WI: Otto III Inherits Byzantine Throne?

What if Otto III does not die and marries Zoe, and Basil II and Constantine VIII still die without a male heir? Does Otto III press his claim on the Byzantine throne, and if he does, does he move his court from Rome to Constantinople? Does he appoint a co-emperor to rule in the East/West? Also, what would be the fate of Christianity? The Papacy was under the thumb of Otto III, and if he rules a united Roman Empire, would he demote the Pope back into being a Pentarch? Furthermore, does it stick? Assume Otto has heirs- do they identify as German, or Roman? Would the succession be messy? Etc.
 
What if Otto III does not die and marries Zoe, and Basil II and Constantine VIII still die without a male heir? Does Otto III press his claim on the Byzantine throne, and if he does, does he move his court from Rome to Constantinople? Does he appoint a co-emperor to rule in the East/West? Also, what would be the fate of Christianity? The Papacy was under the thumb of Otto III, and if he rules a united Roman Empire, would he demote the Pope back into being a Pentarch? Furthermore, does it stick? Assume Otto has heirs- do they identify as German, or Roman? Would the succession be messy? Etc.

The problem isn't so much whether Otto claims the throne or not.It's whether the people of Constantinople would accept him or not.Sure,he's got a Greek/Roman mother,but he's father is clearly a foreigner to the people of Constantinople.The ERE also has the capacity to resist him militarily.
 

Deleted member 67076

I dunno if he would try. Risking his fortune in Constantinople means forfeiting any authority in Germany and much of northern Italy. Granted, an additional 20 years of reign would mean his rule in Italy would be far more entrenched but would that be enough to take the ERE from any pretenders (which there are many)? And at the same time, can he monitor both Italy and the ERE at the same time?

Its a huge empire, stretching from the Caucus to the Alps.
 
What if Otto III does not die and marries Zoe, and Basil II and Constantine VIII still die without a male heir? Does Otto III press his claim on the Byzantine throne, and if he does, does he move his court from Rome to Constantinople? Does he appoint a co-emperor to rule in the East/West? Also, what would be the fate of Christianity? The Papacy was under the thumb of Otto III, and if he rules a united Roman Empire, would he demote the Pope back into being a Pentarch? Furthermore, does it stick? Assume Otto has heirs- do they identify as German, or Roman? Would the succession be messy? Etc.

Difficult would be the religious East-West conflict , but we are talking of pre 1054 so maybe ? Otto needs to overcome the greek-roman infighting and reuniting the church. Many alternate history users argue regarding foreigners on Byzantine emperor throne threads, that the Byzantines hardly accepted Isaurian Emperors, despite beeing part of Rhomaion for hundreds of years.
 

GdwnsnHo

Banned
1) Who would be the other claimants? If there is a sufficiently prestigious Roman, then he will be the most likely to get the throne, the Romans liked having a Roman on the throne, it would be exceptional to have a German on the Throne of Caesars.

2) A successful claim on the ERE could lead to Rome becoming an Administrative Capital (perhaps somewhere in Germany would also, Aachen?) and I'd wager he'd try and rule from Constantinople, and specifically set up a German quarter to strengthen the German presence in the city.

An alternative would be to rotate between capitals. Aachen (for the Germans), Rome (for the Italians), and Constatinople (for the Romans). Though I expect the former to be much more likely.

3) By this point, I think people have learnt that co-emperors are dangerous, especially over so much territory. Setting up lesser Kings/Despots, or Governors would be wiser. With his inense interest in establishing new administrations, you could well see the various Duchies of his former territories competing to have the title Viceroy of Germany, or similar - it is essentially Kingship till death.

4) Great Schism is butterflied thankfully - would it become Latin? Greek? Coptic? who knows, beyond some talented theologian. I'd wager that for stability the Latin Pope wouldn't be too defanged, but instead given Primacy in the West, with Constantinople having Primacy in the East. Alexandria still remains a question, as does the Nestorians in the Far East.

5) Does it stick? Depends on the quality of his rule and his heirs. Strong Emperors that can play the church by conquering heathen territories? Probably. Allowing some decentralization of the Church between the two major Pentarchs allows everyone to enjoy their beliefs, but less orthodoxy - you'll need to try and encourage the church to have Universal Doctrine, under which there are acceptable Heresies.

6) German Roman Emperors - to be fair, it depends on when they were born. Those heirs born before Otto takes the throne are likely to identify as German. Those after as Romans (who are also German). This is probably where the inheritance of Germany and the Empire leads to problems. If there are only Roman Heirs, the ERE is going to be calmer, if only German heirs, the rest of the Empire may remain more loyal - but again, there needs to be a powerbase for Otto and his heirs near Constantinople in case the Romans consider them 'too German'
 
Difficult would be the religious East-West conflict , but we are talking of pre 1054 so maybe ? Otto needs to overcome the greek-roman infighting and reuniting the church. Many alternate history users argue regarding foreigners on Byzantine emperor throne threads, that the Byzantines hardly accepted Isaurian Emperors, despite beeing part of Rhomaion for hundreds of years.

What if Otto III installs his hypothetical son on the Byzantine throne? His son would be three-fourths Greek, having the blood of two Byzantine princesses in his veins. Otto III was a Romanophile as well, so said son would likely learn Latin and Greek at an early age.
 
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