Roma Renovata est: A Roman TL
- Thread starter FLAYvian1310
- Start date
50: New Beginnings
A/N: Hello all! I am back with another Chapter! We are at episode 50 (minus the Prologue). It has been a long road to get here, it has been great, here's to 50 more! Now then, enjoy Chapter 50 of Roma Renovata est!
New Beginnings
469 AD
The year of 469 came and with it came several changes, with them one era of Europe would end, and another begin.
For one, Gaudentius and Placida had their first child, a boy. As it was a boy, it was left to Gaudentius to decide on the name. Gaudentius decided to name the child Flavius Aetius, in honour of his father, the late Magister Militum. This child would be one of the individuals would define the next generation of Rome. But for now, the birth was a cause for celebration, as a new member of the imperial family came into the world.
However, whilst one event would mark birth, another would see the death of an important figure, as on the 23rd March, Aegidius would pass away after falling off his horse on a hunting trip with Syagrius. Luckily, there wasn't much unrest, as Syagrius was there to take the position as Magister Militum. On the 16th April, Syagrius was officially sworn in as Magister Militum per Gallias.
As for internal affairs, here would be were Theodosius would begin his proper training as emperor. Theodosius had a sharp mind, abke to write beyond his level, with a good understanding of law. However, he was exeptionally shy and weak-willed, even for his age, barely even speaking unless nessesary. Honorius served to help him in this regard. Honorius was very much the opposite to his elder brother when it came to temperament. Bold and confident, often to the point to stubbornness and petulance, he served to prop up Theodosius's confident, giving him a boost.
But as this was going on, many began to realise his potential as a puppet, something that senators like Anicetus Allobrogicus and Ennius Cento. Senators had observed people like Ferox and Ricimer try to stand against the emperor and falling in the attempt. If they were to be successful in their lives, to gain power, they have to worm their way into the emperors good graces. These two in particular singled out Theodosius, wishing to take advantage of his status as the heir.
They wormed their way into Majorian's court, allowing them access to Theodosius. From their they began to eat away at this confidence with poisoned words, acting as a puppetmaster to the heir.
To help further this connection Anicetus proposed a marriage between Theodosius and his niece, Pompeia Sibylla. Though he had no children of his own, the marriage would give Anicetus a tie to the dynasty, allowing him further control over Theodosius. It would also benefit Majorian, as Pompeia was the daughter of Lebbaeus Allobrogicus. Lebbaeus was a popular senator, especially following the Ferox Rebellion, even being elected Consul in 466. If Majorian cemented this marriage, he would finally get the full backing of the senate.
As for Honorius, he was mostly ignored by the senators due to his status as the spare, as well as his abrasive personality. This left Honorius to be a more independent and driven than his elder brother.
In December, new recruits from Corsica and Sardinia came in to the Roman army, to add to the Legio VI, Legio V and the Foederati. Among them was a Visigothic-Vandal, now 15 years old. Lying about his age, he was able to work his way into the Roman Army. This would begin the rise of Rome's greatest enemy, one who worked his way through the empire from the inside.
A/N: And that is all for now, I hope you have enjoyed this TL so far. This is the last Chapter of the year, I'll start again when the new year comes up. Thank you all for reading, the feedback is always appreciated! See you next Chapter!
New Beginnings
469 AD
The year of 469 came and with it came several changes, with them one era of Europe would end, and another begin.
For one, Gaudentius and Placida had their first child, a boy. As it was a boy, it was left to Gaudentius to decide on the name. Gaudentius decided to name the child Flavius Aetius, in honour of his father, the late Magister Militum. This child would be one of the individuals would define the next generation of Rome. But for now, the birth was a cause for celebration, as a new member of the imperial family came into the world.
However, whilst one event would mark birth, another would see the death of an important figure, as on the 23rd March, Aegidius would pass away after falling off his horse on a hunting trip with Syagrius. Luckily, there wasn't much unrest, as Syagrius was there to take the position as Magister Militum. On the 16th April, Syagrius was officially sworn in as Magister Militum per Gallias.
