I would like to see Manichaeism prevail over Zoroastrianism in a few middle-eastern countries, like in the ERE, Sassanid Persia, Armenia, and perhaps Arabia and Africa, if possible. India should also stay Buddhist instead of being absorbed into Hinduism, if possible, spawning more secular rulers and philosophers.
The Araldyana Timeline
- Thread starter Pischinovski
- Start date
I think Manichaeism will at least survive but I do not think I will make it dominant over Zoroastrism. Not sure about India yet but I have a very general outline for China.
Chapter XVII: The court of Ultzindur
“It may begin!” – Ultzindur
Flavius Philippus was born in the eastern part of the empire and his parents were Greek-speaking, but he served under general Asterius in the west. A few years ago he was sent to the north of the Carpathian Mountains. Here in an area nearly no other Roman has seen before he lives at the court of Ultzindur, King of the Huns. As an ambassador he came, as an advisor he stayed. No other citizen of the empire knows so much about the Hunnic realm as he does. Philippus can tell about the vast steppes that go farther to the east as people thought; they are north of what was once Alexander’s empire and reach even to the last corners of the world. Never did he see them with his own eyes but the Huns tell about them and know tales of their old homeland. Today Ultzindur’s realm concentrates around what was once Dacia: in the south it reaches till the Danubius, in the east the borders blur in the steppes, in the north dominate the German forests and in the west the realm spreads restlessly. What was once Roman Pannonia got conquered by Ultizindurs troops and the part of the Gepids that didn’t fall under the Hunnic yoke is now on their way to the south. Philippus hears that also Markomanni and Quadi are now subjects of Ultzindur; the Huns must have reached the Alps soon. He himself was not in Pannonia as the Gepidian kingdom fell; he stayed with his lord near the Carpathians. Ultzindurs oldest son subdued the Germans, whereas the Hun himself is only now preparing to move his court further to the west.
It is autumn: Philippus hates the weather in Pannonia, equally much as the weather of the Carpathians; he spent his youth near Antiochia, where the summers are hot and the winters not to cold. At the Danube the winters are cold and the summers are too cold and the spring and the autumn are also too cold. God, the lord, didn’t create Philippus for such weather. Ultzindur sends his advisor back to Rome in the November of 428, after five years of service, not because he feels pity for the freezing man but to have a friend in the empire.
Philippus arrives at the court of Theodosius with news from the Hun: the emperor has a friend in Ultzindur; just Pannonia has to be admitted as Hunnic. Asterius, the regent, general and stepfather of Theodosius, agrees. Galla Flavia is hurt, she didn’t want to give Pannonia to the Huns, she doesn’t want a pact with them and she doesn’t want to give the Barbarians even more power. Worst of all she dislikes Philippus; the man seems to have lost all his manners as he stayed with Ultzindur.
Philippus had to leave Italia much faster than expected. As the terrible winter came back to Pannonia, the Greek came with him. Asterius sent him back: the general just survived an assassination attempt. Chaos broke out in the empire; he claimed his own wife tried to kill him; the emperor himself had to flee with his mother; the general appointed an old man named Aurelianus Augustus; Constantinus IV. doesn’t recognize him; Himivin and the Goths didn’t react yet. Ultzindurs decides to follow his ally into the war, for land, for might, for glory.
Philippus can talk about the new emperor in the west: Aurelianus is an old man, his father Taurus was already consul, his brother was consul, he was consul himself and also his son was already consul. In the east the family had traditionally the most power but also in the west they were not to underestimate. The family is not as old and well-known as the Anicii or the Symmachi but they have influence and Aurelianus was a good candidate for the thrown. Years ago Asterius wanted to be emperor, but this position seemed uninteresting for him now. A shadow ruler, a king in the dark, an emperor-maker, that is Asterius and that he has been for years; why now change? In the south Geiseric heard the news; he got even a letter from Aurelianus, offering his grand-daughters hand to Gainas, Geiseric’s son. The Vandal king knows when it’s time to change sites and when it is good to stay with your old friends. Well, Arcadius and Theodosius were never his friends, but he believes they are still a better choice in the upcoming war.
