Roma Renovata est: A Roman TL

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all! Here is another Chapter for everyone! Majorian has secured the empire, but has he secured his throne? We shall see...

Lies and Conspiracy

462 AD

For the first time in nearly a century, there was a feeling of peace and prosperity within the empire. People began to settle down, feeling at ease. Among them were the veterans, given bonuses and land for their hard work taking back Roman land, the eldest anong them allowed to retire to their estates. This would include Foederati as well.

To further this, Majorian started his newest plan, later called The Grand Migration Initiative. First, all the families of the foederati were to be settled inside the empire. Second, the army and their families would be redistributed throughout the empire, to make sure ensure large scale rebellion of a single tribe was impossible.

It was during this program that the first child of Majorian and Eudocia was born (5th April 462), named Julius Valerius Theodosius. Now, Majorian had an imperial heir, as well as a true connection to the Theodosian Dynasty. Their was much celebration over the birth of an imperial successor. The coming years looked good for Rome.

However, it was at this moment that Ricimer and the conspiracy put their plans into motion. With the knowledge that Eudocia was pregnant, they waited until the baby was born. They did not want to risk a succession crisis if not nessesary. Now that they had an imperial successor their was now someone that could be groomed into a puppet by the conspirators, in particular Ricimer.

Ricimer was very close to the Imperial family, especially Majorian, who considered Ricimer his greatest friend, even letting Ricimer be in the same room when Eudocia gave birth. Ricimer kept himself emotionally distant from Majorian however; in his mind, there was no room to be having personal attachment, putting trust in others only got an individual a knife in the back. Trust was a weakness in other, a weakness in Majorian, something he could exploit.

On the 7th April 462, the conspiracy would set it's first plot into motion. Ricimer had bought a small vial of poison, slow acting but deadly. It would surely off the Emperor, but give the conspiracy an alibi. They could claim it was illness, or that someone else had killed the emperor.

From their Ricimer would mold the new emperor into his puppet from his position as Magister Militum, it would be like Stilicho and Honorius, or Aetius and Valentinian III. The rest of the conspiracy would work their way into the emperors good graces along the way.

From their they could use Majorian's legacy to legitimise themselves, especially Ricimer, as he was Majorian's "right hand man".

That night, their was a party held by Majorian, between those close to Majorian and their families, as well as many of his generals. Marcellinus, Julius Nepos, Aegidius, Syagrius and Nepotianus were all their. Among them was Ricimer.

One of the servants at the party had been bribed by Ricimer to put the poison into Majorian's drink and deliver it to him. When Majorian finished his first drink, he ordered a second, the servent added this poison to the drink. The plan was going exactly as intended.

However, right before the servent headed to give Majorian the poisoned drink, the servent was called by his boss to do another task. The servent grew nervous as a result, he could risk the wrath of Ricimer, or draw suspicion. He decided to leave the drinks and go do as he was told, this led to another servent being left to serve drinks. This servent was not in on the plot.

When the drinks were handed out Majorian recieved the wrong drink. The poisoned drink instead went to one of Marcellinus's generals instead.

When the party was over everyone returned home, none the wiser. In the morning, the general was dead. He had died in his sleep from the poison. This was chalked up to most as illness, but the soldiers close to him were suspicious; he showed no signs of being ill, something was up.

When the conspiracy met up the next day, they were informed of the failure by Ricimer. Majorian was still alive. Their was alot of shouting and finger-pointing, mainly at Ricimer, it had been HIS plan after all.

The meeting ended with a bitter taste in everyones mouths, Ricimers most of all. He hated working with a bunch of stuffy know-it-alls who thought that because they were of "pure blood" that they were better than everyone else. Ricimer wanted nothing more than to get rid of all of them. But he also knew they were vital to getting Majorian off the throne, as well as securing his base of power.

"It will be a long road for me", Ricimer thought, "but one that will see me as the master of all Rome!"

A/N: And that's it for today! I hope all of you enjoyed it. It has been refreshing to finally get away from the Vandalic War. Thank you all for reading this TL so far and please let me know your thoughts, I love hearing what people have to say. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, I'm here with a new chapter! For a while with this series I've focused mostly on the external affairs. I think it's time to fix that. For this chapter we'll be looking into the imperial family itself, now that the Imperial ladies are back in Rome.

Imperial Affairs

The city of Rome...

It had been 7 years since she'd been here...

As she walked through the Streets of Rome, Eudocia reminised on the times of her childhood, when she didn't have much care in the world.

That had changed when she was taken from everything by the Vandals who had left her home a mess. Forced to live in enemy territory, married to a man she barely knew. It seemed to her as if her destiny to be the trophy wife of the Vandal prince, the son of the men who had destroyed Rome.

But everything had changed almost 2 years ago, when the newest emperor Majorian had led a successful conquest of North Africa. Like that, she had been freed and returned to Rome, the man she had been betrothed to dead at Hippo Regius.

Now, she was the wife of a different man. She was the wife of the man who had liberated her family from the Vandals. In truth, she knew her role with her new husband was the same as the one she was originally betrothed to, to be a connection to her dynasty. At least now she could be at home.

That wasn't to say she didn't like Majorian however. Over the year she had gotten to know her new husband and had grown to like him. She had found herself enamoured with the emperor, with his determination and his witty attitude.

And now she had a child as well, a son, her little Theodosius, named after her Great Grandfather, Theodosius the Great. She loved the little boy, now a few months old. She had faith that he would be a worthy successor to the title his father carried.

She was soon joined by her husband, Majorian. They exchanged many stories along the way, both funny and profound. For the first time in years, Eudocia felt happy with life.

But she was also sad. Sad that whenever she saw the city of Rome, all there was were the ashes of a once grand city. Majorian felt much the same. Which is why the imperial couple had a plan for Rome, to see it reborn like a phoenix, into a majestic city once again.

Eudocia had alot on her mind as a result of her return to Rome. But it wasn't just Eudocia that had been having an eventful time since her return...

Placidia had also returned to Rome alongside her sister and mother. She and her husband Olybrius had been staying in the imperial palace alongside the Royal couple. But it wasn't this that was so interesting.

Majorian, since his return to Rome, had taken up a protege of sorts, someone he could train to lead Rome if he died before having a successor/before his successor was of age to lead the empire. He had selected someone with an personal attachment. He selected the son Flavius Aetius, Gaudentius.

This was not without proper reasoning however. Gaudentius had served in the Vandalic War, rising quickly up the ranks, he had been the one to take control if the right flank that allowed the Romans to win at Hippo Regius, he had accompanied Majorian through Geiseric's Palace, and he had been a commander of Majorian's Cavalry at The Second Battle of Caralis. Needless to say, he was had skill at leadership.

He was also young enough to learn and be in good condition to take over at a moments notice. All his other closest friends were similar to his age, so may not be in such a good condition in a decades time or so. But he had also asked them if they wanted to be a regent of Theodosius. Aegidius, Marcellinus and Nepotianus had all considered, but had ultimately rejected the proposal. He had intended to ask Ricimer, but he had waved off Majorian.

It was because of this that he had turned to Gaudentius, training him to be able to take control if need be, but still making sure he didn't get any ideas about taking the throne for himself. One of the arrangements was that Gaudentius would stay at the Imperial Palace.

This had put Placidia and Gaudentius in close proximity with each other, over the months they had gotten to know each other, becoming closer with each passing day. Now, it was a full blown affair behind everyones backs. Placidia and Gaudentius both felt guilty about what they were doing, but they couldn't help themselves, it had gone to far.

Eventually, Placidia would break the news to Eudocia and Majorian that she was pregnant. To most who found out, it was a happy time, Olybrius and Placidia were to have a child, but, deep down, Placidia could not say who the father truely was.

A/N: And that's it for this Chapter! It felt good to write about the perspectives of the imperial ladies, as we have barely heard from them up to this point. Let me know if you enjoyed this latest chapter, your feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, I'm back with another Chapter. This time, Majorian will be getting back to what he does best, conquering old Roman territory. I hope you all enjoy this newest chapter!

Back to Conquest

463 AD

Majorian had spent the past year focusing on internal policies, trying to consolidate what he had, as well as improve the system of Rome.

But after the year of peace, it was now time to get back to his grand vision; restoring Rome's former borders. For this campaign, he would go to three different points had he felt retaking would be most strategic.

His first target was the small kingdom of Vasconia, which was between the Visigoths and Suebi. If he could take Vasconia he could set up a better isolate the two kingdoms for future reclaimation. It would also serve as a practice for true combat for the legions. They had had training and disciplining for the past year, but most had yet to be out on the field, in actual combat.

Preparations were made, before the army set out on the 15th January to Hispania. This would begin the second phase of the reconquest of The Roman Empire. The plan was to link up with his top generals in each sector of the empire (Nepotianus in the case of Hispania), from their he would launch a campaign to push the barbarians soldiers out of the formers territories of Rome. Any of the citizens that wished to stay when it was over were allowed to stay, those that wished to leave would be safely transported out.

January 22nd 463, Majorian would reach Hispania. He and Nepotianus would then travel to the border of Vasconia to begin his campaign to retake Rome.

The Vasconnes and Romans would met in battle at Vasconia's Border. The Legions were deployed as the main fighters, with Nepotianus's forces, bringing up the rear and wings to support them. Vasconia was able to muster up 6,000 men to fight the 25,000 that the Romans had.

The battle was quick and decisive, the Romans quickly surrounded the Vasconnes after a short scuffle. The Vasconnes would quickly surrender, fearing annihilation. At the battle 800 Vasconnes died, compared to only 90 dead for the Roman.

Terms were negotiated with the leader of Vasconia. The kings was able to make his realm a client state to Rome, rather than being fully annexed. Majorian agreed to this, as long as he could set up troops in Vasconia. Out of all of his planned conquests, Vasconia was the least nessesary, only serving to keep the Suebi and Visigoths divided. It could remain its own kingdom for the time being, as long as it answered to Rome.

With that finished he turned and started the journey to the other side of his Empire. His next mission was the fight the Ostrogoths for the rest of Illyria.

A/N: And that it for this Chapter. This chapter has been on to get the ball rolling for this 3 part campaign. Next chapter will be focused on the Ostrogoths and the continuation of Majorian's dream for a restored Rome. Thank you all for reading this stories so far, I have loved all your feedback on this series so far, it has really helped. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, here is another Chapter for all of you. This time, having finished with the Vasconnes, Majorian heads East, to deal with a greater threat, The Ostrogoths. Whilst the Ostrogoths havn't been a thorn in the empires side like their Visigothic cousins have, they're certainly one to watch out for. How will Majorian deal with them? Only one way to find out.

The Ostrogoths

February 12th 463 had hit, Majorian had reached Illyria after a brief rest to recover from the first part of his campaign to Vasconia. Now it was time to retake the rest of Illyria for the Roman Empire.

Just as Nepotianus had helped for the Hispanic campaign, Marcellinus would be working with Majorian for the Illyrian Canpaign.

However, this one would be more difficult than that of the war against the Vasconnes, for their opponents this time would be the Ostrogoths, a true force to be reckoned with. Though they hadn't damaged Rome to the extent of their Visigothic cousins, that didn't mean they were any less of a threat. They had made themself a mighty force over the past decades. If they were to be driven back, preparation was needed.

For this, Majorian and Marcellinus gathered as many soldiers as they could for this upcoming campaign into Ostrogothic territory. In total, 35,000 soldiers gathered to fight for Rome.

Their planning was cut short when news reached Majorian that the Ostogoths were launching an attack on Salona, intending on taking all of Illyria for themselves. This Majorian could not allow, mobilising his forces to fight the Ostrogoths.

He was able to reach Salona first, organising 5,000 men to scout the area and then hide near the Ostrogothic line. They would report of 25,000 Ostrogoths heading to Illyria, they were fully intent on taking the land by striking first. What they didn't know was that the Romans were waiting for them.