As for internal affairs, here would be were Theodosius would begin his proper training as emperor. Theodosius had a sharp mind, abke to write beyond his level, with a good understanding of law. However, he was exeptionally shy and weak-willed, even for his age, barely even speaking unless nessesary. Honorius served to help him in this regard. Honorius was very much the opposite to his elder brother when it came to temperament. Bold and confident, often to the point to stubbornness and petulance, he served to prop up Theodosius's confident, giving him a boost.
But as this was going on, many began to realise his potential as a puppet, something that senators like Anicetus Allobrogicus and Ennius Cento. Senators had observed people like Ferox and Ricimer try to stand against the emperor and falling in the attempt. If they were to be successful in their lives, to gain power, they have to worm their way into the emperors good graces. These two in particular singled out Theodosius, wishing to take advantage of his status as the heir.
They wormed their way into Majorian's court, allowing them access to Theodosius. From their they began to eat away at this confidence with poisoned words, acting as a puppetmaster to the heir.
To help further this connection Anicetus proposed a marriage between Theodosius and his niece, Pompeia Sibylla. Though he had no children of his own, the marriage would give Anicetus a tie to the dynasty, allowing him further control over Theodosius. It would also benefit Majorian, as Pompeia was the daughter of Lebbaeus Allobrogicus. Lebbaeus was a popular senator, especially following the Ferox Rebellion, even being elected Consul in 466. If Majorian cemented this marriage, he would finally get the full backing of the senate.
As for Honorius, he was mostly ignored by the senators due to his status as the spare, as well as his abrasive personality. This left Honorius to be a more independent and driven than his elder brother.
In December, new recruits from Corsica and Sardinia came in to the Roman army, to add to the Legio VI, Legio V and the Foederati. Among them was a Visigothic-Vandal, now 15 years old. Lying about his age, he was able to work his way into the Roman Army. This would begin the rise of Rome's greatest enemy, one who worked his way through the empire from the inside.
A/N: And that is all for now, I hope you have enjoyed this TL so far. This is the last Chapter of the year, I'll start again when the new year comes up. Thank you all for reading, the feedback is always appreciated! See you next Chapter!
Last edited:
Are you sure he’d be worrying about this? IIRCC by this point of the Empire’s history the senate was nothing more than a rich boy’s club with very little actual power he’d need worry about. Especially since he’s the Emperor who not only nearly single handedly reconquered much of the West, but has also recently crushed a senator lead Civil war followed up by a foreign war against the guy who was trying to make him a puppet with the undertable tacit approval of the senate again. He’d have so little regard for the Senate’s approval it’s not even funny. By this point the Senate’s power would be at an all time low.
You definetely have a point.
The way I see it, this is done as a way to secure things like the financial backing, as well as preventing things like the Ferox Rebellion from happening again, a precaution, if you will.
Personally I think he’d more likely be looking ti strengthen his ties with the Eastern Emperor, the Eastern half was far richer and more stable in it’s dynasties at this point, having a strong ally in his Eastern Counterpart would be far more of a benefit than pandering to a group who would be falling over themselves to please him. Were he of a weaker position I could see it but he’s the best military emperor since Valentinian right now.
That is certainly an option for Majorian, one he would also be considering. He hasn't yet chosen someone to marry to Theodosius. Actually, that gives me an idea for the next chapter, thanks!
Last edited:
It seems so obvious now even if I couldn't predict it, Like Arminius of old he would rise from the Roman Legions. Bravo!
Also, I think that Theodosius will be the ruin of the WRE and it will depend on Honorius and his barbarian fiance to save Rome
Also, I think that Theodosius will be the ruin of the WRE and it will depend on Honorius and his barbarian fiance to save Rome
I like the scenarios you create,you always plan for something to go against Rome. That makes it more realistic (even though at this point saying "realistic" is pretty far fetched).
I try to make so Rome isn't this invulnerable force, especially as it was in a very precarious position at this point. So thanks!