Himivin will follow Asterius as long as it makes sense for the Goths; Rome is mangling itself, new times are coming, for the king, the Hun and the world.
“It may begin!” – Ultzindur
Flavius Philippus was born in the eastern part of the empire and his parents were Greek-speaking, but he served under general Asterius in the west. A few years ago he was sent to the north of the Carpathian Mountains. Here in an area nearly no other Roman has seen before he lives at the court of Ultzindur, King of the Huns. As an ambassador he came, as an advisor he stayed. No other citizen of the empire knows so much about the Hunnic realm as he does. Philippus can tell about the vast steppes that go farther to the east as people thought; they are north of what was once Alexander’s empire and reach even to the last corners of the world. Never did he see them with his own eyes but the Huns tell about them and know tales of their old homeland. Today Ultzindur’s realm concentrates around what was once Dacia: in the south it reaches till the Danubius, in the east the borders blur in the steppes, in the north dominate the German forests and in the west the realm spreads restlessly. What was once Roman Pannonia got conquered by Ultizindurs troops and the part of the Gepids that didn’t fall under the Hunnic yoke is now on their way to the south. Philippus hears that also Markomanni and Quadi are now subjects of Ultzindur; the Huns must have reached the Alps soon. He himself was not in Pannonia as the Gepidian kingdom fell; he stayed with his lord near the Carpathians. Ultzindurs oldest son subdued the Germans, whereas the Hun himself is only now preparing to move his court further to the west.
It is autumn: Philippus hates the weather in Pannonia, equally much as the weather of the Carpathians; he spent his youth near Antiochia, where the summers are hot and the winters not to cold. At the Danube the winters are cold and the summers are too cold and the spring and the autumn are also too cold. God, the lord, didn’t create Philippus for such weather. Ultzindur sends his advisor back to Rome in the November of 428, after five years of service, not because he feels pity for the freezing man but to have a friend in the empire.
Philippus arrives at the court of Theodosius with news from the Hun: the emperor has a friend in Ultzindur; just Pannonia has to be admitted as Hunnic. Asterius, the regent, general and stepfather of Theodosius, agrees. Galla Flavia is hurt, she didn’t want to give Pannonia to the Huns, she doesn’t want a pact with them and she doesn’t want to give the Barbarians even more power. Worst of all she dislikes Philippus; the man seems to have lost all his manners as he stayed with Ultzindur.
Philippus had to leave Italia much faster than expected. As the terrible winter came back to Pannonia, the Greek came with him. Asterius sent him back: the general just survived an assassination attempt. Chaos broke out in the empire; he claimed his own wife tried to kill him; the emperor himself had to flee with his mother; the general appointed an old man named Aurelianus Augustus; Constantinus IV. doesn’t recognize him; Himivin and the Goths didn’t react yet. Ultzindurs decides to follow his ally into the war, for land, for might, for glory.
Philippus can talk about the new emperor in the west: Aurelianus is an old man, his father Taurus was already consul, his brother was consul, he was consul himself and also his son was already consul. In the east the family had traditionally the most power but also in the west they were not to underestimate. The family is not as old and well-known as the Anicii or the Symmachi but they have influence and Aurelianus was a good candidate for the thrown. Years ago Asterius wanted to be emperor, but this position seemed uninteresting for him now. A shadow ruler, a king in the dark, an emperor-maker, that is Asterius and that he has been for years; why now change? In the south Geiseric heard the news; he got even a letter from Aurelianus, offering his grand-daughters hand to Gainas, Geiseric’s son. The Vandal king knows when it’s time to change sites and when it is good to stay with your old friends. Well, Arcadius and Theodosius were never his friends, but he believes they are still a better choice in the upcoming war.
Himivin will follow Asterius as long as it makes sense for the Goths; Rome is mangling itself, new times are coming, for the king, the Hun and the world.