Night would hit on the 15th February 463, the Ostrogoths were asleep in their tents, with a few guards around the site to watch for any enemies. The soldiers wait patiently, getting the guards attention, before slitting their throats. Many of these soldiers were the Vandal soldiers who were able to launch a successful initial ambush at Thuburbo Maius. They had been practucing to hone their stealth on the order of Majorian. Thanks to they, the Ostrogothic guards are dispatched without a sound. The stealthiest soldiers then make their way around the tent, poisoning the food and slaughtering the Ostrogoths in their tents.

By the time the Ostrogoths realise something is up, 500 soldiers have been slain in their sleep. The soldiers retreat into the woods before the horn is blown. The Ostrogoths were now ready to fight. But first, they needed to track down their attackers. Once several of the Ostrogoths came close enough, the Roman soldier sprang out, launchimg their attack.

In the following pandemonium that insued, a further 1,000 Ostrogoths lay dead before they were able to regroup and launch a counterattack on the Romans. The Roman quickly retreated to avoid being surrounded.

The Ostrogoths gave chase, wanting vengeance. This was a mistake however, the Romans wanted the Ostrogoths to follow them. It was a trap.

Once most of the Ostrogothic army had reached the clearing, the Ostrogoths were surrounded by the Roman forces, would where rested and ready (thanks to Majorian planning for a night battle) compared to the Ostrogoths, who were now tired from both lack of sleep and the previous chase. Combining that with superior numbers, the Ostrogoths stood no chance. The battle was short and frantic, with the Romes decisively crushing the Ostrogoths, forcing them to flee away. Over the course of the battle, 8,000 Ostrogoths died, 1,500 captured, with only 900 Romans dead by the end. It was a major victory for the Romans, so bad that the Ostrogoths would not attack the empire for a decade.

But things weren't done yet.

Following the Battle of Salona, as it would be known, the Ostrogoths would retreat to Siscia to recover, but Rome wasn't done yet. Instead of directly attacking the Ostrogothic forces however, they would go to Sirmium instead. This forced the Ostrogoths to cut their rest short, gathering up as many soldiers as possible.

Again, Romans were waiting for their them at Surmium. The Battle of Surmium would begin when the Roman charged unexpectedly at the Ostrogoths. They smashed into the Ostrogothic front line, carving them to bits. The Ostrogoths would reorganise, and prepare to be defensive. This battle was more hard-fought than at Salona, as 24,500 Ostrogoths would clash with 34,000 Romans.

The Roman would force the wings back whilst allowing the centre of the Ostrogothic line to slowly gain ground. The Ostrogothic King Valamir would eventually realise what was being planned trying to get his forces out, but they were blocked by the Legio III Aureliana, as well as the Cavalry. Valamir then tried to force his way through the centre, but the centre, made up of both the Legio I Augusta and Marcellinus's most experienced heavy cavalry, remained strong against the attack. Valamir aimed for Majorian, the emperor himself, in an attempt to disorganise Roman army. Gaudentius was prepared for this, striking out against the Ostrogothic king. His hit connected, slicing Valamir's face, blinding him. The blow wasn't a lethal one, but it had it's intended effect. The king cried out as he fell, now unable to see. This disorientated the Ostrogothic forces now lacking their main leader.

The Ostrogoths were then surrounded and forced shoulder to shoulder, there was nowhere to go. One by one, Ostrogoths dropped, refusing to surrender after 8,000 Ostrogiths had been killed however, the Ostrogoths had had enough, surrendering to the Roman forces. The remaining Ostrogoths were spared by the Romans, who were satisfied with their victory.

The Ostrogoths were then made to give up all territory south of Poetovio to the Roman Empire, with the King reluctantly agreed to, not having the man power to fight back, and his men now being fearful to.

The Ostrogothic Campaign had been a decisive victory for the Romans, they had only lost 3,500 men compared to the staggeringly high 15,000 Ostrogoths killed, and 1,500 captured, on top of the return of Roman land.

This would result in Majorian being given the name Ostrogothicus Maximus by the senate. This success also invigorated the men, which would be beneficial for the final and largest part of the Grand Campaign.

At the start of March, after some rest and finalizing the transfer of land, the Army under Majorian would head out to Gaul to confront the Burgundians.

A/N: And that is all for this Chapter! It felt good to write about Rome fighting a Germannic kingdom other than the Vandals. Let me know if you enjoyed it, your feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, I'm back with another Chapter. This is the final part of the Three-parter campaign to retake Roman lands. So far, Majorian has been successful in both Hispania and Illyrica, but can he repeat the same success in Gaul? Only one way to find out.

The Burgundians

On the 9th March, Majorian and his forces reached Gaul (after taking a couple of days to rest). For their Majorian would link up with Aegidius, the Magister Militum of Gaul and Majorian's most loyal friend.

With Aegidius at his side, Majorian began work on his plans for an attack on the Burgundians. It would be the most difficult task yet, therefore much planning was required. It would be one that would have to force out not one tribe, but two, as it would also force back the Alemmani as well.

Majorian and Aegidius gathered up as many soldiers as they could, getting a total of around 40,000 soldiers for this campaign. To help this, he had also gotten the army of Italy, which would be led by Ricimer, to help. That army added another 15,000 soldiers to Rome's military for this particular campaign. Those 15,000 would push the Burgundians from Italy, whilst the 40,000 would push the Burgundians out directly.

All that was left was an excuse, which came a month after Majorian's arrival. The Burgundians had attacked Lugdunum, intent on reclaiming the city. At this, Majorian and his army geared up for war.

Majorian and his army would arrive at Lugdunum on the 11th. The Burgundian quickly broke the siege, retreating to regroup and launch a counterattack. 30,000 Burgundians would clash with 40,000 Romans at the Battle of Lugdunum.

Majorian controlled the left while Aegidius controlled the right. The battle was long and hard fought, with the Romans gaining ground very gradually. At one point, Majorian was hit in the shoulder, doing alot of damage to him and taking him out of the rest of the battle. The Roman army nearly faltered at this by Aegidius was able to take the command of the army to continue Rome's push forward.

Eventually, the Burgundians finally broke retreating from the battle. Over the course of the battle, 6,000 Burgundians and 4,000 Romans would fall.

The Roman army kept up their persuit, driving the Burgundians further and further Back over a series of small skirmishes.

Concurrent to these events the Italian Army were also forcing their way through the Burgundian, eventually reaching Aventicum. On the 19th March, the battle of Aventicum woukd take place. It was smaller than the first battle at Lugdunum, with 15,000 Romans facing 9,000 Burgundians. What it lacked in size, it made up for in intensity.

The battling was fierce, with Romans and Burgundians brawling it out. Ricimer would lead the charge, crashing into the Burgundians with intensity. Whereas Lugdunum was long and slow, Aventicum was short and frenetic. The Burgundians fell back, defeated again, having lost 3,500 compared to the Romans 1,500 losses.

After this back, Majorian would send a letter of praise to Ricimer, asking him when he'll arrive. Ricimer would deliberately delay his answer, as well as the journey. He knew Majorian would wait to link up, wanting to have as many soldiers as possible to attack.

Eventually, Ricimer would (reluctantly) arrive at Vesontio on the 27th March. At this point, the Burgundians had regrouped, preparing to face the Romans once again. 49,500 Romans would face off against 45,000 Burgunians, which had been gathered to fight the Romans over the last few days.

The Battle of Vesontio started well for the Romans, as they pushed back against the Burgundian forces. However things would change when the right of the Roman army began to be bombarded by the Burgundian forces. It was at this moment that Ricimer struck, ordering all of his men to retreat. The Romans were now outnumbered now being only 35,000 strong compared to the Burgundians now 41,000.

The situation was dire as the Burgundians pushed back against the Romans. The Burgundian army soon threatened to ovetwhelm the Romans, morale was breaking defeat looked imminent.

Yet inspite of all of this, one group would refuse to give up, the Legio III Aureliana would rally around their new commander, Procopius Soranus, after the previous one fell early in the battle. Through a vigor not seen in a century, the Legio carved their away through the Burgundians left, stopping the Burgundians from encircling them, before attacking the flank with a vicious fury.

This herculian effort would turn the tide of battle. The rest of the army was reenergised by the Legio III Aureliana's sudden assault. Majorian rallied the men, who began pushing the Burgundians back once again. Bit by bit, the Romans gained ground, gaining strength for the sheer determination to not fall, no matter the cost. The numbers began to even, out eventually shifting in the Romans favour.

When the Army made it's sudden counterpush on the Burgundians it shocked them. They had expected the Romans to break under their onslaught, they had expected surrender by now. Instead not only were the Romans still fighting, they were gaining ground, they were winning.

For the first time in many of the Burgundian soldier, they felt fear towards the Roman. To them, the Roman looked near unstoppable.

They had severely underestimated the Roman spirit, thinking it the same as it had been in the decades prior. Merely 5 years ago, when Majorian had first started his campaigns, the Romans would have happily surrendered to the Burgundians when the Burgundians had bearly overwhelmed them. But Majorians work in increasing patriotism, alongside the recent glories that Rome had expetienced had reinvigorated the Roman spirit. Now, (most) Romans prefered death to dishonour. Some were fighting to live, to make sure that their families could never be harmed.

Under the Roman Assault, the Burgundians broke, surrendering to the Romans. The Romans had pulled off a shocking victory, despite a major part of the army abandoning them.

But it hadn't been great for the Romans. Though the battle was won, and a shocking 23,000 Burgundians dead, it had also been costly to the Roman forces. 13,500 Romans had died in the process. The Romans were too weary to continue.

A treaty was eventually signed, in which the Burgunadians would give up land up to Augustodunum. An improvement for Rome to be sure, but it had been disappointing for Majorian. What was supposed to be a launching pad of a grand reconquest had already come to an end.

But though the Romans had sustained heavy losses and a disappointing gain, their was one positive to this. That Rome had been victorious, and it has been the soldiers willpower that had saved them. This was an important message, one that further served to galvanise the nation.

It had also had another effect, though not one related directly to Rome. As a result of Majorian's campaign, the Burgundians had pushed into the Alemannic Kingdom. Following the campaign, the Burgundians would continue pushing into the Alemannic kingdom, seeing it as an easier target than the reinvigorated Roman. This would anger the Alemanni, beginning the Burgundian- Alemannic war, a war that would last a decade, and change Western Europe drastically for a few.

As Majorian returned to Rome, he was filled with anger, directed at one man, Ricimer. When he got back, Ricimer would not get off scot free and he would make sure of that.

A/N: And that's all for this Chapter! Tensions are beginning to brew between Majorian and Ricimer. How will events progress between them? Thank you all for reading this TL, let me know what you think of it so far, I'd love to hear it. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, here's another chapter for you all. Majorian has a score to settle with one Flavius Ricimer for abandoning the army at Vesontio. What will happen? Only one way to find out.

Tensions

Majorian returned to Italy on the 30th March 463, heading straight for Ravenna. Ricimer had been waiting their for further new. He would arrive at Ravenna with a furious anger never before seen for the emperor.

He stormed through the imperial palace intent on finding Ricimer. Ricimer had set up, preparing himself for what may come, but he wasn't prepared for what he got. When Majorian found Ricimer he immediately began screaming in Ricimer's face. Betrayal, frustration and rage were all pouring out of the emperor. This shocked Ricimer to his core; he had known Majorian over a decade by this point, but he had never seen Majorian this angry. Ricimer backed away, fearing Majorian's wrath for the first time in his life.

He began to do something he despised even thinking about; he begged. He begged to be spared, saying that it was the fault of several of the senators, that the senators had called him back as a part of their plan. Though explanation and grovelling, Ricimer was able to talk Majorian down. While Majorian was great, he had his weaknesses, one of the most prevelant being his gullibleness when it came to those close to him. He trusted his friends, so much so that he would put his life in their hands. In the environment he lived in one can assume in was his skills as a warrior that allowed him to survive so long in such dangerous times.

Majorian's anger subsided, as he believed (or perhaps, wanted to believe) that Ricimer was being genuine. He forgave Ricimer, letting him go unscathed. But that didn't mean that Ricimer would get away with it. On the 1st April, Ricimer was demoted from being Magister Militum and sent to Verona to be watched for the time being.

