are welcome!
 
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Your TL is ok if I was you I would give it a name and change it from My Timeline hardly anyone will click on it.

if you give it a name people are more likely to take a look.
 
So ITTL we have surviving roman institutions and the foederati system still operative in the VIII.

This could be achieved by some pre 476 re organization of the empire, and the incorporation of Vandals as foederati, thus making the WRE still useful for grain shipping from Africa at a tolerable price.

So Odoacer comes and just plays it like Theoderic the Great, letting the imperial insigna in the hands of a puppet emperor (to let the fiscal system going).

In 500 another V century begins, but the situation stabilizes: barbarian armies are integrated in the roman institutions, and kingship is given official recognition. Instead of becoming a landed élite, the army is paid in cash, like in the Goffart model (and like it was, briefly, in the V century).

Things go on, but the Franks get powerful, and after 732 they're too powerful and start rivalling the roman institutions (now much more militarized and simplified, feudal as you put it). Much more because the WRE lost Spain and North Africa.

The Pope senses a change in the air and invites Charlemagne, just like he did to beat the Lombards and gain relative contractual power. To smooth the transition, he accords the imperial title to the new king of the Franks.

Is this sketch similar to what you have in mind?

One question: how is the ERE going? I assume things went like OTL, but without the gothic wars it could have fared better in the East.
 
So ITTL we have surviving roman institutions and the foederati system still operative in the VIII.

This could be achieved by some pre 476 re organization of the empire, and the incorporation of Vandals as foederati, thus making the WRE still useful for grain shipping from Africa at a tolerable price.

So Odoacer comes and just plays it like Theoderic the Great, letting the imperial insigna in the hands of a puppet emperor (to let the fiscal system going).

In 500 another V century begins, but the situation stabilizes: barbarian armies are integrated in the roman institutions, and kingship is given official recognition. Instead of becoming a landed élite, the army is paid in cash, like in the Goffart model (and like it was, briefly, in the V century).

Things go on, but the Franks get powerful, and after 732 they're too powerful and start rivalling the roman institutions (now much more militarized and simplified, feudal as you put it). Much more because the WRE lost Spain and North Africa.

The Pope senses a change in the air and invites Charlemagne, just like he did to beat the Lombards and gain relative contractual power. To smooth the transition, he accords the imperial title to the new king of the Franks.

Is this sketch similar to what you have in mind?

One question: how is the ERE going? I assume things went like OTL, but without the gothic wars it could have fared better in the East.

Yes that is the basic idea of how WRE survives but I'd say until I become far more educated on the period a lot is to change with this ATL..

Originally I had planned for the ERE to expand into Persia but I've since read up on my history a fair bit better and see this as impossible for this particular ATL. Instead I think it might be more plausible for Emperor Justinian to invade west as he did in real life, to reunite the two empires under one emperor and one orthodox christian faith. The constraints of fighting the WRE and the Sassanian empire in the east enable the rise of Islam.
 
Your TL is ok if I was you I would give it a name and change it from My Timeline hardly anyone will click on it.

if you give it a name people are more likely to take a look.

What he said.

BTW, welcome to AH.com.

Also, change your fonts. If you keep everything small, it makes it difficult to read.

I generally use Verdana set at "3" to make it easier to read.

Also, spacing. I usually make my paragraphs at least seven lines long but usually no more than thirty since it tends to get too long. Once I get more than twenty-fives lines or more, I just make it into a new paragraph.

Make sure you do some research per your story, esp. with Roman names; ie., you cannot call everyone "Gaius" or "Titus", etc.

Good luck with your TL. Joho :).
 
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