Optimus Princeps - A Trajan TL

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
Optimvs Princeps - A Trajan TL
The Roman conquest of Mesopotamia and its aftermath

By all means, the Princeps Imperator Caesar Nerva Traianus Augustus was already by all means great: his conquest of Dacia, his building program and his alimenta policy are well remembered and are technically sufficient to form the reputation of the future Optimvs Princeps. But, from an imperial point of view, his reign wasn't glorious enough, and his nearly unlimited ambition wasn't satisfied by these "marginal" gains - only a fortright imitation of Alexander the Great was adequate for Trajan's majesty. Besides of these more "psychological" reasons, a consolidation of Roman trade in the east and the simple fact of conquering new land for Roma were sufficient grounds for spending millions of sestercii and ultimately invading Armenia and the territories of their masters, the Parthians.

The military operations begun in the year 114 AD; ten legions were involved in this meticulously planned invasion of Rome's eastern archenemy. Armenia was quickly subdued and the province Armenia created out the old kingdom's posessions. The following attack in Mesopotamia lead to the formation of the new province Mesopotamia, composed out of the north of the cradle of civilization (Osrhoene and Hatra), while Corduene and Adiabene were incorporated in the new province Assyria. In the same year (115), Trajan received an urgent massage of Creta et Cyrenaica's proconsul: a Jewish demagogue and rioter, a certain Lukuas claiming to be the new king of the Israelits had just been arrested quitely and executed in Gortyn. His declarations had also made possible the detention of ulian and Pappus, other members of the religious conspiracy[1].

The next year was spent with securing the southern cities of Mesopotamia; Seleucia and Ctesiphon were taken, and, because the sorrowful condition of Babylon made it impossible to declare this old city capital of the new province, the seat of the proconsul of the Provincia Mesopotamia was set up in Seleucia - nevertheless, Trajan, remembering the deads of his imaginary teacher Alexander, ordered to rebuild Babylonia and to transform it into the heart of the new Roman east. Furthermore, he accepted Characene's submission and maintained it as a client kingdom (it was though integrated in the empire two years later).

The climax of his campaign was the establishment of Parthamaspates as king of Parthia in Susa, resulting in backslash of the ruling Parthian king, Osroes - his forces were destroyed in a though battle and himself captured by Batavian auxiliaries (autonmn 116). He was forced to accept the reign of his son, yet he became vassal king of Persia; the pretender Vologases III was declared public enemy in Parthia and in Rome. Although the installation of a Roman administration in Mesopotamia created some unrest (e. g. the revolt of Hatra), these rebellions were repressed quite easily by the entire Roman forces. Until 117, the institution of new Pax romana in the east was finished:

Quinque orientes
Imperial cult sanctuary: Babylon (planned)
Armenia maior (Artaxarta)
Armenia minor (Tigranocerta)
Assyria (Arbela)
Babylonia (Charax-Spasinu)
Mesopotamia (Seleucia)

Client kingdoms
Albania (Kabalaka)
Colchis (Phasis)
Iberia (Mtskheta)
Parthia (Susa)
Hyrcania, vassal of Parthia (Syrinx)
Media Atropatene, vasall of Parthia (Ganzaga)
Persia, vassal of Parthia (Persepolis)

To be continued...



[1] This is the POD. With the leaders of the Kitos War eliminated, the second Jewish revolt, provoked by deeper tensions between Rome and the Jewish religion, is delayed by some years. And without this threat, the Romans can concentrate their manpower on the Parthian armies.


Constructive criticism welcome!


Note: I'm neither assuming that Trajan could conquer Parthia itself nor that he was really attempting it.
 
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Interesting, I've seen a lot of talk surrounding this point of divergence, but no timelines. I'm a little skeptical to the ease with which the revolts were put down even with the full Roman forces.

I wonder if Judea will still rise up at a later date? Anyway, definitely watching this.
 

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
Interesting, I've seen a lot of talk surrounding this point of divergence, but no timelines. I'm a little skeptical to the ease with which the revolts were put down even with the full Roman forces.

Yes, this is a bit ASB, but I wanted to make one TL about Trajan succeeding.:D

I wonder if Judea will still rise up at a later date?