Majorian would then formalise the positions of Magister Militum, so that the position Ricimer once held would not be as powerful. From this point on the Magister Militum per Italia was established. Aegidius would be Magister Militum of Gaul and Marcellinus would be Magister Militum of Illyrica, as both had already been. Nepotianus's position in Hispania was secured, as he was made Magister Militum of Hispania. Now came Africa and Italy. Africa, to this point since it's reconquest didn't have a proper Magister Militum, as Majorian had been too preoccupied. Majorian would fix that by giving the position of Magister Militum of Western Africa to Procopius Soranus, the one that had warned Majorian of treachery, the one that had found a way through to the Vandals at the Second Battle of Caralis, the one that had rallied the Legio III Aureliana to victory at Vesontio. He had priven himself over 3 years of fighting, growing into a successful and competent general. Finally, he made Gaudentius Magister Militum of Italy, hoping to further his training by giving his duties in state and a higher command in battle.

With that finished he would then reorganise the elite soldiers of each province into new legions, resulting from the influx of new soldiers. The Legio IV Italica, Legio V Gallia, Legio VI Hispanias, Legio VII Africam and Legio VIII Illyricum were all created, serving as the top soldiers of the Magister Militum of their respective region.

Following this Majorian would conduct a purge of senators found guilty of treason, some of which had been pointed out by Ricimer. On the 12th April, 27 senators were purged, made up of both those who were innocent alongside those in the conspiracy, made up of the more unpopular members.

A short while after, word would be recieved of a second child of Majorian and Eudocia, causing even more celebration. Though his child was not thought of as being on the same level as it's elder brother Theodosius, it was always welcome to have more potential successors.

The year of 463 would mark the birth of two more members to the expanding imperial family. First, Placidia and Olybrius(?) Would have a daughter on the 18th May, named Anicia Juliana. She was one that could be used as a way of connecting others to the imperial family. The more important one would come on the 29th August, when the second son of Majorian and Eudocia, Julius Valerius Aurelianus Honorius. Now Rome had not just one potential successor, but two. Majorian could free his mind from the worry of who he was going to be succeeded by, now he could focus on training them to be a proper successor.

But away from watchful eyes, things continued to brew. The conspiracy met up once again, now more angry than ever. Their plans had nearly been uncovered leading to more finger pointing. Is was during these meetings that Ferox Hispaniensis would rise in importance. Before the purge, he was often drowned out by the other more more powerful nobles. Now, he was near the peak of the nobility ladder.

Ferox was one that could be decribed as a "Roman purist", to put it lightly. He was very proud of his patrician heritage, seeing himself as one of the last "pure" Romans. He wanted notjing now than to stomp out these barbarians from what was rightfully Rome's. He detested Non-Romans, among them Ricimer. Ricimer, conversely, did not like Ferox either, coming to see him as the epitome of the arrogance of these senators.

As a result of the two butting heads, the once united conspiracy began to tear in two, along two schools on thought, those of the pro-barbarian Ricimer and anti-barbarian Ferox, dividing the rest of the conspiracy in the process. Over the course of 463, the once united conspiracy would form into two destinctive groups, later refered to as the Ricimerians and the Feroxians. Tensions were building, not only in the conspiracy, but across Rome as a whole.

A/N: And that's all for this Chapter! Things have begun to heat up, as mounting frustrations build. What will happen to the Empire? Stick around and find out. Thank you all for reading, let me know what you thought of this most recent Chapter, the feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, back again with another chapter! This chapter will be looking at the lands around Western Rome and how they feel about Rome's resurgence. I hope everyone enjoys this newest chapter!

In Reaction to Victory

Following the Battle of Vesontio, word would quickly spread of how the Roman forces had won despite being abandoned by their allies and then outnumbered. This news would start creating an aura of invinsibility around the Rome. From this point on, the countless Germanic Kingdoms would not view as simply a formerly grand nation past it's prime, with territory ripe for the taking. Instead, the various kingdoms viewed Western Rome as a nation beginning its true ascent as a force not to be reckoned with.

---

The one that learned this lesson firsthand were the Burgundians. Gundioc returned from the battle, damaged both mentally and physically. It was supposed to be his finest moment, defeating the Romans in one decisive battle. He had worked with his brother-in-law Ricimer in order to make sure the Romans lost, and that the emperor died. But not only did Majorian survived, but the Romans won the battle. It was rather a pyrric victory, but a victory none the less.

It was at this point Gundioc turned his attention North, to the Alemannic Kingdom. To him, Rome was now no longer the most viable option, as trying to do so would run his men into the ground. The Alemanni, on the other hand, were much smaller players in Western Europe. They were much easier targets for conquest, they weren't even a united people, more a loose confederation under the same banner. The Burgundians had already started to push the Alemanni out to get away from Majorian, soon it would be time to finish the job.

---

Another group that learned the wrath of the Romans were the Ostrogoths. They had tried to take all of Illyria, and paid dearly of it. In the days following the Romans crushing victory at Surmium, Valamir had been forced to step down as king due to his blindness. In his place, a new king was chosen. Theodemir stepped up as the new king. He had come from the Amal Dynasty, a distinguished group of Gothic nobles for centuries by this point. He had already ruled over a section of the Ostrogothic Kingdom alongside his brothers-in-law, Valamir and Videmir. Now he continued gaining prestige.

He knew that trying to attack Rome, especially now would be akin to suicide. Instead, he sent gifts of gold following the births of Anicia Juliana and Honorius. Theodemir hoped to eventually join his family to the Roman imperial family through marriage in order to create an alliance. This would come either through a marriage of Anicia Juliana to his son Theodoric, or more preferably, Honorius to his daughter, Amalafrida. He knew that marrying Amalafrida to the firstborn son, Theodosius would be the most ideal, but it was also one that he knew would not be accepted by the Romans. The spare heir might be a possibility with enough time though.

Regardless, he knew that right now, he could not afford to make the same mistake his predecessor had done. If the Ostrogoths were to survive they would need Rome as an ally, not an enemy.

---

The Alemanni were stunned at Rome's victories, they had not expected the old empire to be so strong. It was as if it had been reborn, like a phoenix under its new master. But whilst there was awe, there was also frustration, not so much at the Romans, but at what they had forced the Alemanni's way; The Burgundians. The Burgundians had begun pushing their way into Alemanni land, wanting to reestablish themselves to the direct detriment of the Alemannic Kingdom.

It was during this time that one of the smaller leaders of the Alemannic confederation would rise in prominance, a young man by the name of Barodur. He would had a love for Rome and it's society, wanting for his people to reach the heights of military and societal brilliance that Rome had had. He knew that he would have to repeat what Majorian had done in order to keep the Alemanni going. He studied many battles and tactics.

This would be the man that would come to reshape the Alemanni forever, turning it into one of the greatest Gernanic forces of the late 5th and Early 6th century. For now though, he was the man tasked to with protecting the Alemanni for Burgundian invasion.

---

The Franks would recieve word of the Victories of one Majorian not long after the Burgundians.

Childeric, King of the Salian Franks would find himself awed at Rome's refusal to die, despite being past it time. However, his reaction would differ in one key aspect. Instead of fear, what he felt towards Rome was respect. Childeric respected the tenacity that Rome had shown over the past 6 years. To Childeric, Rome was now a true challenge, worthy of respect. He had no plans to stop his conquests, but he now had to take more care in how he did so. He knew that when he fought Rome, nothing less than his absolute best would be required.

---

Both Visigoths (under Theodoric II) and Suebi (led by Richimund and Frumar) were both joined in relief that they had not been victims of Majorians latest campaigns. They had already had to battle Majorian in the first few years of his reign, and had lost much of their power as a result.

But they were also angry, wanting the power they had in years prior, but being unable to do anything against the growing might of the emperor. If they lost to him at the early stages of his reign, when he was still technically a puppet, trying anything at this stage was completely idiotic. All they could do for the time being was wait, and bide time to strike.

---

The Eastern Roman Emperor Leo sat on this throne, reading over the letter recounting Majorian's victory.

As he did, a few emotions ran through his head. One of them was pride. Pride that Rome was still able to rise to the occasion and conquer, even after centuries of previous degradation. He hoped to eventually see both sides of the empire reunited as one glorious nation (preferably under his rule), now a possibility thanks to Majorian.

But the other major emotions were those of envy and inferiority. He and Majorian had ruled for roughly the same amount of time, yet Majorian had accomplished so much more than he had. Majorian had revived the Western Empire, turning it from a shadow of it's former self, back into the tenacious and mighty empire it had once been. Leo hadn't done much of note in his reign as emperor.

Many in his own court even refered to Majorian as the "Superior Emperor on an inferior Throne". This fuelled him, he wanted to prove himself as an effective emperor.

This is when Asper struck, egging on Leo to invade the West. Fortunately, Leo had enough sense to shut this idea down ( although he pondered it for a moment). Asper then backtracked, instead egging on the emperor to invade Dacia. It had been former Roman lands afterall. If he could reclaim it, he could say he was "restoring the empire", just like Majorian. Leo thought over this, as much as he hated giving in to Asper, his ambition eventually drove him towards this goal.

Leo was going to retake Dacia, and there was nothing that could stop him.

A/N: And that is all for now. I wanted to do something different, focusing on the world around Western Rome. I would like to thank @Marius Herman for some of the ideas, thank you so much! Next Chapter will go into 464, as the divisions between the Ricimerians and Feroxians continue to fester. Thank you all for reading this series, let me know what you have to think, feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, once again I am back with another Chapter. This time we'll be seeing how things progress for both the empire and the conspiracy through 464. I hope you all enjoy this newest Chapter.

Division

464 AD

The year of 464 AD passed smoothly for the most part for the empire. After completing his latest campaign the previous year, he settled on focusing on consolidating his borders, ensuring that the empire was running effectively and establishing relations with the other kingdoms around him.

He also began to indulge more in his private life, now that Rome was a peace. He would spend more time with his wife Eudocia, his eldest son Theodosius and his newborn son Honorius throughout 464. Majorian wanted to make to that his children (in particular, Theodosius) grew up to be effective, capable leaders, resulting in this increased time at home.

He would also use this time to train his protege Gaudentius. On the 1st January, Ricimer had been returned to his position of Magister Militum, although only of Italy. He had used as a test, seeing if Gaudentius could run the day to day goings of the empire effectively. He was able to run Italy with well enough efficiency for the territory he was given, the level he was working at would not be enough to keep the whole empire running effectively. It was for this reason that he upped Gaudentius's training, further bonding with the young man, as if Majorian was a second father, he would also sent Gaudentius around the empire to train with the Magister Militae of the other provinces.

Their would be only one major change in 464. Pope Leo would die on the 23rd March. Though he had been holding out and staying alive, the health of the now former Pope had been declining for the last few years, until his body had finally given out on him. His successor, Pope Hilarius , a former legate of Leo, would be step up a week later, on the 30th March.

The Western Roman Empire was in a state of relative peace and prosperity. The same could not be said for the Grand Conspiracy...

The Grand Conspiracy to depose Majorian, which had formed in 461 as a union of Ricimer and a bunch of senators, had been slowly splitting apart since 463. This split had been facilitated by a division in ideologies between the Barbarian Magister Militum Flavius Ricimer and Pure-Roman Senator Ferox Hispaniensis. Both sides still wished to depose Majorian, and so the core of their plans were the same, but their ideologies of how to deal with "foreign affairs", causing the specifics to differ drastically.

But it was in 464 that the split would become official, when, after another arguement between Ricimer and Ferox, tensions would boil over causing a brawl to erupt in the hideout.

Following this, Ferox would gather up his supporters and travel to Neapolis, setting up the city as their new headquarters, whilst Ricimer would retreat to Mediolanum to set up his headquarters. Ferox's supporters consisted of the those in the conspiracy who were of Italian descent of some sort, whilst Ricimer's were those decended and born outside of Italy, made up of those born in and out of the empire.