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since i have no time to post the new chapter today, i ask you guys what YOU think happenss next?
nope
Chapter XVIII: Constantinopolis
“Aetius: the greatest general our time has seen.” – Arcadius
Philippus was torn between joy and grief as he saw that the Roman army was fleeing. Sirmium was now without defence. The city fell and Philippus saw how the Roman civilisation began to burn down. In the last decades Sirmium saw many invaders, but none of them, not Goths, Gepids or Sciri, harmed the city as much as the Huns. For Ultzindur Sirmium was a symbol, the Romans, especially Arcadius and his clan, should fear him. The Hun himself led the most of his men to the south-east, some supported Asterius’ troops in the west, only a few stayed behind in Pannonia and Dacia. The heartland of the east, Thracia, is Ultzindur’s destination. The city of Constantinus must fall if he wants to succeed.
During the spring and the summer of 430 the Huns devastate the Illyricum, whereas Asterius operates in the Rhodanian valley against Eucherius troops. Britannian Lusitania fell already to the western troops but Galicia not, the mountains protect the last bulwark of Eucherius and Constantinus IV. on the peninsula.
The late summer sees the fall of Thessalonica and the birth of Eucherius first grandchild, Flavia Maria. The foederati that were once settled in Dalmatia, namely Sciri, Eruli, alani and the rests of the Gepids, refuse to follow Arcadius in the war. Instead they ally with Asterius and Ultzindur to avoid their own destruction. Constantinopolis’ last hope is Aetius, the mightiest general of the east and son-in-law of the emperor. Aetius arrives in the capital at the 27th September of 430, exactly one month later his troops stand not far away from the city, face to face with the Huns. History will remember the name of this battle, Aetius will be immortal, some will call him the last Roman, the man who faced the Huns and led his men in the battle, some will compare him to Stilicho, both gave everything, both were always loyal and both share the same destiny. They died on the battle field; Stilicho at Narona, Aetius at Heraclea.
Unlike Stilicho, Aetius offspring never will come to glory; the outraged population of Constantinopolis lynched his family, before the Huns even begun to siege the city. The rest of the imperial family had to flee to the east. Ultzindur sat his friend and advisor Philippus on the throne of the east. Many people died in the days of the sack of Constantinopolis. The patriarch himself was slaughtered by the Huns. Aetius couldn’t save the city, no one could. The Theodosian dynasty lost all its land in Europe and went to Alexandria, where Arcadius died in the summer of 431. Theodosius didn’t appoint a successor for his uncle, in his eyes he was now ruling east and west alone – actually with Constantinus together but Britannia is far away. The Huns in the meantime went to conquer Asia. They would have probably been in Antiochia at the end of the summer but Asterius needed more troops in the west. The city of Rome rebelled, no grain from the Vandals, which were allied to the Theodosians, meant no food, the population was starving again. A man named Balbianus became emperor, for two weeks before they killed him. After that some Licinus; he also didn’t stay on the throne for long.
The autumn of 431 sees the fall of Rome, the Huns restore Aurelianus to the throne. Gallia is in chaos; Eucherius could not finish his campaign against the Germans at the Rhenus and has now also to deal with the Goths. The turning point of the war comes in Gallia with the death of Himivin, the first king of all Goths. He fell in the battle against Eucherius troops, not the enemy’s swords and spears killed him but the cowardice and weakness of the Romans. The left flank collapsed, mostly Roman and Hunnic cavalry, Himivin wanted to stop them from fleeing the field but his horse reared up and the king fell, killed by the hooves of his own troops. The battle ended with the defeat of the Goths and with a new king, Theodavin, son of Himivin. Legates are sent, to the rulers all over the Roman world, making and breaking alliances. He offers the hand of one of his sisters to Aelius Gratianus, son of Arcadius and candidate for the throne of the east - should the Theodisians ever return to Constantinopolis - and the king also suggests marriage between his daughter and Geiseric’s son. Both agree.
