Hm, does anyone consider the Lombards a legitimate successor to Rome, or is it pretty much just a self-proclaimed title? The update itself still refers to them as Lombards, but that might just be for our sake.
The Lombards themselves do, obviously, save for some malcontent Roman natives. The Venetians also accept the Lombards as the heir to Rome, which is how they were able to break from the ERE and replace their suzerain with the WRE (though that also has to do with internal politics, similarities in religion and language, and the fact that the Lombard navy keeps Venice in check). Most of the Frankish states as well as Aquitaine use the title WRE to refer to the Lombards' empire, but that's more out of fear and respect of the Lombards' power rather than an acknowledgement of any continuity. Bavaria doesn't recognize them as legitimate successors to the Roman Empire, but that didn't turn out to do a whole lot of good when the imperial borders were used as an excuse to capture Dalmatia. The Lombards at this point are powerful enough that it kind of doesn't matter if you consider them Roman or not, all that matters is what they're willing to do to 'reclaim' their empire. They're a big fish in the small pond that is western Europe, but stay tuned, because in the next update that pond is going to get a whole lot bigger.Hm, does anyone consider the Lombards a legitimate successor to Rome, or is it pretty much just a self-proclaimed title? The update itself still refers to them as Lombards, but that might just be for our sake.
The Lombards themselves do, obviously, save for some malcontent Roman natives. The Venetians also accept the Lombards as the heir to Rome, which is how they were able to break from the ERE and replace their suzerain with the WRE (though that also has to do with internal politics, similarities in religion and language, and the fact that the Lombard navy keeps Venice in check). Most of the Frankish states as well as Aquitaine use the title WRE to refer to the Lombards' empire, but that's more out of fear and respect of the Lombards' power rather than an acknowledgement of any continuity. Bavaria doesn't recognize them as legitimate successors to the Roman Empire, but that didn't turn out to do a whole lot of good when the imperial borders were used as an excuse to capture Dalmatia. The Lombards at this point are powerful enough that it kind of doesn't matter if you consider them Roman or not, all that matters is what they're willing to do to 'reclaim' their empire. They're a big fish in the small pond that is western Europe, but stay tuned, because in the next update that pond is going to get a whole lot bigger.
I personally don't see why the Lombards are any less a legitimate successor to the WRE than the Yuan were to the Song or the Qing were to the Ming.
I'd argue that Rome is a similarly enduring concept.Because China has a long tradition of recognizing whoever reunite the country as legitimate, whereas the leadership of the WRE was mostly culturally uniform despite its various up and down, and even the more turbulent transitions were more takeovers than cast down and rebuilding?
China is a concept, not just a title, and that's why it endures.
I'd argue that Rome is a similarly enduring concept.
And as an added bonus, this will be the first update written by an official bachelor of history!
Congratulations! I am waiting for your update.And as an added bonus, this will be the first update written by an official bachelor of history!
Correction. Einar Alfsson was apparently the one to establish Sturland.In 804 Orm attempted to attack Akituniyya, only to find the combination of zealous inhabitants and mountainous terrain made the region far less appealing than it had initially appeared. However, the actions of Orm had not gone unnoticed in Cordoba.
Nice, an update. Im slightly confused by the maps in Iberia: the Norsemen seem to have the territory they only conquered in 807 in the first map as well, but not in the second?
EDIT; Can we have a religion map pls, at least of Iberia, goings on there seem very interesting.
Correction. Einar Alfsson was apparently the one to establish Sturland.
So a clash of the Romans. This won't at all drain the resources and attention of each (sarcasm). Got to admit, the possibility of a Norse Islamic kingdom in Iberia is interesting, if Sturland does convert since it appears most of Iberia is under Islamic control. And Britain is not having a good go at it. Wonder how Ireland will play a role in the future. As petty kingdoms, they're likely just a future target for the Norse kingdoms that survive. However if a powerful High Kingdom arises, it might not be wrong to say Ireland could be the most powerful realm in the British Isles.
Sturland is in an interesting place linguistically, culturally and ethnically speaking. In OTL, at the dawn of the Islamic invasion, the north remained under the control of pre-Roman (mostly Hispano-Celtic) tribes like the Astures who resisted Visigothic incursions on their territories. Since the Kingdom of Asturias was absorbed by the Al-Gharvians, it remains a hodgepodge of Latinate, East Germanics, Celtics, Basques and even some Briton refugees. Would Sturland remain pagan or would it convert to either Islam or Christianity?
EDIT; Can we have a religion map pls, at least of Iberia, goings on there seem very interesting.