This is a What if that intrigues me greatly: but one I only heard of yesterday. In 82BC, a Samnite army came within the very suburbs of Rome, and almost took the undefended city, but was repulsed by the armies of Sulla and Crassus, after a very close fought battle. The POD is that Crassus' attempt to shatter the Samnite flank somehow fails, and Sulla and Crassus are defeated. The Samnites then march into hated Rome, and burn the seat of the Republic to the ground.
What happens next? There are several large Roman forces about, but this disaster comes at a very opportune time for the Republic's enemies: Gaul is increasingly advancing and centralising, Mithridates the Great still rules Pontus, and even the Seleucids and Ptolemies still posess the resources for a possible resurgence. How does the next century play out?
What happens next? There are several large Roman forces about, but this disaster comes at a very opportune time for the Republic's enemies: Gaul is increasingly advancing and centralising, Mithridates the Great still rules Pontus, and even the Seleucids and Ptolemies still posess the resources for a possible resurgence. How does the next century play out?