51: Arrangements
A/N: Hello all, and Happy New Year! This is the first Chapter of 2021! We are now getting onto the 470's, the last decade of Rome IOTL. We shall see how Majorian deals with this decade. I hope you all enjoy!
Arrangements
470 AD
Majorian had now ruled for 13 years as Emperor, beating back all that dared to threaten Rome. But his best days were slowly coming to an end. He was now pushing 50, not rediculously old, but he was now beginning to show signs of breakdown from the decades of fighting.
What accelerated this was his head injury, recieved at the battle of Salazar Valley, back in 467. Though he had survived the injury, he had not been left unscathed. The trauma of the injury had resulted in Majorian having seizures. They had started as short, sporadic moments. This year would be when the seizures started to become more frequent and prominent, beginning to become a problem for the emperor.
Majorian still had time on the clock, but he wasn't getting any younger, and these seizures showed that he needed to make sure Rome was secure sooner than later.
For one, he needed to make sure that succession was secure. He had gotten the immediete line of succession, but he did not feel secure yet. He needed to make sure that there were enough successors to last for at least 2 generations. There would be some guarantee with Honorius and Amalafrida's marriage, but their children being half barbarian would cause some issues if they were to be guaranteed as emperors.
He needed to make sure that there were successors to Theodosius, in the form of fully Roman children. One way was the marriage of Lebbaeus Allobrogicus's daughter Pompeia to Theodosius. Lebbaeus was a popular senator, one who had earned his way into the senator seat through the army, being a soldier under Aetius at the Catalaunian Plains, before rising up the ranks of the senators under Majorian. He had then helped to keep Italy together during the Ferox Rebellion and the Grand Civil War. He was a mix of status and hard work, one that made him popular with the people. Arranging a marriage between Theodosius and Pompeia would cement the Dynasty's popularity in the West for the time being.
But that wasn't Majorian's only option. Perhaps even more enticing was a marriage of Theodosius and one of the daughters of Leo. Eastern Rome was richer and more stable than the West. By doing this, he would strengthen his alliance with Eastern Rome, which would serve to help Western Rome in it's recovery.
Majorian decided to try his luck in the ERE, to see if he could secure a marriage between Theodosius and either Ariadne or Leontia to connect the two dynasties.
However, there were those that wished to stop it. One were senators like Anicetus Allobrogicus, who knew that securing a marriage would tie him to the Majorianic Dynasty, giving him leverage over the successor. To the senators, they knew they needed to stop this marriage if they were to cement their control over the successor.
But it wasn't just the Roman senators that wanted to stop the marriage. Another was the ERE's Magister Militum, Aspar. Aspar though, didn't nessesarily wish to stop the marriage entirely, he simply wanted to make sure that his line would be connected to the Leontid Dynasty. This would have to come at Majorian's expense, as Aspar plans limited Majorian's plans.
In March of 470, before Majorian made his journey to Constantinople, Aspar convinced Emperor Leo to appoint his second son, Patricius as the Eastern Ceasar, alongside to marriage to Leontia. He then offered to have his son convert to Nicean Christianity as a consession. On the surface, this appeared as a showing of submission to the Emperor, but he had his own reasons for offering this. Arians were barred from becoming emperor, if Patricius was to become emperor, he had to switch religions. This would also allow Patricius some support to his legitimacy as emperor.
Aspar had seen Ricimer's failings, making sure not to repeat his mistakes. He had managed to keep his power base stable through doing his best to maintain his image of loyalty. This had most certainly been challanged, especially during the time of the Grand Civil War due to his barbarian origins. He put himself at the forefront of sending reinforcements to the West, to maintain the appearance of loyalty to the elites of the ERE.
With his options more limited, Majorian settled on trying to marry Theodosius to Ariadne. On the 1st June, Majorian would arrive at Constantinople, to negotiate a deal. Accompanying him was the future Magister Militum of Illyria, Julius Nepos, as well as several senators and nobles, such as Ennius Cento.