Ricimer's plan remained mostly unchanged, only some minor changes to be more including to other Batbarians and to stop the expansions, as it could put a strain of the economy.

It was Ferox who introduced major change to the original plan. He first wanted to convince Majorian to be harder on the barbarians. In truth, he didn't hate Majorian for his reforms concerning money and men, he could see that Rome needed those if it was to survive; he had even forked over some of his men to the army, coercing them to join. He agreed with the Romanization of the Army, he agreed with the expansion. What he hated was Majorian's kindness towards barbarians, it infuriated him that the Barbarian that had infested his home of Rome and had not been made to pay.

If Majorian did not comply with his wishes he would depose him, and install Theodosius as the new emperor. But whereas Ricimer wanted to make Theodosius into his weak-willed puppet, Ferox hoped to forge the young boy into a man with a singular focus on taking back what was theirs, hoping to create a new Germanicus or Valentinian I.

Things had continued to heat up between the two factions, with no end to the ravalry in site. But they would not make any moves throughout 464.

That would change in 465.

A/N: And that's all for this Chapter. 464 is much less eventful compared for Western Rome compared to the years previous, but things will be different in 465. Thank you all for reading, let me know what you thought, the feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm here with another chapter. Things are continuing to heat up in Western Rome as the issued between Ricimer and Ferox continue to brew? How will this affect Rome and the Imperial family. Only one way to find out.

Bubbling to the Surface

465 AD

The year of 465 started tense for the Feroxians and Ricimerians, as they would try to come to an agreement in January that went nowhere, only leaving more bitter feelings between the two sides. Still neither openly acted against the other.

This would change, starting February 14th, when Ferox would learn of a meeting that had been planned between Majorian and Ostrogothic King Theodemir. He also foynd out that it was to discuss a political alliance through marriage. To Ferox, this was the time to launch plan A. He could stand the thought of a Barbarian marrying into the imperial family, especially if it was to the heir to Rome.

Ferox and a small group of his most loyal followers would race down to Ravenna as fast as they possibly could. On the 17th February, Ferox would reach Ravenna, making his way to the imperial palace. He would demand an audience with the emperor, storming through the palace, pushing his way through, even having a minor skirmish with the palace guards.

Eventually Majorian would arrive with Ricimer in tow. Neither would say any thing about the other, but they stared down each other with intensity. Majorian could feel the tensity between the two. Majorian would ask him his issue. Ferox would begin trying to state his points, before being cut off by Ricimer. This would continue several more times, eventually devolving into a screaming match. Majorian would cut in himself, recognising that this conversation was going nowhere. Majorian proposed a meeting where both sides could explain their own points.

The planning was made, and on the 16th March 465, The Conference of Asculum was held. Ferox brought a small his supporters to the conference, whilst Ricimer brought a small contingent of his supporters. To make sure things didn't devolve into bickering, Majorian would bring the Legio I Augusta.

First, Ferox would argue his case, starting with the news about Majorian plans to meet the Ostrogothic King, before going on to explain why this should not be allowed, bringing up examples of sackings and betrayals at barbarian hands, calling for the expulsion and eradication of Barbarians from Roman lands.

Ricimer would then counter this by explaining why, decrying Ferox as a fool who can't see the basic fact that Rome needs these barbarians as much as the barbarians need Rome.

This back and forth would continue over the next few days. The conference wouldn't achieve much. Majorian already lived in a middle ground between the two sides, pushing barbarians.out of Rome's borders whilst incorperating their former citizens into the empire. All this achieved was solidifying that approach

It did not stop Majorian from going to the meeting with Theodemir. On the 23th March, just 5 days after the end of the conference. Theodemir would come asking for a political marriage between his daughter Amalafrida and Majorians second son, Honorius. Majorian thought over it for a few minutes. It would grant him more contol over the Ostrogothic Kingdom, perhaps as a launching pad to future conquest, but could would the people really accept a foreign princess being married into the imperial family. Ultimately, Majorian stated he would consider it, if Theodemir gave his daughter to the Western Empire to be raised in the ways of Rome. If he did, arrangements for the possibility of marriage would be reviewed in 10 years time.

A few days later, Theodemir would hand over Amalafrida to the Western Empire. Amalafrida was less important in terms of succession than Theoderic, so it was an easy decision to make. Still, he didn't exactly like the situation he was now in. His son was a hostage for the East, his daughter now a hostage for the West. He just hoped he was putting his eggs in the right basket.

For Ferox though, that was the last straw. To him, there was no more trying to reason with Majorian. If he wanted things to change he would have to do it by force.

A/N: And that's all for now, I hope all of you enjoyed. Next Chapter, we'll see how Ferox goes about dealing with Majorian. Thank you all for reading this TL, feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, here is another Chapter for you all. Things are gearing up, Ferox is going to do what he feels is right by force. I hope everyone enjoys this latest Chapter!

The Drums of War

Ferox had been spending months going around the Empire, gathering up as many allies as he could. If he couldn't convince Majorian through words, he would do it through his actions.

Through the months, he had managed to gather up 150,000 supporters, 30,000 of which were soldiers of some kind. His plan was to march on Ravenna, using this force in order to back up his threats. If Majorian still refused to comply, they would then storm the imperial palace to capture Majorian and make him give away his title of emperor to his son, Theodosius. This was the beginning of The Ferox Rebellion, the opening act of the Great Civil Wars.

On the 27th August, Ferox would march on Ravenna, all the way to the imperial palace. Majorian would come out to meet this procession personally, wanting to stop things from getting out of hand. It was here that Ferox would present his ultimatum, give them what they wanted our else. Majorian gave Ferox the floor, letting him speak. Ferox would then lay all his demands out, unopposed. These were the same demands that he had called for at The Conference of Asculum plus the rejection of the Ostrogothic marriage proposal. Once they were done, Majorian asked for time to think, to which he was given 5 minutes.

The first thing he did was tell a messenger to get ready to move the rest of the imperial family, just in case things went bad. Majorian then began to reflect on the situation. He understood Ferox's desire, but slaughtering all the barbarian that had made their home in the empire? Not only was that insane, that was part of what had gotten Rome into the situation it was in to begin with. For the first time, he was truly stumped. He was risking his life if he chose to deny them anything. He then thought about his life, how, throughout all of it, he had risked his life for his convictions, so why should now be any different? His mind was made.

When his 5 minutes were up he explained, his rational, and how he would be willing to grant some of their requests, but not all. At this, Ferox was enraged, ordering his men forward to seize the emperor, but the Legio I Augusta blocked them. Ricimer pulled away Majorian and told him to run. Majorian would go as fast as he could possibly go, protected by his guards, he told everyone in the city not to oppose Ferox now, for he didn't want unnessesary death and destruction. He would eventually reach the boats carrying the imperial family getting on and sailing away.

The Legio I Augusta, whilst brave in their effort, were ultimately unable to deal with Ferox's personal army, getting quickly overrun. 3,500 of the 5,000 men were killed, whilst the rest scattered. Many civilians were also killed in the carnage, roughly 500 of them. Ferox now controlled Ravenna.

Ferox gave his first speech to the audience, most in shock over what had just have. This speech, later named The Persecutor's Ad-lib would be recorded by the historian Servius Buteo. This is how it went:

"My fellow Romans, we are in a state of crisis! The traitor Emperor has let barbarians infest our lands, take OUR homes and now- now he want to marry a BARBARIAN into the Imperial family. This CANNOT be stood for!

A barbarian controlling our lands is unforgivable, a DISGRACE to the people of Rome. The Republic was founded on keeping barbarians away from Roman powers. That is why Julius Ceasar was killed, why Augustus failed in his final few years. Our ancestors fought to keep Rome pure and prosperous from the vile barbarians that infest it's borders.

Look at what has happened to the eternal city. For 800 years, Rome was untouched by barbarians. Then our emperors started adding those barbarian to their armies. Now Rome has been sacked, TWICE, by those same barbarian!

We can't stand for this anymore, we MUSTN'T stand for his anymore!

From this moment on, The Traitor Emperor's life is now forfeit. He must be brought to justice for his crimes against Rome. But, in truth, he isn't the prepetrator. He is but the accomplice to this crime, wrapped around the finger of his own Magister Militum, Flavius Ricimer. That same Ricimer is also a barbarian, of course he would be wanting this. It was likely his idea! Gather up as many barbarians as possible to launch an invasion of Rome.

You know what I say? We must drive these barbarians out of our lands entirely, and make them feel the the cold taste of Roman steel. They deserve nothing less. Rome will rise again, after these barbarians are gone! A new age will dawn! A glorius one!

ROME WILL BE ETERNAL ONCE AGAIN!"

His supporters cheered at this, some in the population also cheered alongside this, but most just stared, mouths agape.

What the hell was going to happen?

Meanwhile, Majorian rode in the same boat as Ricimer and his closest family, with Placidia, Gaudentius, Olybrius,Anicia Juliana and the aging Eudoxia in another boat not too far behind. For the first time in his life, Majorian felt defeated and dejected. They had escaped Ravenna, but had left the people to Ferox.

He didn't know what to do.

It was at this point that Eudocia cut in with her own opinion. She critisised Majorian, questioning if her was really the same man that had saved her and her family from the Vandals. She then explained that things weren't lost, the people still supported him, but he need to take up arms and fight for them. Ricimer was in full supported, backing up Eudocia.

Majorian took in his wife's words and begun to think. He then ordered to ships to turn and sail to Salona, he would meet up with Marcellinus in Illyria. From there, he would gather up his armies and march to retake Ravenna.

The stage was set, the curtains lifted on what woulf become the most chaotic and tense period in Western Rome's history.

The show had begun.

A/N: And that is all for today's chapter, I hope everyone has enjoyed this latest chapter. Ferox has taken Ravenna, the capital itself. How will Majorian respond? We shall see. Thank you all for reading this latest chapter, the feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, I'm here with another Chapter! Ferox has issued his call to action, now the Ferox Rebellion has begun. How will Majorian respond? What about the other Magister Militums? We shall see...

Retaliation

In the wake of the March on Ravenna, Ferox was now in control of the city, and had set up his own government, although made it clear that this was only temporary. It would only last until Majorian had been captured and Theodosius was proclaimed emperor. He sent of the other members of his party to gather up as much support as possible. He also sent them out to meet the Magister Militums of each respective province. He knew if he could get them on his side, his chances of being successful would drastically increase

Unfortunately for him, all of them rejected his proposal. They were loyal to Majorian, so this senator trying to oust Majorian felt like an insult to them. The man who most vehemently rejected this with Procopius Soranus. He had married a hunnic woman in 464 and had had a son earlier that year, named Rugalius. What Ferox wanted not only had major impications for the peopl he served under, they had major implications for his family. He refused to let this happen, being the first to declare war on Ferox, with the others soon following.

Aegidius would be the first one to launch an attack, however it wouldn't be him commanding the army, however. The Franks had used this oppertunity to invade, heading for the cities of Noviodunum and Durocortorum. As a result, Aegidius had to focus on them alongside the Legio V Gallia. To deal with, Aegidius sent his son, Syagrius, alongside any men he could spare, managing to gather up 10,000 men.

In response, Ferox sent out 11,000 of his own men to face Syagrius. On the 16th September, led by the general Valerian Iunianus, a soldier who had fought at the Battle of the Cataluanian Plains, the two armies would clash at Ebrodunum.

The battle began began with Iunian on top of a hill. This forced Syagrius and his forces to have to charge up hill. Keeping his cavalry to the wings, he blocked an attempt by Syagrius to get behind his line. He kept to the defensive, waiting for them to tire themselves out. After 5 hours of battling uphill, the comparatively undiscipling soldiers were at their wits end. This was the moment Iunian had been waiting for. He ordered his men to charge. They smashed into their now disorganised enemies with devastating ferocity. This broke the morale of Syagrius's army who began to flee in panic. Syagrius tried to rally his men to take a stand, but if was pointless by then, forcing Syagrius to flee as well.

