WI: Constantine III consolidates his power in the British Isles

Basically I shall be exploring a timeline in which Constantine III when he was declared Emperor of Rome by the Romano-British in 407 makes the decision to consolidate his hold on the British Isles. Achieving this by the raising of new legions to banners of those legions not in Britain at the time for example the Second Augusta. Would people be perhaps interested in an exploration of Europe with this as a starting PoD?

Also, Roman Britain in 410 AD:

britain2.gif
 
I'm not sure how viable it is as a starting POD- the reason Constantine did so well was because he was welcomed into a Gaul devastated by war. Sooner or later, I think it's inevitable he's going to make a bid for power in the WRE. Still, it's not ASB by any means, and a good Late Roman TL is always interesting, so as long as you keep it well researched, this could be good fun! :)
 
Ah, I am not talking the original Constantine of the founding of Constantinople type. I am talking the one who took with him the British Legions in an attempt to topple Honorious in the early 5th century leaving Britannia defenceless against the Anglo-Saxon attacks and settlement.
 
Ah I must have misunderstood what you meant then. I will be getting something up in regards to a timeline shortly.
 
First stage: Conscious of the fact that two immediate predecessors in Britain had been killed, possibly for not taking an active policy in Gaul, Constantine would have to make sure the same didn't happen to him. Suggestion: Constantine immediately takes hostages from the officers who, over the last twelve months, had deposed and killed his two immediate predecessors, Marcus and Gracian. Those of suspect loyalty to his program are later given the option of sailing with their families to the mainland and taking their chances with what remains of the central empire. They leave.

Possible next stage: Without intervention from Britain, the situation in northern Gaul deteriorates and no relief from Rome seems to be in sight. Large numbers flee from the Continent to Britain, providing Constantine with extra manpower and the nucleus of a fleet. Hopefully they held out in Gaul until harvest time because the extra food will be needed.

At this point, the situation is not altogether different from what we know of the real Britain in 412. It's cut off from the central government which never recovered strongly enough to reincorporate Britain into the empire. There is, however, a central government with a real Roman army and its own fleet. The attacks from Ireland and Pictland still happen, but Constantine and his successors now don't have the same need for Angle, Saxon and Jutish mercenaries to hold out.
 
406-408 Anno Domini:

With the crossing of the Rhine by a mixed bag of what were termed in Rome as 'Barbarians' includign within their ranks Suebi, Vandals and Alans the entirety of Roman holdings in the West were threatened. The many years of civil warfare and bickering had left the Roman presence in Gaul somewhat weakened, this problem was only increased with Stilcho being forced to pull a huge majority of the Roman troops south into Italy to aid him in his stand against Alaric and his Visigoths. As such the various tribesmen met little to no resistance, ranging at will throughout the Gallic provinces with the mint at Mainz as well as many of the other rich Roman cities in the area being razed and their people put to the sword.

The continued ranging of these tribal agressors unchecked throughout Gaul led to a mass exodus of people towards the West, however due to the threat of Alaric to the south many of these people moved to the North West of Gaul assuming perhaps that the raiders would soon tire or that Gaul would be relieved by troops from Spain or Italy. This was no to be however and by the coming of Autumn in 407 Gaul had felt a devastation not felt since the time of the war between Julius Caesar and Vercingetorix.

Meanwhile, the provinces of Britannia seeing what seemed to them to be almost the final fall of the Empire quickly fell to near panic quickly elevating and then tearing down two elected Emperors before on what many modern historians, mainly those of British origin wistfully identify as the Ides of March, a soldier who had risen to the post of Primus Pilus (First Spear) within one of the remaining Roman Auxiliary cohorts was acclaimed as Emperor. Mindful of the end of his predecessors the new Emperor Constantine III quickly organised his former cohort the 1st Frisians and their sister the 2nd Frisians into his personel bodyguard, taking the standard of the Praetorian Guard.

Following this act he quickly rotates those cohorts available to him to allow for the proper defence of the Wall in the north while he calls for a meeting of all of the senior staff in the city of Silchester. In this meeting Constantine calls for the declaration of loyalty of all of the Senior Tribunes within Britain and grants the families and children of his new vassals positions within his new court. Having ensured the loyalty of his military commanders through this act Constantine is left at the close of the summer of 407 with the rapid influx of civilian and some military forces into his southern ports in the hopes of escaping the ravaging of Gaul.