Aspar again had his own aspirations with this meeting, whilst he had stopped one potential marriage, he encouraged this potential match, for one simple reason. If the match went through, then that would help to establish control and dominance over the west. It would essentially allow Eastern Rome to establish a puppet to the throne.
To further this, he convinced Emperor Leo to add one more demand, that Theodosius was to be taken and trained by the east. It had been something already done with the Ostrogoths heir Theodoric, so their was precedent. The West wasn't exactly like the Ostrogothic kingdom, but is was certainly far weaker, and would need the East to secure it's future.
The negotiations on the first day went well for the most part, however that clause was a point of contention. Majorian and the western delegates realised that that part of the marriage deal was essentially one big power play by the East. This was an oppertunity that Cento capitalised on. He had hoped to create minor conflict in the parties, enough to stop the talks without causing serious tensions that could spark disaster. This removed the need to create conflict, as it had already been presented.
When the delegation broke up and returned to their own quarters, Cento gave a speech to the emperor, stating that it was immoral and disrespectful, and that it would be insulting to the Romans of old to give in to such a demand. Majorian could see where the senator was coming from, he would be lying if he said that he didn't agree deep down. He did not want his heir getting fully into the hsnds of the East, where he would have no control. But he also knew that he needed to compromise with his fellow emperor if he was to see the marriage happen.
The Western delegates tried to reach a compromise with the East, however the East didn't budge that much, the only concession made being a limit of 5 years. This stubbornness came from the Eastern Emperor himself, surprising even Aspar. Aspar had tried to get Leo to make consessions, but Leo had refused to budge more than Aspar would have liked. This was a matter of pride for Leo. He had only recently removed the stigma of being the "lesser emperor". He would not allow himself to give into someone who he saw as inferior. It may have been him age getting to him, but it did not matter, if Majorian wanted the marriage, it would be on his terms.
The negotiation stalled before breaking down. Eventually, Leo rejected the proposal. Majorian, not wanting to come back empty handed, proposed a marriage between Julia Eudoxia and Leo's son, Arcadius. Being born in on December 21st of 463, Arcadius was named after the other son of Theodosius the Great in response to Majorian naming his second son Honorius. Much like how the hyperactive Honorius contrasted to his lazy namesake, Arcadius also heavily constrasted his namesake. Whilst the original Arcadius was dim-witted and childish, this Arcadius proved to be exceptionally intellegent and gifted for his age, if blunt and insensitive at times, with a reading capability of someone 3 times his age. Despite his exceptional intellegence, he was very sickly, falling ill often. It had been this that has allowed Aspar to secure his son the position of Ceasar, as Leo feared his son would now live long enough to become the heir.
The talks went more smoothly in regards to this marriage. Eventually, the two sides came to an agreement that the two would marry when Eudoxia turned 18, at which point she would move to Constantinople (if Arcadius survived to that point.
In Theodosius's place, Leo decided on marrying Ariadne to Tarasicodissa, better known as Zeno. The general had started to prove himself to Leo during the Fifth Dacian War, leading the charge in many of the battles. Because of this, Leo had begun to form an alliance with the general. He had already been considering marrying his daughter to Zeno before the negotiations with Majorian. Now that that was off of the table, there was only one clear choice in Leo's eyes for Ariadne's hand.
Leo had, in his mind, secured the succession, as he now had Zeno, Patricius and Arcadius to act as his successors. What was only realised through hindsight that this had created a conflict in the three successors, as whilst Patricius was technically the true successor, each had as good of a claim as the other. This conflict would result in much instability theoughout the next few decades, as each would vie for the throne.
As for Majorian, he would return to Ravenna, not empty handed, but certainly disappointed. He had hoped to secure his sons marriage, his daughters marriage would help, but not nearly as much as his sons. This was when the senators renewed their push to have Theodosius engaged to Pompeia. Eventually, Majorian would come to agree with this choice, seeing it as the best option he had for the moment. When Theodosius turned 18 (he was 8, whilst Pompeia was 10), the two would be married.