Sure. The cultural and ideological differences between Rome and Judeau are simply too important. The uprising is simply delayed - by luck. But Simon bar Kokhba isn't sleeping, he isn't dead.
 
Yes, this is a bit ASB, but I wanted to make one TL about Trajan succeeding.:D

They can be difficult to put down and Rome will still show a commitment to doing so, as long as Trajan doesn't die before things settle down, especially if Judea is quiet. I don't think it's necessary to butterfly away the difficulty of putting the revolts down, rather, you should be focusing on just allowing Trajan to live longer. I'd also recommend someone like Lusius Quietus succeeding him, rather than Hadrian.
 

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
They can be difficult to put down and Rome will still show a commitment to doing so, as long as Trajan doesn't die before things settle down, especially if Judea is quiet. I don't think it's necessary to butterfly away the difficulty of putting the revolts down, rather, you should be focusing on just allowing Trajan to live longer. I'd also recommend someone like Lusius Quietus succeeding him, rather than Hadrian.

That's right, and i'm thinking of a Princeps Quietus. Also, the POD will butterfly the emperor's death in 117. But how long can he realistically live?
 

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
Do you need any research on anything?

No, only some general thoughts. As I understand, even if his seizure of power is controversial, Hadrian was, in 117 AD, already an important person and related to the imperial familiy. Personally, I think he is simply too "good" and too qualified to be omitted in the order of succession.

Nonetheless, the empire is now too big to be successfully governed by one person in Rome. Mesopotamia and the east have to be looked on carefully to prevent uprisings or, worse, a Parthian reconquest of the region - like the king of Spain couldn't conduct his American colonies without a viceroy.

Thus, I plan to inspire Trajan a little partition of the empire.
 

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
Trajan's late reign
117 - 124

Having extinquished the biggest flames of rebellion in the east, and seeing that Rome would lastly win against the dispersed insurgents, Trajan decided to finally return to Rome, where a triumph was approved and hold; the ceremony was one of the most magnificent Rome had ever seen, the following ludi were extravagant and cruel, the plebs was satisfied. The senate followed the simple citizens in their manifestations of allegiance, and, besides to the old title Optimvs Princeps awarded Trajan with the agnomen Maximvs and the hereditary cognomen Persicvs. Meanwhile, Lusius Quietus, temporarly the second of the empire, managed the uprisings in the east and achivied to pacify Mesopotamia, for which he received the consulship of 118.

One can argue that Trajan planned to do more, to conquer Germania or, the most legendary insanity, India - but he knew that these were mere phantastic dreams than serious plans, and that it would dramatically overstrain the empire's resources to wage another long and distant war. The prosperity of the new eastern provinces allowed to levy three new legions, along with an equal number of auxiliary troops and a new Classis persica, but they were needed in the east since many units had to return to their original position on the Danube an on the Rhine. In the end, the emperor merely gave the order to seize as much of Caledonia as possible, and to secure it with a new limes - the last great Roman conquest of his reign was made in his absence.

The aging emperor had as well to think of the question of his own succession - he prefered his relative Hadrian to the awarded general Quietus, but simultaneously knew that the eastern posessions (his conquests!) had to be hold and, if possible, extended. He also knew that Hadrian, a civilian, thought that these regions have to be given up since he underestimated the empire's power. He additionally knew that, given the ancient communication and transport methods, nobody can govern such an empire long time - in the old days, the Seleucid empire owned Mesopotamia too, but this empire was governed from Syria. Nobody could control the acting of the proconsul in Charax while discussing with some senators in Rome.

His visionary solution to these problems he developed was quite revolutionary in these days: Firstly, since he was childless, he adopted Hadrian and confered him the tradition powers of an emperor (Imperivm proconsvlare maius, Tribvnicia potestas, Cvra morvm et legvm) - this decision was quite unspectacularly accepted by the Senate and the Comitia. Secondly, he created the Prefectvra orientis to govern and control the eastern regions (Syria, Iudaea, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Armenia (Maior et Minor), Assyria, Babylonia) - without, most notably, Aegyptus, assigned to the emperor The title of Praefectus orientis, directly bestowed on Lusius Quietus, included not only the administration of the richest provinces of the empire, but also the supreme command of twelve legions[1]. To ensure the fidelity of such an important commander, Trajan thirdly stipulated that Hadrian would adopt the son of Quietus, who was in this way made heir of Hadrian (and of Trajan). The presumed heir should act as "viceroy" in Gaul and Britanny to gain some experience before becoming emperor himself. In later times, this special sequence would evolve in an exactly defined order of succession to the imperial throne.

