alternatehistory.com

During the Crisis of the Third Century, in 271 AD, the Roman Emperor Aurelian and his exhausted army were defeated by the Juthungi tribe near Placentia (modern-day Piacenza). IOTL, Aurelian escaped and went on to defeat the Juthungi that same year at the Battle of Fano. What if Aurelian had been killed during the Battle of Placentia? I can see a few things happening in the next few years, if not immediately ITTL:

1. The Juthungi sacking the city of Rome. IOTL, after the battle there were great fears that the Juthungi might march upon Rome itself, especially since there were no major forces left between Placentia and the capital. Rome had grown beyond it's original walls and the Aurelian Walls hadn't been built yet.

3. The Vandals conquering Pannonia and/or Dalmatia. They had previously been defeated by Aurelian, but now they don't have him controlling their withdrawal from Pannonia.

4. The Goths conquering Thrace, Moesia and possibly Macedonia, Epirus and Greece.

5. The Alemanni conquering Rhaetia and/or Northern Italy, if the Juthungi don't conquer the latter first.

6. If Rome and Northern Italy fall, there could be a rump Roman Empire in at least Africa, Sicily, and maybe southern Italy. Africa could always take the opportunity to put their own imperial candidate on the throne or break away.

7. The Palmyrene Empire gaining control over the rest of Asia Minor and possibly Cyrenaica, Cyprus and Rhodes.

8. The Gallic Empire still had the Germanic tribes along the Rhine to deal with, as well as it's unstable succession. I could see it being conquered, eventually, by the Franks, Burgundians and/or Alemanni.

9. Spain either seceding under its' own emperor, or rejoining the Gallic Empire and then seceding under its' own emperor.

10. Britannia either seceding under its' own emperor, or breaking away when the Gallic Empire falls.

As for who might become emperor, of the IOTL candidates who followed Aurelian, concerning where there were, or might have been, circa 271 AD:

Tacitus & Florian - unknown, possibly in Italy, Tacitus' birthplace.
Probus - military tribune under Aurelian.
Carus, Carinus & Numerian - unknown.
Diocletian & Maximian - unknown. Served under Aurelian in an unknown capacity.
Galerius - 11 years old.
Constantius Chlorus - Member of the Protectores Augusti Nostri, a guard unit-turned-military unit. Constantine not yet born.

Any thoughts?
Top