With succession dealt with for good, Majorian could finally do what he had wanted to do for a long time, as he turned his sights to the eternal city, Rome itself.
A/N: And that is all for now! Happy New year everybody, I hope this year treats us all at least a little bit better than the last. Thank you for reading this latest Chapter, the feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!
Arrangements
470 AD
Majorian had now ruled for 13 years as Emperor, beating back all that dared to threaten Rome. But his best days were slowly coming to an end. He was now pushing 50, not rediculously old, but he was now beginning to show signs of breakdown from the decades of fighting.
What accelerated this was his head injury, recieved at the battle of Salazar Valley, back in 467. Though he had survived the injury, he had not been left unscathed. The trauma of the injury had resulted in Majorian having seizures. They had started as short, sporadic moments. This year would be when the seizures started to become more frequent and prominent, beginning to become a problem for the emperor.
Majorian still had time on the clock, but he wasn't getting any younger, and these seizures showed that he needed to make sure Rome was secure sooner than later.
For one, he needed to make sure that succession was secure. He had gotten the immediete line of succession, but he did not feel secure yet. He needed to make sure that there were enough successors to last for at least 2 generations. There would be some guarantee with Honorius and Amalafrida's marriage, but their children being half barbarian would cause some issues if they were to be guaranteed as emperors.
He needed to make sure that there were successors to Theodosius, in the form of fully Roman children. One way was the marriage of Lebbaeus Allobrogicus's daughter Pompeia to Theodosius. Lebbaeus was a popular senator, one who had earned his way into the senator seat through the army, being a soldier under Aetius at the Catalaunian Plains, before rising up the ranks of the senators under Majorian. He had then helped to keep Italy together during the Ferox Rebellion and the Grand Civil War. He was a mix of status and hard work, one that made him popular with the people. Arranging a marriage between Theodosius and Pompeia would cement the Dynasty's popularity in the West for the time being.
But that wasn't Majorian's only option. Perhaps even more enticing was a marriage of Theodosius and one of the daughters of Leo. Eastern Rome was richer and more stable than the West. By doing this, he would strengthen his alliance with Eastern Rome, which would serve to help Western Rome in it's recovery.
Majorian decided to try his luck in the ERE, to see if he could secure a marriage between Theodosius and either Ariadne or Leontia to connect the two dynasties.
However, there were those that wished to stop it. One were senators like Anicetus Allobrogicus, who knew that securing a marriage would tie him to the Majorianic Dynasty, giving him leverage over the successor. To the senators, they knew they needed to stop this marriage if they were to cement their control over the successor.
But it wasn't just the Roman senators that wanted to stop the marriage. Another was the ERE's Magister Militum, Aspar. Aspar though, didn't nessesarily wish to stop the marriage entirely, he simply wanted to make sure that his line would be connected to the Leontid Dynasty. This would have to come at Majorian's expense, as Aspar plans limited Majorian's plans.
In March of 470, before Majorian made his journey to Constantinople, Aspar convinced Emperor Leo to appoint his second son, Patricius as the Eastern Ceasar, alongside to marriage to Leontia. He then offered to have his son convert to Nicean Christianity as a consession. On the surface, this appeared as a showing of submission to the Emperor, but he had his own reasons for offering this. Arians were barred from becoming emperor, if Patricius was to become emperor, he had to switch religions. This would also allow Patricius some support to his legitimacy as emperor.
Aspar had seen Ricimer's failings, making sure not to repeat his mistakes. He had managed to keep his power base stable through doing his best to maintain his image of loyalty. This had most certainly been challanged, especially during the time of the Grand Civil War due to his barbarian origins. He put himself at the forefront of sending reinforcements to the West, to maintain the appearance of loyalty to the elites of the ERE.
With his options more limited, Majorian settled on trying to marry Theodosius to Ariadne. On the 1st June, Majorian would arrive at Constantinople, to negotiate a deal. Accompanying him was the future Magister Militum of Illyria, Julius Nepos, as well as several senators and nobles, such as Ennius Cento.
