Both emperors were far too busy elsewhere, defending against threats to far more critical ERE territory. Maurice primarily in the Balkans, Heraclius going mano y mano with the Persians.
Neither had the resources to also tackle significant projects in the West.
Well Maurice intended to make one of his sons Western Roman Emperor correct? Or at least make him de facto ruler of Italy and the western territory of the ERE.
Well it at least shows that it was on his mind, so that shouldn't be too much of a stretch for a WI.Yes, it was an idea transmitted through a sickbed will. Whether or not it would have been carried out if he was not assassinated is any one's guess.
Well it at least shows that it was on his mind, so that shouldn't be too much of a stretch for a WI.
You'd need a POD before Maurice probably. An Empire not bled dry economically and less pressure from the Avars and Persians. Installing a son in Rome does not equal reconquoring Italy by itself.
I'm not sure if the conquest of Italy is even a good thing for the Byzantines, to be honest. Reconquering Italy in the 600s, decades after the Lombard invasion, would be a tremendous manpower and money sink that would give very little back, save for the psychological satisfaction of recovering the birthplace of Rome. A Byzantium that retakes Italy is going to pay dearly for that in the form of losing even more land in Anatolia to the Persians/Arabs, which is by far the more important territory,
Taking Italy would at least solidify Imperial power in the west. If the alps could be retaken and secured alongside the Danube before Maurices death then the Empire has a great chance to hold it. Besides the cost of fighting the Lombards constantly is much heavier and it saves at least some troops. With the west/north/east safe from invasion, and the South incapable of doing much of anything dangerous assuming Islam gets butterflied away; then holding Italy would do tremendous goods once money started flowing through the old heartlands.
I'm not sure if the conquest of Italy is even a good thing for the Byzantines, to be honest. Maurice reconquering Italy in the 600s, decades after the Lombard invasion, would be a tremendous manpower and money sink that would give very little back, save for the psychological satisfaction of recovering the birthplace of Rome. A Byzantium that retakes Italy is going to pay dearly for that in the form of losing even more land in Anatolia to the Persians/Arabs, which is by far the more important territory.
Is Anatolia really that important? Except Aegean Region (and some other coastal region), Anatolia was a backwater in the Empire. It did not become the heartland of the Empire until losing most of her valuable provinces to Arab.(I think the Byzantine mostly likely only losing Armenia and some land in Syria to Persian if they lose the limited war)
Also Lombard at that time was still fragment, I am not familiar with the area, but I don't think reconquering Italy would really be that money sink. (Thought the Empire would spend many resources to rebuild it political infrastructure.)
Not necessarily.
By late 602, the Avars were a spent force, having been repelled from the provinces and beaten even in Pannonia itself. If we have Peter removed from command in the winter of 602, and replaced with Priscus, or hell even Comentiolus (not Phocas’ brother), the dreaded revolt might not have happened. With the respite, the Avars would put up a fight come the spring, and the war would go on for a few more months, maybe even into the summer of 603, and then that’s that; their collapse would ensue (they might disappear from the map, however.)
With the Danube secured, and the friendly Khosrau on the throne in Iran, there’s the west. Maurice might busy himself with repopulating the Balkans for the next few years, but, if he was to make good of his alleged plans, the re-conquest of Italy was mandatory at some point. And truly, by then, the Lombards are at one of their weakest points, with the somewhat unpopular Agilulf at their head. The best approach to take would be to defeat the Lombards in steps: one duchy at the time. Even the defeated Avars might be persuaded, from a position of strength, to attack northern Italy, while the Imperial forces move in from the south.