In Alexandria the imperial family lives less luxurious than in Mediolanum or Constantinopolis but at least they live safe. The patriarch of the city, Cyrillus, showed to be a friend of the dynasty and also Eparchius Avitus, a man who built up a good reputation as general in the war against Persia, supports their claims. Latter will lead the remains of the imperial army to the north. Constantinopolis will fall later or sooner, to one faction or the other, two years are not enough, this war has just begun.
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Holy Jeezus!
I'm not even done with the first post (It'll have to wait until tomorrow) but I love your detail and breadth of knowledge. Plus, scrolling down a bit, I'm loving the maps.
I'm not even done with the first post (It'll have to wait until tomorrow) but I love your detail and breadth of knowledge. Plus, scrolling down a bit, I'm loving the maps.
Thank you
I am glad people like the timeline, is there a way to improve or is it perfect like it is?Sooo I take it that the Council of Chalcedon is forever called off?
And would you like portraits of Eucherius, Arcadius the Old, Ultzindur, etc?
We will see a split like in Chalcedon sooner or later but Myaphysitism will play a more important role in the empire than OTL.
I would love portraits
Concerning Eucherius i thought, he would maybe look like his father, you can maybe put some Hadrian in there, especially beardwise.Well, give me facial descriptions, publicly or privately. of all these important figures then!
Arcadius would certainly be beardless, because of the fashion of his time. I guess he is not very pretty, like the rest of his family... as he died he was around 54, so we would have some wrinkles for sure and his age would show.
Ultzindur has probably a deformed head, maybe scars, you can google a bit and look at their clothes
and btw what programm do you use, Photoshop, Gimp, Inkscape, Paint, your hand?
that looks amazing
I would be honored if you would draw for my timelineChapter XIX: Flavia Ascenia
“We desire to conquer the world and we do our best to accomplish it, just to realize that no matter how far we go, the borders of the world don’t come closer. In the end we nearly succeed, have the reputation of Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great and conquered more than mankind has seen but we feel the knife in the chest or the poison in the stomach just before the last victory is ours and the borders of the world are the borders of our realm. The tide always turns against the children of victory, because destiny is an old bitter woman.” – Asterius
The young king Chosroes IV. of Armenia - the half-civilized kingdom between Rome and Persia - sends his sister Ashkhen to Alexandria. A wedding is planned. The young man inherited the throne from his father Artaxias a year ago and wants to strengthen the alliance with Rome. His sister would be an ideal bride for Theodosius. Eparchius Avitus, the commander of the imperial troops, once served in Armenia during the Persian war of 414-426 and built up connections to the Arsacidian dynasty. He thought that an Armenian princess would be a good wife for the emperor and so did Galla Flavia, the emperor’s mother. The general arranged everything. About the fate of kingdoms and empires does not only the battlefield decide but also the blood that flows in the rulers veins.
The princess, a girl of 16 years, arrives in Alexandria in the spring of 432. The Romans call her Ascenia. Her Latin is terrible, her Greek acceptable, she was not prepared for this journey, her father wanted her to marry an Armenian nobleman, but now her brother is in charge. He sees the future of Armenia on Rome’s side; she sees her future on the emperor’s side. The emperor is intrigued by the princess’ beauty. Theodosius doesn’t care about the state, like his father, but unless Honorius he isn’t fascinated by poultry, instead by his wife. He even tries to learn her language but that does not really work out, only a bit of vocabulary, not more. The weddings’ priest is Patriarch Cyrillus of Alexandria and only a few weeks later Ascenia conceives her first child.