The battle was a decisive Feroxian victory. Of the 11,000 Feroxian soldiers at the Battle of Ebrodunum, only 400 died, whereas 3,000 of Syagrius's men lost their lives. The experience and discipline of Iunian's men over that of his enemies allowed from such a triumphant win.

This was great news for Ferox, who used the win as further motivation for the rest of his supporters. But whilst they enjoyed the success, some had their doubts. They wanted to save theur homes from the barbarians, but was this really worth it, Majorian had been a great emperor, kind to his subjects, hard on his enemies. Was it really worth all this chaos to get rid of an emperor they liked, just so they could get rid of barbarians. Slowly but surely, the seeds of dissent had begun to form.

Syagrius would regroup his men a few days later, asking for assistance from the Hispanic legions, but they couldn't provide much. At around the same time as the Franks, the Visigoths had launched their own invasion, intent on taking Narbo. Nepotianus was forced to use most of his men in order to hold the Visigoths back. In the end he could only send about 4,000 troops to Syagrius. With this Syagrius decided to camp out and train the soldiers he had left as much as he could, waiting for the right moment.

Meanwhile, Majorian and the Imperial family had arrived in Illyricum, where they met up with Marcellinus. They would then begin to plan their next moves, gathering up the Legio II Traiana, Legio III Aureliana and Legio VIII Illyricum. Over the next 2 months, both sides were planning their next moved, gathering up their forces. Ferox was able to gather another 10,000 people to fight, putting his total soldier count at roughly 40,000. Meanwhile, Majorian and Marcellinus were able to gather up 26,000 to their direct command, the rest were of the soldiers either defending the empire or bidding their time.

Ferox would finally launch his campaign into Illyrica on the 18th November, sending 25,000 of his soldiers, intent on finally capturing the Emperor. On thehe way his soldiers slaughter any barbarians thay could find. This would lead them to Teurnia, where many of the barbarian citizens had hid. Under another general, Linus Hispanus, Ferox's cousin.

Linus, being just as barbarian hating as his cousin, began to seige the city, trying to force the city to hand over the barbarians, ignoring Iunian's pleas to stop. Iunian came into Ferox's service under the promise tgat the barbarians at Rome's borders would be forced away. He hadn't come to watch innocent civilians suffer.

On the 23rd November, 5 days after the seige began, the army would break in and began their rampage. Slaughtering any barbarian they could find as well as killing any who stood in their way. By it's end, 23,000 laid dead.

This was a turning point in the opinions of the people. Before, many had sympathised with Ferox's view. But seeing how his army had so senselessly slaughtered innocent civilians, Roman and barbarian caused people to become disgusted with the Feroxian. People began to chant for the rightful Emperor to take back control. When Ferox heard of this news, even he found himself displeased at the soldiers slaughtering Roman civilians. Many of the soldiers were also disgusted by what had happened, making many reconsider why they were fighting.

For Iunian, this was the last straw. He would not go along with a group that commited such senseless brutality against it's own people. In the night following the slaughter, he would gather up his most loyal allies, around 200 of them and fleed from the camp.

He would meet up with the emperor and his men at Emona 2 days later. Once he reached the emperor, he prostrated himself before Majorian, explained why he was there, his guilt, and that he would accept whatever punishment Majorian had for him.

This shocked Majorian. He did not expect one of the top generals in the enemy army to proclaim his guilt. Being a very forgiving man, he decided to show clemency, telling Iunian that his punishment would have to wait, for right now he was needed in stopping Ferix's madness from continuing any longer. Iunian agreed, and was placed as commander of the Legio III Aureliana.

On the 28th November, the two armies would meet at The Battle of Emona. The two armies were deployed on either side of the river, whilst the Legio III Aureliana were hidden in the woodland near the battlefield. The two armies began to look for a way around.

Then Linus suddenly ordered a charge across the battlefield, starting with the cavalry, hoping to catch the enemy army by surprise long enough to make it across the river. Majorian was prepared, deploying his archers to shhot down as many cavalry as possible, before ordering his own cavalry to near the edge of the river, to counter Linus. Linus's cavalry was trapped at the river, having to fight up the river bank, making the easy pickings for the archers.

Half of the Majorian's archers dealt with the cavalry, whilst the other half began unloading arrows on the infantry now beginning to cross. He kept his soldiers at the ready, sending out the first line of his army to keep the soldier locked on the river bank as much as possible. He wanted to thin out the enemies line as much as possible befote the main assualt began. When the number began to become too much to bare for the front line, Majorian ordered them back to the rest of their army, where they regrouped and prepared for battle.

The two sides clashed, brawling relentlessly, but the forces of Linus began to find themselves pushed back. They were far more tired from marching to the field, many having serious doubts. Many had even been bribed and threatened by Ferox into joining. At this point, much of the force was sick of risking their lives for a cause that they no longer had faith, in if they had many fled the field entirely, many flocked to Majorians side, letting themselves be taken in, around 8,000 desertions all at once.

This chaos was the moment Iunian had been waiting for. He order an massive charge on Linus's flank. The Legio III Aureliana crashed into them with ferocity. At this point, any cohesion the rebel army had broke down, fleeing back across the river, with many cut down in the process, even more turned themselves over, and in the pandemonium, Linus was captured.

The battle of Emona was a decisive victory for Majorian. Of Linus's 25,000 soldiers, 6,000 were killed, 12,000 captured, and the rest fled. This would mark the end of Ferox's being seen as a legitimate threat and a champion of Roman ideals. From this moment on, Ferox would be regarded for what he truly was; a traitor to the state.

In the aftermath, Linus was beaten severely by the soldiers for his crimes, but was kept alive. Majorian had other plans, plans to let his fate be decided by the people who he had wronged the most.

On the 2nd December, Majorian arrived at Teurnia, greeted by adoring crowds, singing their praises. He would then deliver a speech to the people, stating how they and the rest of Rome had been wronged by Ferox and his thugs, and that he would not stop until they were brought to justice. That included Linus...

He was then brought before the crowd. Disbelief turned to seething anger, as everyone in the crowd wanted to see him suffer. Majorian proclaimed it was not up to him to decide Linus's fate, it was theirs. A few of them began stepping forward to grab him. Linus's blood run cold as he tried to flee, but was blocked by the soldiers. Several of the citizen grabbed the former general, dragging him into the waiting maw of the angry mob.

They began to subject him to a violent and painful end. Kicking the man until, his ribs fracture, stabbing him repeatedly, throwing him like a ragdoll, but always making sure he was still alive. The crowd then literally began to tear the man apart, piece by piece,until nothing was left bit a pile of gore. The crowd then asked for his generals, to which Majorian complied, sending several of them into the awaiting arns of Tartarus, when they met a similar fate to Linus. This whole spectacle would come to be known as The Dissection of Linus, one of the largest, most brutal acts of veangence in history. This lasted from 10AM to 11:50 PM.

A few days after this "dissection", Majorian and his army would leave Teurnia to chase after Ferox's remaining army. It was at this point Syagrius and Procopius Soranus put their plans into motion. They were waiting to see how events were swinging. Now that they knew things were on their side, they set off to aid Majorian.

They were taking back control.

A/N: And that is all for now. This was probably one of the longest and DEFINATELY the most brutal chapter of this TL so far. The next part is the finale to Ferox's little saga, when Majorian and Co take back control. I hope everyone enjoyed, the feedback is always welcome. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, I'm back with another Chapter! This is the Finale to Ferox's arc. He has already been put on the back foot by Majorian. Now it is time for the rightful emperor to take back control...

Taking Back Control

466 AD

In the wake of Majorian's victory at Emona, all those against Ferox had taken their chance to revolt. The end of the year 465, going into the start of the next saw massive riots across the empire, the most devastating being in Ravenna, where Ferox currently decided.

Ferox knew his chances were dwindling fast. He knew his chances of accomplishing his goals now were virtually nil. He had spent several months gathering allies, over 150,000 angry at the barbarians that raided their home, that sacked the eternal city, who wanted veangence.

Now, his supporters, whom he increasingly relied on to quell disent, had begun to dissert him. Many realised that it was going to fail, many were sickened by the action performed against Rome's people under Ferox's watch, many were just sick of having to deal with all this unnessesary pain. Either way, the 150,000 had dwindled to 60,000, and falling by the day. The number of soldiers, which had been at around 40,000 at it's absolute height had been wittled down to just 10,000, with everyone else deserting, captured or dead.

Not only that, but he now had several armies heading towards him at once. Majorian was the obvious one, but their was also Syagrius with a newly disciplined army and Procopius Soranus sailing straight to Ravenna, likely to block it from using the sea.

Yet, inspite of all of this, Ferox refused to give up. Stubbornness? Maybe. But he was willing to live and die by his convictions just as much as Majorian.

Majorian had decided to camp out at Placentia, waiting for the flames to be fanned by the progression of events. Finally, on the 12th January, Syagrius would join Majorian in the city. Syagrius had made sure to take his time and keep the soldiers in line. Majorian now had roughly 29,000 soldiers in total. 18,000 from after the Battle of Emona (he had 21,000 before) plus the 11,000 of Syagrius's men.

Whilst this was going on, Procopius Soranus had established a blockade of Ravenna, cutting it off from the sea.

Majorian would then travel down to Bononia, where he would issue a letter stating that this was Ferox's last chance to surrender. Ferox then gathered every citizen, stating that all those who wished not to side with Ferox were free to leave the city for the time being. Many flooded out of the capital, to the nearby cities. When this was done, roughly 120,000 remained, 55,000 of which were Ferox's, having lost another 5,000.

He would then write a letter to the Emperor, simply stating "If you want me, then come and get me."

Majorian obliged, beginning his own march on Ravenna. On the 17th January, Majorian would begin the Seige of Ravenna. The siege was brutal for both sides, lasting 2 months. The city's natural and artifical defensive barriers made it hard for attackers to get into the city. The remaining supporters also held off Majorian's forces for as long as possible, knowing their was no escape left for them, they would go to the grave with their leader. Ferox had also made sure to stockpile food before Procopius arrived.

But it also had many detriments to the Feroxians as well. The morale was already low, so being trapped in the city for two months just added to the stress. It also galvanised those not on Ferox's side into revolt. More riots broke out during this time. Ferox was now forced to deal with both the soldiers sieging the city and the civilian dissatisfaction.

On the 25th February 466, Ferox led his soldiers through the marshes of Ravenna to launch a surprise attack. This was a last gambit for Ferox, hoping that he may be able to scatter Majorian's forces enough to lift the siege temporarily, anything to buy himself more time.

Unfortunately for him, he had been scouted by Iunian, who commanded the Legio III Aureliana with their own ambush. The legion hit Ferox's army hard, killing 600 in the initial clash. Even when the armies officially clashed, the Legio III Aureliana was able to withstand Ferox's army due to their superior experience, despite being outnumbered almost 2 to 1.

The Legion held out long enough for Syagrius to arrival with his army. The Feroxian army was overwhelmed, quickly retreating. Less than 6 months ago, Iunian and Syagrius were fighting on opposite sides. Now they were working side-by-side, chasing down a common enemy, it felt quite ironic to the both of them.

Over the course of the battle, 3,400 Feroxians would lose their lives, whilst 1,500 of Majorians men lost theirs, mainly in the first part, when it was only the Legion and Feroxians.

Ferox's final gambit had been a failure. His least chance had been squandered. The writting was on the walls, and it was only a matter of time. But still, he kept fighting.

Eventually, on the 22nd March, the Legions broke through, storming the city and tracking down all Feroxians in the vicinity that they could find, stopping any and all of their attempts at fighting back. Within the hour, the soldiers found Ferox, sitting by one of the windows of the Imperial palace. He was taken into custody, surprisingly without a fight.

After 6 months of fighting, The Ferox Rebellion was over. Majorian had retaken control of Ravenna.

The next month was dedicated to dealing with the issues of Ferox's Interregnum. The citizens were moved back into their homes, including the Imperial family, those who had lost family were recompensated and the previous order was (somewhat) restored.