Aspar again had his own aspirations with this meeting, whilst he had stopped one potential marriage, he encouraged this potential match, for one simple reason. If the match went through, then that would help to establish control and dominance over the west. It would essentially allow Eastern Rome to establish a puppet to the throne.
To further this, he convinced Emperor Leo to add one more demand, that Theodosius was to be taken and trained by the east. It had been something already done with the Ostrogoths heir Theodoric, so their was precedent. The West wasn't exactly like the Ostrogothic kingdom, but is was certainly far weaker, and would need the East to secure it's future.
The negotiations on the first day went well for the most part, however that clause was a point of contention. Majorian and the western delegates realised that that part of the marriage deal was essentially one big power play by the East. This was an oppertunity that Cento capitalised on. He had hoped to create minor conflict in the parties, enough to stop the talks without causing serious tensions that could spark disaster. This removed the need to create conflict, as it had already been presented.
When the delegation broke up and returned to their own quarters, Cento gave a speech to the emperor, stating that it was immoral and disrespectful, and that it would be insulting to the Romans of old to give in to such a demand. Majorian could see where the senator was coming from, he would be lying if he said that he didn't agree deep down. He did not want his heir getting fully into the hsnds of the East, where he would have no control. But he also knew that he needed to compromise with his fellow emperor if he was to see the marriage happen.
The Western delegates tried to reach a compromise with the East, however the East didn't budge that much, the only concession made being a limit of 5 years. This stubbornness came from the Eastern Emperor himself, surprising even Aspar. Aspar had tried to get Leo to make consessions, but Leo had refused to budge more than Aspar would have liked. This was a matter of pride for Leo. He had only recently removed the stigma of being the "lesser emperor". He would not allow himself to give into someone who he saw as inferior. It may have been him age getting to him, but it did not matter, if Majorian wanted the marriage, it would be on his terms.
The negotiation stalled before breaking down. Eventually, Leo rejected the proposal. Majorian, not wanting to come back empty handed, proposed a marriage between Julia Eudoxia and Leo's son, Arcadius. Being born in on December 21st of 463, Arcadius was named after the other son of Theodosius the Great in response to Majorian naming his second son Honorius. Much like how the hyperactive Honorius contrasted to his lazy namesake, Arcadius also heavily constrasted his namesake. Whilst the original Arcadius was dim-witted and childish, this Arcadius proved to be exceptionally intellegent and gifted for his age, if blunt and insensitive at times, with a reading capability of someone 3 times his age. Despite his exceptional intellegence, he was very sickly, falling ill often. It had been this that has allowed Aspar to secure his son the position of Ceasar, as Leo feared his son would now live long enough to become the heir.
The talks went more smoothly in regards to this marriage. Eventually, the two sides came to an agreement that the two would marry when Eudoxia turned 18, at which point she would move to Constantinople (if Arcadius survived to that point.
In Theodosius's place, Leo decided on marrying Ariadne to Tarasicodissa, better known as Zeno. The general had started to prove himself to Leo during the Fifth Dacian War, leading the charge in many of the battles. Because of this, Leo had begun to form an alliance with the general. He had already been considering marrying his daughter to Zeno before the negotiations with Majorian. Now that that was off of the table, there was only one clear choice in Leo's eyes for Ariadne's hand.
Leo had, in his mind, secured the succession, as he now had Zeno, Patricius and Arcadius to act as his successors. What was only realised through hindsight that this had created a conflict in the three successors, as whilst Patricius was technically the true successor, each had as good of a claim as the other. This conflict would result in much instability theoughout the next few decades, as each would vie for the throne.
As for Majorian, he would return to Ravenna, not empty handed, but certainly disappointed. He had hoped to secure his sons marriage, his daughters marriage would help, but not nearly as much as his sons. This was when the senators renewed their push to have Theodosius engaged to Pompeia. Eventually, Majorian would come to agree with this choice, seeing it as the best option he had for the moment. When Theodosius turned 18 (he was 8, whilst Pompeia was 10), the two would be married.