Nine months pass and Ascenia gives birth; birth to a stillborn. The army advances, the Huns are beaten in Anatolia. Amalasunda, the wife of Aelius Gratianus, gives birth: a boy. Arcadius Aelianus is in the moment the youngest member of the dynasty. His father is the son of emperor Arcadius, one day he will maybe be Augustus himself but that would be a long way. The empire is in war, the Huns are not destroyed yet and the Theodosian army is fighting its way through Anatolia. Ultzindur the Hun expanded too much and too fast and now his domain collapses: Gallia is free from Hunnic influence and Hispania will follow soon. Asterius is getting nervous in Italia, his beautiful dream of ruling the empire is falling apart. The capital of the west, Mediolanum, is lost to the Goths. Everything and everyone is turning against him. The tide is turning to the Theodosians’ favour. His hated wife, Galla Flavia, and her spoiled son are marching through Asia and the Huns do nothing against them.
In the world sees thousands of new born children and thousands of dead people, every year, also in the year 433. One of the dead is Aurelianus, the man was old, his heart stopped. This is a surprisingly peaceful death in these times. Neither Asterius nor Ultzindur appoint a successor for the old emperor. Philippus, the emperor in Constantinopolis, is one of three; three Augusti, the others are Theodosius and Constantinus. In his domain the death is dominating politics but in theirs children are born and dynasties continue. The Britannian emperor and his wife Pulcheria have a daughter, Flavia Eudocia. At the south coast of the island another child is born: Flavia Julia, daughter of Serenus, grandchild of Eucherius, sister of Flavia Maria. The last and most desired child is born in Alexandria at the 15th November: the heir of the empire, Flavius Alexander. The son of emperor Theodosius is named after his birth of place and after the hope that he will be a ruler as good as Alexander the Great. In Alexandria the news spread about the new born prince, in Constantinopolis the news that Avitus landed near Callipolis and in Rome the news that the end is near.
“We desire to conquer the world and we do our best to accomplish it, just to realize that no matter how far we go, the borders of the world don’t come closer. In the end we nearly succeed, have the reputation of Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great and conquered more than mankind has seen but we feel the knife in the chest or the poison in the stomach just before the last victory is ours and the borders of the world are the borders of our realm. The tide always turns against the children of victory, because destiny is an old bitter woman.” – Asterius
The young king Chosroes IV. of Armenia - the half-civilized kingdom between Rome and Persia - sends his sister Ashkhen to Alexandria. A wedding is planned. The young man inherited the throne from his father Artaxias a year ago and wants to strengthen the alliance with Rome. His sister would be an ideal bride for Theodosius. Eparchius Avitus, the commander of the imperial troops, once served in Armenia during the Persian war of 414-426 and built up connections to the Arsacidian dynasty. He thought that an Armenian princess would be a good wife for the emperor and so did Galla Flavia, the emperor’s mother. The general arranged everything. About the fate of kingdoms and empires does not only the battlefield decide but also the blood that flows in the rulers veins.
The princess, a girl of 16 years, arrives in Alexandria in the spring of 432. The Romans call her Ascenia. Her Latin is terrible, her Greek acceptable, she was not prepared for this journey, her father wanted her to marry an Armenian nobleman, but now her brother is in charge. He sees the future of Armenia on Rome’s side; she sees her future on the emperor’s side. The emperor is intrigued by the princess’ beauty. Theodosius doesn’t care about the state, like his father, but unless Honorius he isn’t fascinated by poultry, instead by his wife. He even tries to learn her language but that does not really work out, only a bit of vocabulary, not more. The weddings’ priest is Patriarch Cyrillus of Alexandria and only a few weeks later Ascenia conceives her first child.
Nine months pass and Ascenia gives birth; birth to a stillborn. The army advances, the Huns are beaten in Anatolia. Amalasunda, the wife of Aelius Gratianus, gives birth: a boy. Arcadius Aelianus is in the moment the youngest member of the dynasty. His father is the son of emperor Arcadius, one day he will maybe be Augustus himself but that would be a long way. The empire is in war, the Huns are not destroyed yet and the Theodosian army is fighting its way through Anatolia. Ultzindur the Hun expanded too much and too fast and now his domain collapses: Gallia is free from Hunnic influence and Hispania will follow soon. Asterius is getting nervous in Italia, his beautiful dream of ruling the empire is falling apart. The capital of the west, Mediolanum, is lost to the Goths. Everything and everyone is turning against him. The tide is turning to the Theodosians’ favour. His hated wife, Galla Flavia, and her spoiled son are marching through Asia and the Huns do nothing against them.