There were still the ongoing invasions by both the Franks and Visigoths to deal with. Over the past six months Aegidius had managed to hold off the Franks while Nepotianus had done the same for the Visigoths. But they were merely being held back, not pushed back, this was something that Majorian planned to rectify. But first, he had to deal with Ferox, permenantly.

On the 7th May 466, the Execution of Ferox Hispaniensis took place. The executioner was none other than the Magister Militum per Italica, Flavius Ricimer. Ricimer had been particularly eager to be the one swinging the sword down on Ferox, so Majorian decided to grant his request.

When the day came, he was forced fown by the guards, ready to be executed in front of thousands of roudy Ravenna citizen, who had been waiting for this for so long.

Before he was to be beheaded, Majorian granted Ferox his last words, this is what he would say.

"Looks like you have won, my emperor. You stand here triumphant, i kneel a sword to my neck. But known this, you're fight is far from over. In killing me, you will have unleashed a far greater evil than I ever could be. And when you find a knife in the back for those you trust most, remember, I tried to warn you."

He then dropped his head, ready to be cut. Without another word, Ricimer raised his sword high above his head and separated Ferox's head was separated from his shoulders. Ferox was dead.

The crowd roared in approval, feeling free in for the first time in 9 months. Majorian and Ricimer stood there taking in the adulation of the people.

But, just because their leader was dead, didn't mean the movement had died with him. Some of his supporters managed to flee the city. They would go underground for the next few decades, slowly gathering support. Though they would never be a serious threat to the emperor again, they would prove an annoyance for the Majorian Dynasty.

But that wasn't what was important for that year, for their would be another challanger to Majorian's title. A few days after the execution, on the 10th May, a meeting between the remaining conspirators was called. Leading that meeting was one Flavius Ricimer. Now, he had no one in the conspiracy left who would oppose him. He now had his eyes once again set on removing Majorian from the equation for good. Majorian and Ricimers collision was now inevitable, with no one left to stop it.

A/N: And that is all for now, I hope you all enjoyed this latest Chapter. The next one will be about how Majorian deals with the Franks and Visigoths. That's when the real fun begins. Thank you all for reading, the feedback is alway appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, I am here with another Chapter of this TL. The fight against rebel traitors is now over, but that doesn't mean Majorian is out of the woods yet. The Franks and Visigoths are still terrorizing the empire. How will Majorian deal with these threats. Only one way to find out.

Fight Against Invasions: Visigoths

Ferox was dead, his rebellion crushed. But Majorian knew that there was still much to do. The Franks under Childeric were invading Gaul, with Aegidius holding them off for the time being. The Visigoths under Thwere invading Hispania, with Nepotianus also doing his best to hold off the Visigoths. The situation was still rather dire for the empire one that would require careful planning.

Majorian looked at the situation at what would have to be dealt with first. In terms of the armies themselves, The Franks seemed the more pressing force, with 30,000 Franks to 25,000 Visigoths.

But it was how Aegidius and Nepotianus were handling their respective threats that decided things for Majorian. Aegidius whilst outnumbered, was managing to hold the Franks in a stalemate, neither gaining or losing. Aegidius could afford to wait, the same could not be said for Nepotianus. Though he had managed to hold out from the time of the start of the Ferox rebellion, the Visigoths had been continuously pushing him back. Now Nepotianus was only holding onto Narbo.

Their was also the matter of the cities being invaded. Noviodunum and Durocortorum weren't of particular importance, but if Narbo was captured Hispania would be cut off from the rest of the empire, and at Theodoric's mercy.

Because of this, Majorian began with the Visigoths. To make sure the Franks were kept back for the time being, Majorian sent Syagrius with his army to reinforce Aegidius. Then he met with Procopius, who had come into the city following the capture of Ravenna. Procopius Soranus would travel up through the Iberian Penninsula to attack the Visigoths from the south, whilst Majorian would go through Italy to attack from the North. Procopius set out first, so that they could arrive at around the same time. Majorian finished his preparations, setting off on the 18th June, beginning a brand new campaign.

Majorian would send a letter to Nepotianus, informing him that he was on his way to help. He would then inform Nepotianus of what he needed to do for Majorian. He and Procopius would met up with Nepotianus on the 26th June, where they would discuss their plans. At the end of this talk, Procopius and Majorian retreated a few miles south and North respectively

This would set up the battle of Narbo, June 30th. The battle began with the Visigoths intent on seizing the city bit Nepotianus met them head on. The 6,500 remaining Roman forces met with 17,000 (the remainder of the original 25,000) Visigoths. The Roman army was nearly overwhelmed, but it's discipline kept it together for long enough. Slowly by surely, the Visigoths began to gain ground. To the Visigoths, it looked to them as if they were winning. In truth, they were being led to their deaths. Nepotianus was deliberately giving ground as required, letting the Visigoths become fully committed.

Then, an hour after the battle began, Majorian and Procopius charged in, smashing into both of the Visigothic flank, 25,000 Romans launching in all at once. This devastated the Gothic line, inducing high casualty in the inital attack, and then even more in the continued assault. The Visigoths broke at this sudden onslaught, and were chased down by the Roman army The Visigoths knew that reinforcements were on the way, what they didn't know is that the Roman reinforcements were already ready to launch their attack. By the time, they had figured out what was going on, it was already too late for them.

The battle was decisive Roman Victory, with 13,000 Visigoths dead to 4,000 Romans (mostly from Nepotianus's group). In the following negotiation, the Visigoths were forced to return all the lands they had gained, returned to Foederati status once again.

This victory would make the senate give Majorian a new title: Gothicus Maximus, due to his efficiency in crushing both the Ostrogoths and Visigoths (twice). The legacy of Majorian was growing by the day.

The Visigothic threat had been dealt with. Now, Majorian set his eye on the other threat to Rome's safety, The Franks, Another piece of the puzzle in the year of 466, a year that would change Rome forever.

A/N: And that is all for this Chapter. I was originally going to have the Visigoths and Franks in one chapter, but I knew that that I would not have the time to be able to cover it in detail in one chapter, so it is now split in two. The next Chapter (as you can guess) will be about how Majorian will deal with the Franks. I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter, the feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all to another Chapter of 'Roma Renovata est'. Last time, Majorian dealt with the Visigoths in Hispania. Now, he heads to Gaul to deal with the Franks. Will he be able to push them back. Only one way to find out.

Fight Against Invasion: Franks

Withe the Visigoths dealt with the immediate danger was lifted, now Majorian had time to think, and organise for dealing with the other invader: The Franks. The Franks had been terrorising Gaul for close to a year by the time Majorian was ready to set off. Majorian started by allowing Procopius to go back to his province, but keeping 3,000 of his men for the time being to serve as reinforcements.

He had been training more soldiers since taking back Ravenna in March. Now in the midst of July, Majorian began to start putting those soldiers into combat, having the soldiers sent to him to further bolster his numbers. As a part of this, many of the Roman forces were added into the official Legions for their service. Over the years, being a legionaire had become a showing of pride to the soldiers, that they could say that they were able to work their way into the official legions, especially the main three, the ones not assigned to a particular province. As a result, the numbers were greatly bolstered, as now Majorian had a good distribution of Legionaires, reserve Roman forces and Foederati.

On the 20th July, now numbering roughly 25,000 men, Majorian set out to Gaul to reinforce Aegidius against the Frankish threat.

On August 5th, Majorian would reach Aegidius and Syagrius at Noviodunum, the Franks not too far away. Majorian then began to take count. With his 25,000 plus the remaining 18,000 of Aegidius, they had 43,000 soldiers to work with. He then began to make his plans. He knew that the Franks fought mainly on foot. They had horses, using them when they could, but that they wouldn't have trained for it like the Goths or Vandals would had. He planned to utilise this advantage this to his advantage, gathering up as much cavalry as he could. The light infantry woukd attack first, using hit and run tactics in case the Franks had anything up their sleeve to try and neutralise Rome's cavalry.

Finally, on the 9th August, The Battle of Noviodunum commenced, as 43,000 Romans battled 26,000 Franks. The two armies clashed, shields smashing together. The first of the light cavalry dashed into the enemies flanks, cutting into them before dashing off. The Franks responded, sending out their own cavalry to hold off the Roman's cavalry for the time being. The infantries clashed, with the Franks slowly being pushed back by the numerical advantage.

The Roman Cavalry archers began to shoot at the Franks, keepung themselves out of the Franks reach, whilst the rest of Rome's cavalry tore through the Frankish cavalry. They then turned to the infantry, the light cavalry attacked the unguarded rear, whilst the heavy cavalry attacked the flanks. The Franks, with no other options left, retreated from the battlefield, many more being cut down by the light cavalry.

In the battle 5,000 Franks lost their lives, compared to 3,000 Romans.

With another victory for Rome, the Roman army gave chase, hoping to finish the Frankish threat. But this is what the Franks wanted. In contrast to the Visigoths, who rushed in to reclaim land, the Franks had played it safe, making sure they got a good visual on what was happening with the Roman army. They had made sure to keep some of the army back, ready to strike. They intentionally made sure that they were close enough to the Romans that they could see what the Roman's were doing whilst being far enough away to keep out of the Roman armies range, charging at the Romans if and when they diverted to a different town/city. Finally, on the 13th August, the armies would clash at Samarobriva.

Smelling blood in the water the Romans charged the seemingly weakened Franks. This was when the trap was launched, 15,000 Franks ambushed the Roman forces, starting with the Cavalry. The light cavalry was scattered, whilst the heavy cavalry was weakened enough that the Frankish cavalry could hold off the Roman cavalry for the duration of the battle. The reserves then charged the Roman flanks, crashing into them hard. After an hour of fighting the franks on three sides, the newly recruited Romans broke, retreating from the battlefield. At this point, Majorian thought it better to retreat to a better position than sacrifice more lives needlessly. Romans retreated holding back the Franks as they went.

Over the course of the battle, 5,500 Romans met their end, compared to 3,800 Franks.

A fortnight later, Childeric would send a letter to Majorian, requesting his surrender and negotiations. Majorian stood firm, rejecting this proposal. Though his army was defeated, but not crippled. He was still capable of fighting. Not only that, he had not had time to prepare to endure, disiplining his army as much as he could.

At this rejection, Childeric was infuriated, marching his army to Rotomagus, where Majorian and his army were currently residing. If he could defeat Majorian in another decisive battle, he could potentially force Majorian into surrendering.

On the last day of August, the armies met,34,500 Romans to 1 beginning the Battle of Rotomagus, the third and final battle of the First Frankish War (as it would come to be known).

The two armies clashed on an open field, no trick, just brute force, perfect for the Romans. They soon began pushing the Franks back, slamming into their frontlines. The Franks for their part, did well to push back. The day passed into night, forcing the armies to retire to their tents for the time being. The next 3 days happened the same, the Romans gradually forcing the Franks back. Both armies were becoming tired, but the Franks were reaching their boiling point faster.

Finally on the 5th day of fighting, Majorian called for negotiations. Childeric wanted to reject out of spite, but he knew if he did, his army, already under heavy stress, would likely snap, with him being the first one they would target.

Thus, The Treaty of Rotomagus took place on the 5th September. The borders remauned unchanged, as neither side wished to press their luck. Both Majorian and Childeric agreed to 5 years of peace, neither side were to encroach on the other territory, or attack the others people/allies, unless provoked to. One of the most interesting parts of this treaty was that Majorian also extended this to include that the Franks could not attack the Alemanni for that same period of time, unless provoked to do so, despite the Alemanni not being official allies of Rome.

At least not yet. Whilst not official, talks between Majorian and Barodur had been going on, with talks going well between them. Whilst the prospect of letting the Burgundians deal with trying to conquer another kingdom rather than Rome was tempting, the prospect of finally finishing off the Burgundians and getting the one that would replace them on Rome's border as Rome's ally was even more so. Majorian hoped that this would help in the negotiations.