With succession dealt with for good, Majorian could finally do what he had wanted to do for a long time, as he turned his sights to the eternal city, Rome itself.
A/N: And that is all for now! Happy New year everybody, I hope this year treats us all at least a little bit better than the last. Thank you for reading this latest Chapter, the feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!
This is just me wondering but would Leo or Majorian have any issues with Ostrogothic expansion northward?
Hmm... That might be a possibility.
Theodosius won't show on the outside, but that may be how he feels on the inside, as for Honorius...
Hmm...
I don't think Majorian would be worried about Northern expasion so much as a build up of soldiers.
I think Leo would be the more worried one, as the Ostrogoths could potentially expand on his newly aquired territory.
52: Reconstruction of Rome
A/N: Hello all, I am back with another Chapter! Majorian has secured the succession. Now he turns to something he had wanted to do since becoming Emperor; the reconstruction of Rome.
Reconstruction of Rome
After all this time, Majorian could finally set his sights on something that he had wished to do since he was born. Rome had once been the most glorious city in Europe, if not the world, but centuries of degradation alongside two sackings had devastated the heart of the empire. With Western Rome finally stabilized, he could finally begin the reconstruction of Rome, to make the eternal city one of great status again.
It wasn't just stability, it was wealth as well. With the recapture of much of Rome's former wealth, as well as the reparations from the Suebi, Burgundians and Visigoths had given Majorian money to spare. He could now focus on reviving the eternal city.
He started by reinforcing Rome's defenses. The Aurelian Walls had helped to keep Rome safe since the Crisis of the Third Century, however it's defenses were inadequete for the times they were now in. As a result, Majorian decided on building a second wall, as well as reinforcing the Aurelian Walls to frustrate any attackers.
The new walls were 14 m (46 ft) high, running for 25 km (16 mi), with a moat between the two walls. To accompany this he began hiring more garrisons to defend the wall. This wall would serve to frustrate sieges like with Alaric, giving Rome time to breath before counterattacking. It also came with many built in Onagers and Ballistae to take out chunks of the enemy forces. The moats would act to further slow enemy advancement, allowing the garrisons more time to counter-attack. These new walls would be dubbed The Majorian Walls.
With the defense plan settled, he began his plans for Rome itself. He planned to renovate and repair the city. He would start with the aquaducts, repairing and renovating those that had yet to be rebuilt, as well a building a couple of new ones.
After the aquaduct he turned to the houses. He began and extensive rebuilding project on the areas damaged by the Visigothic and Vandal sacks. He reorganised thes areas to be able to hold more people, as he planned to bring in more people to the city, to get some life back into the city.
He then began to make monuments with any remaining available space, as well as adding to established ones. One of these was Majorian's Column, which detailed Majorian's life from his early years up until the defeat of Ricimer initially, being expanded to cover the important events of Majorian's life by Gaudentius after Majorian's passing. Another was the renovation of Agrippa's Pantheon, adding an underground room for the emperors, both those whose ashes had not been lost, as well as for the future emperors. It would become a preserving ground for emperors for the next few centuries.
These project would, of course be expensive and time-consuming. As a result, the full vision of Majorian would take several decades to be fully completed, being completed in the 510's, after certain events would delay the reconstruction.
Rome was slowly starting to become more like the empire of old, piece by piece. But peace could not last forever, as there were still those with their own ambitions.
A/N: And that is all for now, I hope you all enjoyed. Majorian is doing his best to revive the Rome of old, but that dream is still a long way away. That is to say nothing of his more barbaric neighbours. Thank you all for reading this TL so far, the feedback is much appreciated. See you next Chapter!
Reconstruction of Rome
After all this time, Majorian could finally set his sights on something that he had wished to do since he was born. Rome had once been the most glorious city in Europe, if not the world, but centuries of degradation alongside two sackings had devastated the heart of the empire. With Western Rome finally stabilized, he could finally begin the reconstruction of Rome, to make the eternal city one of great status again.