The new Emperor moves quickly conscripting those vessels which dock in his ports into his fledging naval forces he creates two main fleets known as the velox magnus and the velox minor, the velox magnus containing roughly two thirds of those ships available to him are given the responsibility of protecting the Channel as well as the eastern shore from barbarian raids. The second fleet that of the velox minor sails to a small port north of Chester to aid in the defence of the west against the raids and settlement of Western Britannia by various Irish chiefs and kings.

With the continuing ravaging of Gaul the new Emperor recieves several petitions from cities on the northern coast of Gaul to move south and protect them where the Emperor in Italy cannot. However, upon consultation with his leading generals Iustinianus and the Nebiogastes the Emperor decided that before any endevour upon the continent the securing of Britannia must take priority. To this aim he dispatched Iustianus north to York with the authority to raise there the standard of two new legions, the Second Augusta and the Ninth Hispana to aid in this he was given the authority to consolidate the 6 cohorts of the north into these new legions and bring them up to the full manpower of 3840 men in total. Nebiogastes was sent to Londinium and then on to the the other cities of the east to bring in the total numbers of the men who were responsible for protecting the coasts known as the 'sea guards' after this he was made responsible for the creation of a head of operations to allow for a more coordinated defence of the coasts against the raiders and thus settled upon fortifications at Porchester to be the base of operations.

By the end of 408 Britainnia was existing in a state of some calm, with an 'Emperor' present within the province and making several decisions to protect the island the populace was generally happy. Alongside this the influx of merchants, ships and other civilians from Gaul was allowing for the rapid re-colonisation of that land in the North and West which had fallen to fallow following raiding and as such the province was able to feed itself with a fair surplus.
 
you should find something to make the army happy of (possibly plunder).
V century britain had the appeal to soldiers that 1910 Alaska could have for soldiers to garrison.
Garrisoning the Wall ... well, maybe not even central siberia could be an adequate comparison.

also, you should turn up with something to make the population happy of.
Not being plundered is not enough when you are using to trade with gallia and now you are starving since gallia is being ravished.

either an unhappy army or an unhappy population would turn into the new emperor's head laying several feet away from his neck.
 
A Serpent in the Nest

Given how Constantine's regime was destroyed in OTL, the new timeline should address what happens to Gerontius. Perhaps he's in charge of a more limited expedition to Armorica [plausible; Carausius took Armorica for his own breakaway British empire in ~285], while the main army is still in Britain. If Gerontius still turn traitor, the consequences don't have to be fatal.
 
Can Britannia support a standing army of its own in this period?

Should be able to. Carausius then Allectus had a fairly prosperous breakaway empire in the 280s and 290s consisting of Britain and a small beachhead on the continent (Armorica, aka Brittany). Constantine III would be able to do something similar.

Large armies had been posted in Britain on occasion. Constantine I took charge of the one led by his father in 306 and used it as a foundation of his campaign to get recognition from the other Roman rulers. Later (388) Magnus Maximus led the army from Britain to seize the Western half of the empire from Gratian. (Britain had also been in the breakaway empires of Postumus in the 260s and Magnentius in 350. You couldn't blame the Romans if they'd reached the conclusion that it was more trouble than it was worth).
 

archaeogeek

Banned
Can Britannia support a standing army of its own in this period?

Probably, yes, although the original three legions they had would be pushing it; one or two early imperial legion's worth of troops (I suck at late imperial military) and then some would likely be doable and be largely enough once the classis Britannica is added to keep control over the region. How long depends on whether they cut trade links with the med early enough to avoid the Justinian plague: they won't though and this can have annoying repercussions but if you don't have the whole army packing up along with the people that likely followed with it gone, you have a higher population base to work with anyway.

Also iirc at this point there are a few briton colonies in the far east and far west of gaul. Although the POD makes it sound like they're somewhat abandoned.
 

archaeogeek

Banned
One small point - it's not Silchester. You need to refer to it by it's real name, Calleva Atrebatum.

lol
(good point; also Corinium was already the capital at this point although Camulodunum held some symbolic significance as the former capital from whaat I got; just preempting any mention of London as the capital ;) )
 
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