He also wanted to be prepared for incase the Franks did attack the Alemanni. If he did make the Alemanni his allies, then he needed to make sure they were protected for the time being. If he didn't include the clause about the Alemanni, then the Alemanni woukd still be vulnerable to Frankish invasion, as the Franks could claim that the Alemanni weren't allies of Rome when the treaty was signed. He was preemptively taking that oppertunity away for the time being, until the Alemanni could deal with the Burgundians.

With the treaty signed, Majorian returned to Ravenna, having dealt with Rome's most pressing threats.

But that didn't mean he was safe yet. Ricimer was nearly ready to put his plan into motion. This would be the final assassination attempt by the conspiracy, for better or worse.

A/N: And that's all for now, Ricimer is readying himself to deal with Majorian once and for all. Will he succeed? Only time will tell. Thank you all for reading this latest chapter, the feedback is much appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello everyone! Here with another Chapter. Majorian has finally dealt with the invasions for the time being. He can now return to some form of peace. At least that's what he thinks. What will happen next? We shall see...

Moment of Truth

Majorian breathed a sigh of relief. He had now defeated all of Rome's biggest threats for the time being. There was still much more to be done of course, but for the time being, Majorian was free to relax for the first time in over a year.

That September, Majorian returned to Ravenna, to enjoy some time with his family. Theodosius (now 5 years old) was a quiet, shy child, not that realy liked to talk much. Even as a baby, Theodosius had been a more quiet child, not being very energetic. Honorius was very much the opposite, very energetic and roudy, full of life and confidence, feeling ready to take on the world. And soon, their would be a younger sibling to the two boys. Eudocia was 5 months pregnant with yet another child, having concieved another child sometime in April. For Majorian, life was as good as it got.

But that didn't mean all was good with the imperial family. Olybrius had contracted a sickness in December of 465. Overtime, the illness got worse, eventually ending result in the illness taking his life in July of 466. He was offcially given his burial in August of the same year. Placidia mourned openly (though whether it was genuine has been questioned in the years since).

Despite this, life was good of Majorian and the Imperial family. But the good times weren't to last, for whilst Majorian celebrated, Ricimer schemed. Ricimer had been preparing for the right moment. He knew that at this point he had no control over Majorian left, Majorian was fully independent, not bound to Ricimer's influence. Any chance of reigning in Majorian was now gone. He couldn't depose Majorian either. His victories, conquests and reforms had made his extremely popular with the people and the army. If he simply deposed Majorian, those groups would do whatever it took to put him back on the throne. If he wanted to get his power back and keep it, Majorian had to be dealt with. Permenantly.

But he couldn't simply off Majorian however. If he just did it willie nillie, people would easily trace it back to him. He needed to wait for the right time. Luckly for him, he would not have to wait long for his golden oppertunity. Majorian would be meeting with Alemanni ambassadors in roughly one months time. This would allow Ricimer to blame it on the Alemanni; he could claim that they were assassins, sent by Barodur to execute the emperor, he could claim that they had set their eyes on the empire after dealing with the Burgundians. This would then allow him to place Theodosius as a puppet emperor, as well as support Gundioc, his brother-in-law.

To Ricimer, there was no better oppertunity. For this mission he contracted the best assassins he could get (without rousing suspicion). 6 of them in total. The moment was almost here.

The day would come, the 21st October 466, Majorian would meet up with the Alemanni ambassadors. To begin Majorian gave them one of his general, Iunian, to help with the war effort. Majorian remembered how Iunian was initially on the side of Ferox during the Ferox Rebellion. He felt that making Iunian help a foreign nation would be a fitting punishment for the general.

Things started as usual, then the assassins put the plan into motion. Through Ricimer, they were assigned as a part helpers in the talks. When they weren't needed, they challenged one of the lessor ambassadors to a drinking contest, one that was also not needed for the time being. But this contest had been rigged, the wine that the assassins were drinking was more diluted than the ambassadors. Eventually, the ambassador couldn't drink anymore. The assassins then offered to take him to the bathroom stalls. Another of the lesser ambassadors joined in to help.

The 2 ambassadors soon found themselves knocked out. The assassins then smeered them in pigs blood, which they had brought in using one of the palaces vases. 2 of the assassins smeered them in blood and then washed the blood off of themselves. The rest retreated to a private part of the palace, told to them by Ricimer, getting into position not long before the meeting took a break. All was going according to plan.

Soon, Majorian came round the corner, right into the waiting ambush. The first of the assassins struck out against Majorian. The knife stabbed into Majorian, but the assassin had misfired, the knife slashed Majorian's side, but failed to hit internal organs. Majorian kicked the assassin away, before turning and running.

2 of the assassins chased after the emperor, the rest blocked his escape, checking for any passerbys. They had Majorian trapped. Though not fatal, the wound was severe and Majorian was losing alot of blood. In a desperate act, Majorian charged one of the assassins pushing them out of the way. One of the other assassin took a swing at Majorian's neck. Majorian was able to move his head out of the blades range, dodging what would have been a killing blow. He ran as fast as he could, the assassins in persuit. Majorian began shouting at the top of his lungs, hoping someone would hear. His vision was beginning to blur.

Majorian stumbled to the floor, his vision beginning to blur. The assassins closed in, beginning to stab at the Emperor. He twisted and turned as much as possible, trying to avoid the assassins blade. The end seemed inevitable.

But then the guards charged in, scaring the Assassins into retreat. One of the ambassadors had heard his shouting and ran to the nearest pair of guards. The assassins were chased down by the guard. 1 of the assassins died in the chaos, 3 were captured and 2 escaped.

Majorian was alive, but barely. The guards rushed to get doctors as soon as possible. Majorian eventually faded, passing out.

A/N: And that is all for now, I hope you all enjoyed. Thank you all for reading the feedback is appreciated. See you next chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all! I am back with another Chapter of 'Roma Renovata est'. And this is a special birthday chapter. I'm writing this chapter on my birthday! I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

Confrontations

Following his near death experience, Majorian has spent the next month afterwards cursing himself for his own naiveity. He thought he had been prepared, setting up guards all around the palace and having them stationed beside him during negotistions. But soon after dismissing them for the break in negotiations, he had been attacked right when he thought himself most safe. He had been heading to a section of the imperial palace that Majorian had made him own private headquarter, a place to be all by himself for a while. Only a few people knew of this, being his generals (Ricimer, Aegidius, Marcellinus and Nepotianus) and his family.

The assassin shouldn't have known of that area, they wouldn't have. Perhaps they were very thorough, but Majorian didn't buy it. In the time it would have taken to find it and realise that it was a private spot, their wouldn't have been that much time, since they had spent some of that time playing dress up with a couple of the negotiators.
If they were to be able to do all that they did as efficiently as they did, they would have needed someone on the inside.

At he quickly guessed who it was. After all, he was they only one who had shown himself willing to betray Majorian in the past: Ricimer.

But he needed evidence of Ricimer's guilt befire he could arrest him. Luckily, he had 3 people there to interrogate. The 3 prisoners, not wanting to have their own lives ended, spilled everything, they assassinated to survive, and they had no personal loyalty ro Ricimer, so they had no reservations in tellibg the emperor. As a result, they were to be banished once they were no longer useful, but that time was not now. Over his month of rehabilitation, he had intentionally made sure that some of the wound scarred over. He wanted to prove to the people Ricimer's treachery, and his body would be the proof.

Finally on the 22nd November 466, Majorian travelled to Mediolanum. Majorian had the assassins reveal anybody that was allied to Ricimer. He then bribed on of the conspirators into revealing the hideout. Majorian was intent on arresting the man who he had previously considered a friend.

When he arrived he began to search the city for Ricimer. But he was nowhere to be found, he was gone. But this made no sense he had used the bribed conspirator to find out when the next meeting was going to be. Why was he not there. He found his answer quickly. Some of the guards accompanying him found a couple of sheet scattered across the floor in one of the buildings. There weren't many and most of them weren't very useful, but there was one that stuck out. One of the sheet waa one of the contact for one of the assassins.

At this point Majorians suspicions had been confirmed. In truth, before this point he wasn't totally sure that it wasn't Ricimer. Perhaps it was Aegidius or Marcellinus. Perhaps it was his wife, wanting to place their son on the throne and control him, like some empresses had done before. But Ricimer's flight, combined with the papers proved his guilt. Majorian now had the task of preparing to arrest one of his oldest friends.

Meanwhile, Ricimer was riding away, riding on horses to the Visigoths. He had made sure to try and pack away as much as possible before leaving. He had been caught, their was no more fooling Majorian now. If he wanted power, he would have to do the one thing he intended to avoid most. He would have to fight. He knew that more civil war would only destabilise Rome more than it had been after the Ferox Rebellion. If Ferox, a senator with little to no combat experience could kick up that much of a row, then a civil war between him and Majorian would lead to chaos in not only Rome, but all of Western Europe.

But it was the only option left. So he rode, rode to the Visigothic Kngdom. After all, he was half Visigoth. If he could appeal to the new Visigothic King, Euric. Euric had murdered Theodoric II after his failure against Majorian. He hoped to use his connections in the Visigothic Kingdom, and to use the Visigoths ambition to reclaim Hispania to help him gather an army.

He knew that there would be hell to pay if he didn't strike out soon. The die had been cast, it was time to see who would be the first one to take the bait.

A/N: And that is all for this special Birthday edition! The lie is up, now Civil War is beginning to brew between the two sides, as now only either Majorian or Ricimer can survive. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, the feedback is alway appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, I'm here with another chapter. Thank for all the 'happy birthday's you have given me. Now only another 364 days until the next one. Ha Ha. Well, now we move on to Ricimer, and his plans to dispose of Majorian. The gears of wars are beginning to turn. How will things play out? We shall see...

The Timer Begins

467 AD

Ricimer would finally find his way into the Visigothic Kingdom in early January of It had been a very hard ride, having to slip past several sets of guards and inspections to reach the Visigothic Kingdom. In the process, half of his procession had been arrested, Ricimer only escaped as he had managed to distance himself from the ones caught.

When at the outer regions of the Visigothic Kingdom, Ricimer wrote a letter to the Visigothic King, requesting an audience. It took two weeks for Ricimer to recieve any word back. The king had decided to hear what the (former) Magister Militum had to say. Ricimer then began to lay his plans down, using aby means he could to get as good of a layout of the palace as possible. He was aware of the possibility of this being a trap, one that would see him sent back to Majorian in a cage. He needed to increase his chances of escape if it was indeed a trap.

On the 25th January, Ricimer would arrive at King Euric's palace for a fateful meeting.

Ricimer explained why he was there; how he had been "unlawfully discharged" by the emperor, and how he had come to ask or support and taking down the emperor. Euric simply asked why he should do so. Ricimer then used his connections as a Visigothic prince, connecting his lineage back to the Visigothic King Wallia as a reason to help, sneaking in that he had an arguably better claim to the throne than Euric.

Euric wasn't phased by Ricimer and what rather annoyed by Ricimers incinuation. He was about to give the order to drag Ricimer away, when Ricimer began to appeal to his pride.

Ricimer stated that if Euric helped him, he would have the chance to definitively prove himself better than Majorian. Euric, intrigued, simply asked him to explain. He then details Theodoric II's consistant failures in defeating Majorian, how he had lost most of the Visigoth's kingdom to the Restitutor Occidentalis. He would then explain reason why, namely, the lack of man who has been on the inside. With how well he knew Majorian, he could pinpoint how best to get at the emperor.

If he helped Ricimer, he would have the chance to cement himself as the true king of the Visigoths.

When the meeting was over, Euric began to think on Ricimer's words. His logical side told him to simply send Ricimer back to Majorian. But his pride keep whispering in his ear, telling him to regain the honour of the Visigoths.

A few days after the meeting, on the 29th January, Ricimer would recieve a letter, stating he would be lended 5,000 Visigothic soldiers. Euric wanted to test the waters, to see if Ricimer would be successful before going all in. Ricimers plans were beginning to shape up. Now, he turned his other half: The Suebi.

Meanwhile, Majorian installed Gaudentius as Magister Militum, returning to Ravenna to clear his mind and be with his family. During this time, Eudocia would go into labour against. This time, it was a daughter, named Julia Eudoxia, based on the name of her grandmother.

