Senate reclaims power in 41 AD?

What makes him so incorruptible? Sorry I just don't find enough detail of his personality to be able to say he would be one to hand back power to the senate (not saying he wouldn't, just that I can't find any evidence of his moral superiority)

Aulus Plautius was controlling several Legions in Pannonia (so we have army support) and he was a moderate character (with friends within the Senate)... With some republican "interests"... If he was elevated to Emperor i guess that we continue the same government style but with more republican "face"... Also he had some connections with the Julio-Claudians and we have continuity of the "dynasty"...
By all means i dont say that Plautius would hand back the power to the Senate (this would have removed the army support and perhaps killed him)... Maybe he would rule like Julius Caesar... Something like Dictator Perpetuus (in a new form of course) while reviving old institutions of the Republic (Censors etc.) and these offices being held from other persons... Not the Emperor... (Well he might held the position of Senior Consul but that happened OTL anyway)...
 
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ah, I see. That definitely works, becuase there would still be the fiction that Rome was a Republic in fact, with some extraordinary circumstances, would still be 'in the air'...

But is that really a return to a true Republic...?
 
Nope... if we cant find a formula to neutralise the Legion Commanders reactions there is NO way to go back to a pre-Caesar Republic... Thats why i used the phrase "renewed Republic" in my original post...
 
agreed.

Maybe if some of the earlier land reforms had suceeded... say the state guarantees each soldier X amount of land or Y sum of coin to be provided by the state,after so much service (IIRC 25 years was the norm for a militry career) rather than promised by their general. They might therefore fight for Rome rather than General Inchargus.

Now, how to get that past the Senators and their perpetual land-hungry short-sightedness?
 
About the Senators we can do what Claudius did in OTL... Give them back some provinces... Claudius gave back Achaea and Macedonia under Senatorial control and got rid of a pain in the ass...
As for the Legions i think we cant do anything... It would be like an auction... "Who gives more???" "General X gives 5 pounds of silver to each soldier!!!" "Senate gives 10 pounds!!!" "No General Y gives 15!!!"
Total chaos will ensue and the Empire will be torn apart... The only reason that didnt occured in OTL was the prestige of the Generals... soldiers became one with a succesfull General... And NOBODY respected the Senate anymore...
 
I must admit that I'm not nearly as well versed on my Roman history as those posting above, so if I'm offbase, then please ignore:

In Robert Graves' I, Claudius, Claudius has an arrangement worked out for a new kind of Roman Republic. Basically it invents a seperate, elected executive with a term of 5 years. In the book, Claudius decides not to proceed because he realizes that all republican sentiment is dead (his son's reaction to his plan convinces him). Instead, he tries to be a horrible emperor to encourage revolt. This is also a lot like what Marcus Aurelius intends in Gladiator.

The fictional origin asside, I wonder if something like this might not create a fix to a free-for-all among generals vying for the throne. It approaches the unlikely and wankish, but all one need due is posit the existence of an extra-ordinary individual who iOTL didn't exist (or simply didn't become extraordinary).

This doesn't mean, however, that Rome survives as a Republic and avoids the Dark Ages. I don't think it necessarily encourages its downfall, either: you still have to figure out how to preserve the power of Rome against hordes of barbarians. Also, the history of Christianity is probably greatly altered.
 
I believe that by the time of Claudius republican sentiment was indeed dead... the only possible revival would be only if an Emperor decides to resurrect old institutions and separates offices... Only then u have a weird Republic but it would have looked like the Latin America's "Banana Republics"...
 
Originally posted by Don_Giorgio
Aulus Plautius was controlling several Legions in Pannonia (so we have army support) and he was a moderate character (with friends within the Senate)... With some republican "interests"... If he was elevated to Emperor i guess that we continue the same government style but with more republican "face"... Also he had some connections with the Julio-Claudians and we have continuity of the "dynasty"...
By all means i dont say that Plautius would hand back the power to the Senate (this would have removed the army support and perhaps killed him)... Maybe he would rule like Julius Caesar... Something like Dictator Perpetuus (in a new form of course) while reviving old institutions of the Republic (Censors etc.) and these offices being held from other persons... Not the Emperor... (Well he might held the position of Senior Consul but that happened OTL anyway)...

In any case the key would be the reaction of the governors of Germania Superior and Inferior, they had the best roman legions so Plautius would need to get their neutrality or alliance to get the power.
 
In any case the key would be the reaction of the governors of Germania Superior and Inferior, they had the best roman legions so Plautius would need to get their neutrality or alliance to get the power.

Totally agree... Especially Vespasian Commander of Legio II Augusta stationed in Germania Superior at 40-41... If he wants to make an early grasp of power it would be too easy for him...
 
Dont forget that Galba governor of Hispania was actually invited to take the throne but he declined and remained loyal to Claudius...
Vespasian, Galba and Plautius would be the 3 more propable candidates in case Claudius declined or killed by the Praetorians...
 
Dont forget that Galba governor of Hispania was actually invited to take the throne but he declined and remained loyal to Claudius...
Vespasian, Galba and Plautius would be the 3 more propable candidates in case Claudius declined or killed by the Praetorians...

Since Galba was actually invited, perhaps he's a likely candidate in TTL.

Unless of course, someone is willing to challenge him or he ends up being murdered by the Praetorians (which I think happened in OTL, although I can't remember for sure).
 
Since Galba was actually invited, perhaps he's a likely candidate in TTL.

Unless of course, someone is willing to challenge him or he ends up being murdered by the Praetorians (which I think happened in OTL, although I can't remember for sure).

An early four Emperors year? Caligula-Galba-Plautius-Vespasian?
 
If Galba remains unchallenged he could be crowned Emperor without any troubles... If Vespasian decides to challenges him (being the only General with enough power to defeat the Praetorians) there would be a bloodshed... It depends on who gets the first victory... if Galba has enough army and beats Vespasian on his field he remains unchallenged... If Vespasian can march without problems till "Rubicon" in Italy Galba will be deserted by the Praetorians and probably end up dead... On the other hand Plautius would be the peaceful solution... if neither sides would want a bloodshed and agree to a common candidate... but thats unlikely now that i see it...
 
Well Plautius has big chances of succeeding only if Senate intervenes and if everyone respects Senatorial decisions... In this case we have a repeat of Caesar's civil wars... Galba/Vespasian claiming the crown while Plautius is named the Senate Champion (Galba/Vespasian=Julius Caesar and Plautius=Pompey..)
I dont think Rome could handle financially another civil war Caesar-style...
 
If i am not mistaken they were 10 cohorts camped near Rome in Castrra Praetoria... They were the best of the best soldiers of the Empire... the most well trained... This was proved in the battle of Bedriacum in 69 AD where under the command of Otho they nearly won the battle hadnt the other Legions I Adjutrix XIII Gemina and XIIII Gemina retreated in disarray... Aulus Vitellius who was afraid the Praetorians (seeing them fighting so fiercely without retreating he was impressed) he disbanded the existing Praetorian Guard and raised a new one with loyal soldiers to him from Legion XXI Rapax and V Alaudae...
 
But eventually Vitellius was betrayed by his own Praetorian Guard when Vespasian marched against him...
The newly raised Praetorians deserted when Vespasian entered Rome and murdered him...
Something similar could happen after caligula's assassination... Praetorians could control Rome and the Senate if they wanted and every Emperor would be a mere puppet in the hands of the Praetorians...
 
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