IOTL, the future Roman emperor Julian (mostly known for his Pagan religious sympathies) was sent to the empire's Rhenish frontier by Constantius II in 356 AD to deal with a large Germanic invasion, spearheaded by the Alemanni tribe. The Germans were executing numerous raids across Gaul, and there were whispers at the imperial court that Constantius had sent Julian there because he, a paranoid emperor, wanted to get rid of a possible rival to the throne.
Julian, however, managed to defeat the Alemanni in a decisive battle around Argentoratum (modern Estrasbourg, France). He was credited as a saviour of Gaul by his loyal troops, and went on to contest Constantius II's government as emperor. Before Constantius could fight back, he died, and Julian became sole ruler of the empire until his death at the hands of the Sassanian Persians, in 363 AD.
But, what if Julian had died at the hands of the Alemanni at Argentoratum?
I'd expect this defeat to open Gaul to massive Germanic raids, like what defeat at Adrianople did to the Balkans twenty-two years later. Plus, with no viable successor to Constantius II, the empire could fall to yet another civil war. Could we see an earlier Germanic invasion period?
Julian, however, managed to defeat the Alemanni in a decisive battle around Argentoratum (modern Estrasbourg, France). He was credited as a saviour of Gaul by his loyal troops, and went on to contest Constantius II's government as emperor. Before Constantius could fight back, he died, and Julian became sole ruler of the empire until his death at the hands of the Sassanian Persians, in 363 AD.
But, what if Julian had died at the hands of the Alemanni at Argentoratum?
I'd expect this defeat to open Gaul to massive Germanic raids, like what defeat at Adrianople did to the Balkans twenty-two years later. Plus, with no viable successor to Constantius II, the empire could fall to yet another civil war. Could we see an earlier Germanic invasion period?
