Surviving West Roman rump

How could one maintain the East-West division, and have the WRE survive, preferably as a rump state controlling Italy, the Adriatic and a bit of the stuff around them?
 
My idea is if the joint expedition of Western and Eastern Roman Empire in 468 AD was successful and the province of Africa re-annexed to the Western Roman Empire, maybe we could see a Western Roman Empire that consisted of Italia, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicilia, and Africa survived for centuries longer than OTL...
 
The WRE doesn't necessarily have to survive. Have Charlemagne's empire remain successful, or one of the other German dynasties unite parts of Hispania, parts of southern France and as much of Italy as possible and you have a fairly decent post-Roman rump. Just like otl they'll likely even expand into Germania proper.
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
Would be hard. Have Odoaecar decide he'll not depose Romulus Augustus, but instead keep him as a puppet emperor and you might have a start. It will be an uphill battle though.
 
The WRE doesn't necessarily have to survive. Have Charlemagne's empire remain successful, or one of the other German dynasties unite parts of Hispania, parts of southern France and as much of Italy as possible and you have a fairly decent post-Roman rump. Just like otl they'll likely even expand into Germania proper.
Charlamagne, however, was Frankish and I want this empire to be the WRE, and not a Frankish empire styling itself as Roman.
 
How about keeping the last legions in Britannia? The local Romanized aristocracy set up their own Senate at Winchester, London or Bath and keep the Saxons at bay through the 500's. Later, an expansion back into Gaul and Hispania after the Goths have fallen into disarray
 
Would be hard. Have Odoaecar decide he'll not depose Romulus Augustus, but instead keep him as a puppet emperor and you might have a start. It will be an uphill battle though.

But if it isn't Odoacer, then sooner or later other Germanic general might decide that they didn't need any puppet emperor at all...
My other idea: victory at Adrianople and complete annihilation of the Goths, thus butterflying away the Visigoths' sack of Rome at 410, Visigothic Kingdom in Hispania, and Ostrogoths' Kingdom in Dalmatia.
So that (hopefully) Hispania, Italia, and Dalmatia could remained as parts of Western Empire...
 
Top