But this again didn't suffice to make Trajan's eternal glory - at least from his demanding point of view. He had previously recognized that, to supply with men the new legions, the empire needed more Roman citizens. He was also aware of the important grade of romanisation accomplished in the western provinces, and wanted to rewart these efforts. With the collaboration of some lawyers, he elaborated the so called Constitvtio Traiana, granting the Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the central provinces of the empire. It furthermore included the programmatic announcement that Rome will lastly make citizens out of all free humans once the pacification of their homelands is accomplished. The constitution, formally validated by the Senate and the Concilium plebis in 121 AD, was accepted enthusiastically in the provinces and made Trajan once again more popular than he already was before.

[1] the eight OTL legions in the east + the new three legions, auxiliaries and the Persian fleet.
 
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Trajan,WTF are you doing?Why do you want to make everyone a citizen?IOTL,Caracalla's decision to make everyone a citizen was a bad idea that led to a drastic decrease in manpower(since it is no longer necessary for a freeman to become a citizen by joining the auxiliaries).
 

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
Trajan,WTF are you doing?Why do you want to make everyone a citizen?IOTL,Caracalla's decision to make everyone a citizen was a bad idea that led to a drastic decrease in manpower(since it is no longer necessary for a freeman to become a citizen by joining the auxiliaries).

Hehe, he is of Hispanian origin. He wants to promote the provincial cause in the empire. Also, he needs more legions, and this means more citizens. That this will have some negative impacts is true.
 
Hehe, he is of Hispanian origin. He wants to promote the provincial cause in the empire. Also, he needs more legions, and this means more citizens. That this will have some negative impacts is true.
Except the increase in citizens never led to more legions compensating the decrease in auxiliary recruitment.It's one of the reasons why Rome had so much difficulties recruiting soldiers later on.Dude is clearly senile or smoking something.
 

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
Except the increase in citizens never led to more legions compensating the decrease in auxiliary recruitment.It's one of the reasons why Rome had so much difficulties recruiting soldiers later on.Dude is clearly senile or smoking something.

Alea iacta est. Nobody can think of all consequences of his actings.
 

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
Just never considered it would come from him of all people,one of the greatest emperors.Making something a citizen for some short term benefits like a bit more taxes is something that a mediocre emperor would do.

Remember that, until now, only Hispania, Africa and Greece are awarded with citizenship.
 
I don't get the rationale. Trajan is fully aware that it doesn't create more soldiers, and, if anything reduces the incentive to become a soldier. Half the Roman army was made up of provincial auxillaries, and there was far more incentive for a provincial to join the army than a citizen-he could look forward to citizenship for him and his family upon completing his service.

There's also the little tidbit that Caracalla only gave citizenship to everyone because he was facing a massive money shortage due to the insane salaries he was giving his (now much enlarged thanks to Septimius Severus) army. Granted, this isn't as disastrous as darthfanta thinks, but there is almost 0 reason for Trajan to adopt this. Far easier, I think to just continue the old tried and true method of granting citizenship to select cities in those provinces.
 

Alcsentre Calanice

Gone Fishin'
There's also the little tidbit that Caracalla only gave citizenship to everyone because he was facing a massive money shortage due to the insane salaries he was giving his (now much enlarged thanks to Septimius Severus) army. Granted, this isn't as disastrous as darthfanta thinks, but there is almost 0 reason for Trajan to adopt this. Far easier, I think to just continue the old tried and true method of granting citizenship to select cities in those provinces.

Okay, maybe I was a bit too extreme in this point. Shall I change so that he grants the citizenship only to the civitates of Hispania?
 
Okay, maybe I was a bit too extreme in this point. Shall I change so that he grants the citizenship only to the civitates of Hispania?
That would work I think.
Wouldn't that annoy the other provinces, perhaps be seen as favoritism towards the Emperor's home provinces?
Not really. This favoritism was common place among the emperors. Trajan would only be unique in that he's not from Italy, so rather than showing the favoritism to friendly areas he likes, he's doing it to his home province.
 
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