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The Reign of Flavius Zeno Augustus 474 A.D. – 493 A.D.
When the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D., the emperor of the Eastern Empire, Zeno I, vowed that he would never allow the Eastern Roman Empire to fall or be influenced by the barbarian hordes to the North. When word reached Constantinople, that Rome had fallen, Zeno claimed to have been enlightened by God. He knew that for his empire to survive, the army would always have to be the state’s top priority. He also knew that the emperor had to have supreme power over the army and the people. With this new concept, Zeno went before the masses of Constantinople and preached to them of his divine enlightenment, claiming that God had shown him the way to the salvation of the Roman people. He claimed that God wanted him, the emperor, and God’s representative on Earth, to have complete power, over everything. With this Zeno dissolved the Senate of the Roman People. Whilst the Senate was completely outraged, the masses of Constantinople felt as if they had been saved. The masses were terrified that with the fall of the Western Empire, the Eastern Empire would not be far behind it. What the people didn’t realize is that they would have less and less freedom under Zeno’s reign.
After Zeno dissolved the Senate he immediately had all of his political opponents assassinated. Also all those who had a claim to the throne and who had the power to contend for it, were systematically eliminated over the next year. It is said that not even the emperors own family was spared. Every cousin, nephew, niece, aunt, and uncle was killed. Zeno then confiscated all of their possession and kept them for himself. The money he put into the treasury. With this newfound wealth he began a major overhaul of the military. He eliminated the current command system. Where promotion was based on birth and money, he replaced it. Instead of birth and money the system was based on merit and skill. He created a war college in Damascus. The legions were also reborn. No longer was the main military power of the empire, mercenaries. Zeno brought back the professional soldier. If you joined the legion you were guaranteed pay, shelter, food, and a pension. You were also guaranteed help if you were injured. With this Zeno created a semblance of the modern day welfare state.
After this major re-haul of the way the state and military function, Zeno was ready to go on the war path. But finding a suitable target was rather difficult. To the north you had the various barbarian hordes. To the east was the powerful Sassanid Empire. To the south were the various nomadic tribes of the Arabian Peninsula. To the west were the various duchies and principalities of the Italian Peninsula and what was left of the Roman administration in Northern Africa.
Zeno knew very well that if the Roman Empire showed any signs of weakness that the Sassanids would attack. The emperor knew that if he wanted to conquer more territory, he would need to militarize and fortify the border with the Sassanids. The provinces of Armenia, Arabia, and Syria were all placed under direct military rule for the foreseeable future. Forts along the border were erected, patrols were increased. All towns of over five thousand people were fortified and garrisoned. Granaries in major cities were stocked full and replaced every five months. With these preparations made, Zeno felt confident that he could declare war and mobilize his forces without fearing that the Sassanids would ravage his lands.
In the 4th year of Zeno’s reign, he began the re-conquest of Illyricum. Zeno led the legions himself, relying heavily on the experienced general Klaus Posnanz. In the old province of Northern Illyricum, Zeno met fierce resistance form the Lombards, who had been slowly increasing their military presence in the region, while the campaign in Southern Illyricum had been concluded and the land annexed to the empire. Zeno had the new province of Slavica flooded with the homeless and disabled veterans and other Roman colonists, allowing the land to be assimilated into the empire much faster. He left an entire legion in the province to prevent rebellions and establish infrastructure and order. He had them build border forts and establish regular cavalry patrols. With Slavica fully subjugated, and no threats from the Sassanids, Zeno ordered General Posnanz, to take three legions, load them on transports, and invade Sicily. After 4 years of hit and run tactics, by the Lombards, Zeno was finally able to force them to battle. This would be the break the Empire needed. In a stunning battle a Roman force outnumbered three to one, utterly crushed the Lombard Army. It was said, of the 30,000 Lombard men that participated in the Battle of Sirmium, only 12,000 came home. The Romans fresh off their victory swept through Northern Illyricum, to be named Dalmatia, and into Northern Italy, where Zeno began breaking up his army to siege all the major cities at once. Meanwhile in Sicily General Posnanz had completely subjugated the island and began requesting permission to invade Southern Italy. Emperor Zeno continually denied him permission until, one early December morning the last Lombard stronghold fell. After 10 years of continuous warfare the Lombards accepted peace. They would cede all of Illyricum, renounce all claims, and pay an indemnity of 5,000 pounds of gold, to be delivered to Constantinople, on the one year anniversary of the peace treaty.
With funds and troops freed from the campaign against the Lombards, Zeno ordered his four legions to march to Ragusa and rest for six months and prepare for the invasion of Southern Italy. With these preparations being made, Zeno sent Klaus a message saying he could begin the invasion. When General Posnanz invaded Southern Italy he met no resistance early on, he would soon discover just how resistant these people were. It was not until Zeno invade with his four legions that the people of Southern Italy were pacified. The Pope in Rome was afraid they would advance more but they were stopped with the death of their emperor. After a 19 year reign, 13 of which were spent in continuous warfare, Flavius Zeno Augustus dies of natural causes.
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