He enjoyed being there for his new daughter, as well as his young sons. Despite this he could not take his mind off of Ricimer. He knew he would need to deal with him sooner, rather than later.

Soon after, he would gather his allies to discuss their course of action. All of them would then go off and gather their armies, ready to defend their lands. Majorian, in turn, began to venture down to the Visigothic Kingdom, where he was most likely at.

The gears of war were in full motion now, as the two sides gathered for the fight of their lives.

A/N: And that is it for this Chapter, I hope you all enjoyed. Ricimer has begun to act, gathering an army to oppose the emperor. Who will succeed in this game of life? Only one way to find out. Thank you all for reading this series, the feedback is much appreciated. See you next chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all! I'm back with another Chapter! Ricimer now heads towards the Suebi to gather up his army. Will Majorian be able to stop him. Only one way to find out.

Preparations

Ricimer had begun to put his plans into motion, he let most of the Visigoths under his command stay as they were, taking only a couple of dozen for safety reasons. Ricimer then began his crossing through the land of Vasconia to the Suebic Kingdom in order to rally further support for taking on Majorian. He knew that if he could rally enough soldiers for the time being, he could at least defeat Nepotianus, allowing for the Suebi and Bisigoths to retake Hispania. That would be his best chance to gain the full support of his potential allies.

Meanwhile, Majorian arrived at the Visigothic capital with the Legio I Augusta and Legio III Aureliana in tow, demanding an audience with the Visigothic King. He would continue his march to the Visigoths. On the 4th February he would storm into the Royal Palace of Euric, demanding to know where Ricimer was. The King was shocked at the boldness of the Emperor to burst into his throne room. He had given warning that he would be travelling to the Kingdom, but this was still definately unexpect. Majorian didn't care though, he was furious at how Ricimer escaped, he needed to find the traitor, before he rallied soldiers to his cause.

Euric then decided to lie to Majorian, in order to throw off the trail. He told Majorian that Ricimer hadn't gone into the Visigothic Kingdom. He stated that Ricimer likely headed to the Burgundian Kingdom. He did have a brother-in-law for a king there afterall.

Majorian decided to be cautious, he sent out half of the Legio I Augusta to try and track down Ricimer there, whilst the rest of the army circled around to the Burgundian Kingdom. He was not going to leave anything to chance. He woild make sure that Ricimer was brought to him in a cage for his crimes against Rome.

Back with Ricimer, he would reach the Seubic Kingdom of February 17th. There, he would meet the Suebic King Remismund, who had taken power in 464. Remismund was slightly easier to convince than the Visigoths, having not suffered as recent nor as painful defeats to Majorian as the Visigoths had, making them more open to the idea of opposing the emperor. By the end of this interaction, Ricimer had gained another 7,000 soldier, bringing his current total to 12,000 soldiers ready to fight for him.

Ricimer now set his sights on Nepotianus. He knew that Neoptianus's army was still recovering ftom nearly being wiped out by the Visigoths the previous year, now having 11,000 soldiers. Ricimer knew he could gain victory over Nepotianus right now. However, if he wanted to avoid crippling his new army, he would have to play his cards very carefully.

War was shaping up for all sides, the opening act about to begin.

A/N: And that is all for now! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter.

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, I am back with another Chapter! It's been a bit since the last chapter, but I'm back now with another chapter. The Civil War has begun (though it technically not a real Civil War yet), now who will be the one to make the first move? Only one way to find out...

First Strike

Ricimer was ready to make his first move against Rome. He knew that the whole operation was risky, but at this point, it was his only way out of a swift execution. Luckily for him, he would only have to focus on defeating Western Rome. The Eastern half of the Empire was still preoccupied with reconquering Dacia, something that they had been doing since late 463. Still, it would be hard to defeat even the Western Army, which had grown to be a considerably mighty force. Though still a shadow of it's former glory, the now revitalized army would be more than capable of destroying his new army with ease if properly mobilized.

However, Ricimer knew that not all of the legions were completely loyal . In particular some in the Legio IV Italica had grown dissatisfied with the lack of action. While the other legions, especially the 3 main legions, were gaining glory against the enemies of Rome, the most the legion of Italy itself got was fending off pirates on the mediterranean. Many of the soldiers were itching for battle, at whatever cost nessesary. Majorian haf tried to mitigate this by switching around soldiers in order to solve this, but it had not fully gotten rid of the issue. Many saw working in the Legio IV as a demotion from being even in the other defensive legions, nevermind the main 3. These soldiers were loking for a proper fight, not to mention that many were personally loyal to Ricimer from him working as the Magister Militum.

But he still needed to show that he was capable of pulling off a victory. Not only to secure the loyalty of at least some of the IV Legion, bu also the secure the backing of his Visigothic and Suebic sponsors. But Ricimer knew he wouldn't have to wait long for that oppertunity. Nepotianus was marching North to inspect Hispania. Ricimer planned to catch the Nepotianus's forces near Ceasaraugusta. Which would allow Ricimer to get to the city before Nepotianus, as well as allow both armies to converge.

On the 2nd of March, Ricimer would begin the march to Ceasaraugusta, officially beginning what would become known as The Grand Roman Civil War. On the 4th March, Ricimer would arrive near the city alongside his Suebic forces, followed shortly by his Visigothic ones. He would start on one side of the Iberus River, with half his cavalry hidden as best as possible on the other side.

Nepotianus would arrive only a few days later on the 7th March, his arriving sparking the beginning of the Civil War's first battle: The Battle of the Iberus River. The Cavalry waited in position to strike. But right before they were close enough, they were spotted. They not had two options; retreat or charge. They charged, crashing into the cavalry forces. Whilst the infantry had gotten ready, Nepotianus's cavalry was still unprepared for the charge, and so many of Nepotianus's cavalrymen were diced up by Ricimer's.

Ricimer's cavalry then turned and fled across the river, having done their job. Now Nepotianus's Cavalry had been crippled, now Ricimer had the better cavalry. The rest of the day would be spent with the two armies on either side of the river, with both sides taking potshots at each other with arrows, though the Cavalry of Ricimer had the superior reach of arrowfire to Nepotianus's (now) mainly infantry archers.

The next day, the armies would continue the staring contest for the first few hours. This would change when Ricimer heard news that Majorian was heading to Hispania. Ricimer could not afford to wait much longer. If Majorian got to Hispania before he could finish off Nepotianus, then he risked getting caught in a pinser. Ricimer pulled back to regroup and keep his plans hidden. He ordered his infantry across the lake to split and cross the lake on either side of Nepotianus's army, keeping the cavalry back. The infantry was able to make it across before Nepotianus could respond. Now seeing Ricimers strategy, he split his into three, two bigger groups to deal with the infantry, and a smaller group to hold off the cavalry. The two sides clashed for hours more. Eventually, Ricimer ordered the cavalry across the river. Ricimer's Cavalry was able to break through the soldier sent to hold them back before splitting and charging into Nepotianus's forces, many scattered at this, their will finally broken. The rest of the army were cut down or captured, Nepotianus fought on bravely, but the numbers were too great, and eventually he fell as well.

The Battle of the Iberis River was a decisive victory for Ricimer. 4,500 of Nepotianus's forces were killed, 3,000 captured. Ricimer lost around 1,500 soldiers. Not ideal, but ut did the job well enough.

Majorian would recieve the news on the 10th March. He took a moment to mourn a fallen ally before readying himself for battle against a former friend.

A/N: And that is all for now, I hope you all enjoyed. Sorry for the wait, I've had other work to do, but I've found the time now. Thank you all for reading this series so far, it has been great writing it. The feedback is always appreciated. See you next Chapter!

 

[FLAYvian1310]

A/N: Hello all, I am back with another Chapter. Ricimer has made the first move in the Grand Civil War. Now it is up to Majorian to respond to Ricimer's aggression. Only one way to find out...

Strike First

Ricimer had been victorious in his first battle with Nepotianus at The Battle of the Iberus River, but it was only the first act of the war. Majorian had not been able to get to Nepotianus in time. Majorian pulled back, setting up camp for the time being.

His original plans had been to catch Ricimer in a pinser attack, similar to what he did in last year against the Visigoths, but Ricimer had put pay to those plans. Now, Majorian had to plan around trying to face Ricimer head on.

He had the superior army, with around 14,000 with him at that current moment, with Aegidius and Marcellinus preparing backup for Majorian. However, those were still at least a week away, as Aegidius and Marcellinus were still busy trying to make secure the main front and keep any other barbarians from joining "the cause". But Majorian could afford to wait too long either, as this would give Ricimer to gather up more forces. Ricimer, though a traitor still commanded at least some level of respect. If he waited to long he could pressure people into joining. Not to mention how Ricimer's allies could send further support.

Majorian decided on trying to intimidate the Visigoths and Suebi into suurender. If he could do so, he could cripple any initiative Ricimer had. Majorian changed course, deciding to focus his attack on the Visigothic Kingdom, knowing that getting them out of the way early would do more damaged than Ricimer could quickly recover from.

Ricimer would recieve the news a couple of days later. He had hoped to use his defensive to harass and wittle down the army into negotiating a settlement, or until he gather up more forces. He knew that right now, he had to fight for his very life, he was a traitor afterall. If he proved to be more trouble than he's worth, he could get a negotiation for banishment, rather than execution. Of course, there was just as much of a chance that it could backfire on him. But in Ricimer's frenzied state didn't care, he had to take the risk to get out the situation alive.

Ricimer also decided to use the captured soldiers to his advantage, forcing them to join his side, threatening decimation if they refused. The soldiers wanting to avoid the death of their comrades reluctantly joined up with him, although still very bitter. Ricimer knew this and promised them power and titles in exchange for remaining loyal

Ricimer raced to meet Majorians forces, where they would clash at the three Battles of the Septimanian Plains. On the 28th March, the First Battle of the Septimanian Plains would begin with Ricimer launching a surprise attack on Majorian's flank. Majorian was prepared for this however, keeping the cavalry back in case of attack. The cavalry charged into Ricimer own flank.

After the initial chaos settled down, the armies began to clash. The armies were at a stalemate as the infantry of Ricimer lsunched a series of hit and run attacks, whilst the cavalries clashed. Eventually the two armies had no choice but to retire for the night. The next day it began to rain, causing both armies, especially the cavalry, to become bogged down by the mud. This waterlogged terrain would continue affecting the armies for the next few days of battle

Majorian now had the advantage, for he had a precious recource that Ricimer lacking: time. Though he had not been able to cripple the chances of resupply, he had cut it off for the time being. Majorian could now sit back and wait for reinforcements. The longer the fighting dragged out the better the odds of victory.

Ricimer knew this fact all too well, he knew he could not afford to let Majorian get reinforcement, whilst he was unable to. Ricimer had to do something to bring an end to the stalemate.

On the night of the 2nd April, Ricimer launched a night attack on Majorian camp using a portion of his cavalry, he used this initial attack in order to get his men across the still slightly muddy terrain. His army crashed into Majorians army driving them back. Just when Majorian's army reorganised, the Ricimerian army turned and fleed back across the terrain.

The battle was ended on an inconclusive note, as both armies, pushed to near breaking point over several days of fighting. Majorian set up at Narbo, whilst Ricimer returned to Ceasaraugusta. Majorian was fine in letting Ricimer go for now. He now had a better idea of the situation, and how to go about things in future. He knew there was no backing out for Ricimer now, not unless the emperor himself showed mercy. But he was not going to show mercy on a man that had betrayed him twice. He could afford to wait for reinforcements and watch Ricimer sweat.

Majorian had struck first in their own personal battle and had seized the initiative for himself. It had only been Ricimer's skill as a general and his knowledge of Majorian that spared him from defeat this time. But unless Ricimer gained a decisive victory over the emperor, fate would finally catch up to him.

A/N: And that is all for now, I hope you have all enjoyed it. I've heard what people have said, and so I tried to keep things more balanced going forward. I hope I've succeeded in this task. All of the feedback is much appreciated. See you next Chapter!