It wasn't just stability, it was wealth as well. With the recapture of much of Rome's former wealth, as well as the reparations from the Suebi, Burgundians and Visigoths had given Majorian money to spare. He could now focus on reviving the eternal city.
He started by reinforcing Rome's defenses. The Aurelian Walls had helped to keep Rome safe since the Crisis of the Third Century, however it's defenses were inadequete for the times they were now in. As a result, Majorian decided on building a second wall, as well as reinforcing the Aurelian Walls to frustrate any attackers.
The new walls were 14 m (46 ft) high, running for 25 km (16 mi), with a moat between the two walls. To accompany this he began hiring more garrisons to defend the wall. This wall would serve to frustrate sieges like with Alaric, giving Rome time to breath before counterattacking. It also came with many built in Onagers and Ballistae to take out chunks of the enemy forces. The moats would act to further slow enemy advancement, allowing the garrisons more time to counter-attack. These new walls would be dubbed The Majorian Walls.
With the defense plan settled, he began his plans for Rome itself. He planned to renovate and repair the city. He would start with the aquaducts, repairing and renovating those that had yet to be rebuilt, as well a building a couple of new ones.
After the aquaduct he turned to the houses. He began and extensive rebuilding project on the areas damaged by the Visigothic and Vandal sacks. He reorganised thes areas to be able to hold more people, as he planned to bring in more people to the city, to get some life back into the city.
He then began to make monuments with any remaining available space, as well as adding to established ones. One of these was Majorian's Column, which detailed Majorian's life from his early years up until the defeat of Ricimer initially, being expanded to cover the important events of Majorian's life by Gaudentius after Majorian's passing. Another was the renovation of Agrippa's Pantheon, adding an underground room for the emperors, both those whose ashes had not been lost, as well as for the future emperors. It would become a preserving ground for emperors for the next few centuries.
These project would, of course be expensive and time-consuming. As a result, the full vision of Majorian would take several decades to be fully completed, being completed in the 510's, after certain events would delay the reconstruction.
Rome was slowly starting to become more like the empire of old, piece by piece. But peace could not last forever, as there were still those with their own ambitions.
A/N: And that is all for now, I hope you all enjoyed. Majorian is doing his best to revive the Rome of old, but that dream is still a long way away. That is to say nothing of his more barbaric neighbours. Thank you all for reading this TL so far, the feedback is much appreciated. See you next Chapter!
huh o.o , with no dark ages in western Europe, since WRE didn't colpase completly, I have no idea what you're gonna do about anything from pop growth since the medicine that the romans learned isn't pushed aside, same with all the architechture (streets, roads, baths etc..). This could go from the WRE goes down , but the dark ages last a short time, to Rome remains hegemon in Europe and becomes kinda like China (even more likely with the roman "culture" getting back). Point is, you can go anywhere from here since the WRE secured their spot, and they don't have to deal with any of the hordes from east. This would mean that the ERE would have an easier time with "probably sometimes helpful" allies in the west, and keep out the turks from at least Anatolia.
Honestly I kinda expect Rome to either come back together or for the Eastern half to fall against barbarians while WRE is fighting internal threat only for WRE to reconquer ERE's lands in the coming centuries.
the thing is, if they didn't fall IRL with no WRE, how would they fall in this TL? to barbarians I mean. Turks Islam, Timurid etc are open game, but with a friendly nation at their western border that has many, many, eager soldiers and few wars (only germania and the african nomads remain, and rebelions for liberty aren't/can't be a thing yet. And since this isn't a feudal system, there's no legitimacy in declaring independence of the "X" people.Romans were good at asimilating pops, there's a reason France, Spain, Italy, Romania have latin languages. And since the WRE didn't fall, Byzantium won't ever apear, which means greek will remain secondary to latin, which means that latinizations and cultural asimilation continues both east and west in Europe, and the few kingdoms that will apear , will copy latin and the romans just like they copied feudalism. Latin europe could be a thing lol.
That would be more interesting than reading about Rome falling apart agin