In the world sees thousands of new born children and thousands of dead people, every year, also in the year 433. One of the dead is Aurelianus, the man was old, his heart stopped. This is a surprisingly peaceful death in these times. Neither Asterius nor Ultzindur appoint a successor for the old emperor. Philippus, the emperor in Constantinopolis, is one of three; three Augusti, the others are Theodosius and Constantinus. In his domain the death is dominating politics but in theirs children are born and dynasties continue. The Britannian emperor and his wife Pulcheria have a daughter, Flavia Eudocia. At the south coast of the island another child is born: Flavia Julia, daughter of Serenus, grandchild of Eucherius, sister of Flavia Maria. The last and most desired child is born in Alexandria at the 15th November: the heir of the empire, Flavius Alexander. The son of emperor Theodosius is named after his birth of place and after the hope that he will be a ruler as good as Alexander the Great. In Alexandria the news spread about the new born prince, in Constantinopolis the news that Avitus landed near Callipolis and in Rome the news that the end is near.
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You might also need to improve on some of your grammar BTW. It would make your ATL better.
Just a little nitpicking here and there, but overall, I would just look up better ways of writing, in order to become a better writer. Do this, and your popularity will grow, and your work more valuable.
Should be: "The Priest Cyrillus of Alexandria declared that she was pregnant, and that an heir was on the way." Further more, wouldn't it usually take a menstrual cycle (aka a month) to determine if the princess is pregnant or not? Why would that be declared by a priest?
"Unfortunately, she would give birth to a stillborn nine months later; a dream for an heir had come to naught."
I realize that you used this same quote a few chapters prior; if your writing becomes repetitive, it become unappealing, please remember.
Just a little nitpicking here and there, but overall, I would just look up better ways of writing, in order to become a better writer. Do this, and your popularity will grow, and your work more valuable.
You might also need to improve on some of your grammar BTW. It would make your ATL better.
Should be: "The Priest Cyrillus of Alexandria declared that she was pregnant, and that an heir was on the way." Further more, wouldn't it usually take a menstrual cycle (aka a month) to determine if the princess is pregnant or not? Why would that be declared by a priest?
"Unfortunately, she would give birth to a stillborn nine months later; a dream for an heir had come to naught."
I realize that you used this same quote a few chapters prior; if your writing becomes repetitive, it become unappealing, please remember.
Just a little nitpicking here and there, but overall, I would just look up better ways of writing, in order to become a better writer. Do this, and your popularity will grow, and your work more valuable.
thanks for the feedback, i was a bit in a rush as i wrote the chapter. I changed two parts of the text. I hope its better now.
and btw the most updated version of the famly tree:
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That has more indirectly to do with the timeline but does anyone know any dynastical links berween the Tetrarchy/Constantinian Dynasty and the Severian Dynasty? Indirect links are also okay for example over some family they are both related to.
and same about the Severians and the Flavians...I already can link Flavians and Julio-Claudians...I want a giant family tree
and same about the Severians and the Flavians...I already can link Flavians and Julio-Claudians...I want a giant family tree
I imagine Theodavin as a man in his early 30s, brown hair, maybe till his hears maybe longer, a beard but not to long.
Theodosius is a young man, he has light brown like hair his mother and probably a beard but not to much...the fashion of his time tendet towards beartlessness but he is pretty fascinated by the east so a beard would make sence ....i imagine his hair as a bit curly.
Constantine IV is a chubby man, beartless, dark hair, not interrested in military.
Liutgard has dark blonde hair it is quite long, he has a mustash.
Aelius Gratianus is a young skinny man, no beard, pretty short hair.
and that with the huns is certainly posdible