WI : Majorian successfully invades Africa

I've been looking at the later WRE and Majorian seems to be the last best chance for the Roman Empire to function in the west, but suffered sabotage before invading Africa from Spain, and then was killed on the way back home.

What would have happened if he had successfully invaded Africa?

Would we have a Greco-Roman ERE and a Germano-Roman WRE?

What reforms could Majorian continue?

Would the WRE have its own standing army again?
 
The Western Empire now has a greater tax base. Majorian had already reconquered much of Gaul and Spain, so the Western Empire is almost wholly restored. In fact, IOTL Majorian had done much of that by the time of the failed reconquest of Africa. The issue wasn't Majorian's achievements. It was his murder by Ricimer, the German magister militum. Ricimer's intrigues doomed the Empire was it was the political elites were too consumed with quarreling among themselves to defeat the barbarians finally.

So what really needs to be done is that Majorian's success in Africa enables him to return back to Italy, retain political support in the Senate, and establish real control over the army, hopefully by eliminating Ricimer's political influence and subduing the aristocrats who prioritized their personal position to the needs of the Empire.

If Majorian could do so, then most of the Western Empire would be ruled directly by the Empire, and likely it is only a manner of time before the Visigoths and Suebi are eliminated as independent powers. Majorian probably needs one or two decades. That is feasible as he was only 41 or so when he died.
 

Red Orm

Banned
I'm not entirely convinced that he would be able to keep it together. He was very competent of course, but just as everything fell apart after his death IOTL, the same could and probably would happen here, since all those settled Germans, most of them Arian heretics to boot, would jump at the opportunity to be independent of Rome and raid her lands. Of course he could just go on a conquering spree, if the world had Alexander then there's no telling what could happen.
 
The Western Empire now has a greater tax base. Majorian had already reconquered much of Gaul and Spain, so the Western Empire is almost wholly restored. In fact, IOTL Majorian had done much of that by the time of the failed reconquest of Africa. The issue wasn't Majorian's achievements. It was his murder by Ricimer, the German magister militum. Ricimer's intrigues doomed the Empire was it was the political elites were too consumed with quarreling among themselves to defeat the barbarians finally.

So what really needs to be done is that Majorian's success in Africa enables him to return back to Italy, retain political support in the Senate, and establish real control over the army, hopefully by eliminating Ricimer's political influence and subduing the aristocrats who prioritized their personal position to the needs of the Empire.

If Majorian could do so, then most of the Western Empire would be ruled directly by the Empire, and likely it is only a manner of time before the Visigoths and Suebi are eliminated as independent powers. Majorian probably needs one or two decades. That is feasible as he was only 41 or so when he died.

41 is getting a bit on though, then again, as a military man he's probably in good shape and could do it. His reforms were certainly interesting.

I'm not entirely convinced that he would be able to keep it together. He was very competent of course, but just as everything fell apart after his death IOTL, the same could and probably would happen here, since all those settled Germans, most of them Arian heretics to boot, would jump at the opportunity to be independent of Rome and raid her lands. Of course he could just go on a conquering spree, if the world had Alexander then there's no telling what could happen.

Majorian The Great and His Generals :p In all seriousness he took up serious reforms, so I don't think he was just a conqueror. In fact, surviving could lead to him selecting a decent successor. (Or reforming how the Empire is run). Considering OTL, it could also lead to a stronger ERE, and if there is an Islam ITTL, a restored WRE could provide support to the ERE, and if that fails, still turn Africa into a bulwark.
 
my reading of the history agrees with the idea that without the great man his empire would fall apart rapidly. however the true realistic POD would be a few years before that with Valentinian III if he had managed to marry his daughter Placidia to Majorian i think a peaceful transistion might have been achieved. the main OTL stumbling point was appartently Aeitus's wife, remove her Majorian does not get banished to his estates and in the long run Aeitus might have survived. at least it might have stopped the slide if aeitus and Majorian could sideline the emperor and as in majorians rule reestablish the western empire, plus it would avoid the vandal attack on Rome
 
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