Hey, everyone. I'm Solarium, a long time lurker on ah.com. I recently made this account in order to create a timeline about one of my favorite periods of history: Late Antiquity. (SIDE NOTE: I know the Byzantines were referred to as the Romans or the East Romans, but in this TL I will refer to them as Byzantines just to make it more clear and to differentiate them from the Western Romans.) This TL will focus on the revival of the Western Roman Empire by one very famous Byzantine general: Narses.
In early 538, two very skilled Byzantine generals were fighting the Ostrogoths in Italy: Belisarius and Narses [1]. Both men were very influential and thus, often at odds with each other. However, after the victory at Ariminum, Narses's influence was strengthened. Several Byzantine generals shifted their allegiance to Narses.
In 532, a peace treaty was negotiated between the Byzantines and Sassanid Persia. However, while Belisarius and Narses bickered in Italy, Khosrau I of the Sassanids broke the treaty and invaded Syria [2]. The Byzantines were totally unprepared for the attack. In need of a strong general, Emperor Justinian ordered Belisarius to take some men and head towards the eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire to meet the Persian threat. Justinian, who was paranoid of rebellions, ultimately decided to take a chance and let Narses command the army in Italy, trusting him to continue the campaign against the Ostrogoths. This would prove to be Justinian's greatest mistake. Narses was enraged that Justinian saw Belisarius as the better general. After all, the attacks in Syria were more of a threat to the empire, meaning that Justinian favored Belisarius. This would give him a bigger chance to gain glory and fame. This also meant that if the throne of Byzantium ever had to go to either Belisarius or Narses, it would almost certainly be Belisarius. Feeling betrayed by the man he was once very loyal to, Narses began his plans for turning Italy into his own empire. Narses began to plan out the revival of the Western Roman Empire.
Renewing his efforts against the Ostrogoths, Narses took his army and conquered the rest of Italy. Narses imposed strict policies on his men, forcing them to be gentle with the conquered people of Italy. Thus, Narses quickly gained fame among the Italians, as well as respect from his men for being so lenient yet authoritative at the same time. By the end of the Gothic War, Narses had a strong army that was incredibly loyal to him, as well as a population of people who at the very least, did not hate him. The Gothic War finally ended during July in 540, when Narses triumphantly marched into Ravenna and declared himself Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
[1] Our first POD. In our timeline, Narses was a eunuch and therefore could never hope to become a Roman emperor nor have kids. Being a Roman emperor meant you needed to be healthy and strong. However, in this timeline, Narses never became a eunuch and stayed a healthy, normal man.
[2] Our second POD. In our timeline, Khosrau I did indeed break the peace with the Byzantines, but he did so in 540. In this timeline, however, he breaks the peace in 538 and lands an early attack on the eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire. This leads Justinian to send Belisarius to Syria, letting Narses take command of the men in Italy. This ultimately leads to Narses becoming Western Roman Emperor.
Any thoughts, concerns or feedback regarding my prologue?
I would be happy to reply!
The Revival of Ravenna
PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
In early 538, two very skilled Byzantine generals were fighting the Ostrogoths in Italy: Belisarius and Narses [1]. Both men were very influential and thus, often at odds with each other. However, after the victory at Ariminum, Narses's influence was strengthened. Several Byzantine generals shifted their allegiance to Narses.
In 532, a peace treaty was negotiated between the Byzantines and Sassanid Persia. However, while Belisarius and Narses bickered in Italy, Khosrau I of the Sassanids broke the treaty and invaded Syria [2]. The Byzantines were totally unprepared for the attack. In need of a strong general, Emperor Justinian ordered Belisarius to take some men and head towards the eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire to meet the Persian threat. Justinian, who was paranoid of rebellions, ultimately decided to take a chance and let Narses command the army in Italy, trusting him to continue the campaign against the Ostrogoths. This would prove to be Justinian's greatest mistake. Narses was enraged that Justinian saw Belisarius as the better general. After all, the attacks in Syria were more of a threat to the empire, meaning that Justinian favored Belisarius. This would give him a bigger chance to gain glory and fame. This also meant that if the throne of Byzantium ever had to go to either Belisarius or Narses, it would almost certainly be Belisarius. Feeling betrayed by the man he was once very loyal to, Narses began his plans for turning Italy into his own empire. Narses began to plan out the revival of the Western Roman Empire.
Renewing his efforts against the Ostrogoths, Narses took his army and conquered the rest of Italy. Narses imposed strict policies on his men, forcing them to be gentle with the conquered people of Italy. Thus, Narses quickly gained fame among the Italians, as well as respect from his men for being so lenient yet authoritative at the same time. By the end of the Gothic War, Narses had a strong army that was incredibly loyal to him, as well as a population of people who at the very least, did not hate him. The Gothic War finally ended during July in 540, when Narses triumphantly marched into Ravenna and declared himself Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
[1] Our first POD. In our timeline, Narses was a eunuch and therefore could never hope to become a Roman emperor nor have kids. Being a Roman emperor meant you needed to be healthy and strong. However, in this timeline, Narses never became a eunuch and stayed a healthy, normal man.
[2] Our second POD. In our timeline, Khosrau I did indeed break the peace with the Byzantines, but he did so in 540. In this timeline, however, he breaks the peace in 538 and lands an early attack on the eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire. This leads Justinian to send Belisarius to Syria, letting Narses take command of the men in Italy. This ultimately leads to Narses becoming Western Roman Emperor.
Any thoughts, concerns or feedback regarding my prologue?