Here's the idea: Long after the fall of Rome in 476, and preferably after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, is it possible for a new state to arise in the Mediterranean claiming to be the successor of Rome? This state/empire should include at least the whole northern Mediterranean (stretching from Spain to Turkey) and ideally most of North Africa, Palestine/Syria, and Western Europe as well.
AHC: Re-create the Roman Empire
- Thread starter vuun
- Start date
Considering how Italy claimed to take up the mantle of the New Roman Empire as late as the 1900s, I'd say pretty much any successful united Italian state will be able to make this claim. What follows borders on Italiwank, but that's really necessary to satisfy the AHC, isn't it? Enjoy.
OTL Europe, 1788. In this scenario, Sardinia (yellow) has conquered Genoa (teal).
The Siege of Genoa in 1747 results in Sardinian victory; the Genoan Republic and Corsica fall under Sardinian rule. As a result, Napoleone Buonaparte is born a Sardinian citizen rather than a Frenchman, and Sardinia has about fifty years to build up a good navy to defend its new coastal regions.
During France's revolution, it attempts an invasion of northern Italy. A coalition of Italian States rises up to defeat the invaders. Napoleone is the most successful general of this Coalition, and due to his strategic brilliance, clever usage of artillery, and ability to win in spite of stacked odds, he ultimately casts out the invaders and successfully invades Nice in southern France, and fortifying the position with heavy artillery to ensure no more French attacks. (Frustrated by impossibility of invasion, France decides to concentrate on winning the war against the Prussians, and proceeds to do well in this theater, at least for a while.)
In gratitude, the other armies of the northern Italian coalition are generally loyal to Buonaparte, who forces the abdication of the Sardinian king and proceeds to establish a Republic of Sardinia, although it is doubtless that Buonaparte is in charge.
Through devious political machinations, coups arise in some of these other nations, resulting in change of leadership to Buonapartean loyalists. Some opt outright to join with Sardinia proper, inspired by fear of the growing French menace in the northwest. Others are thinly veiled puppet states.
One way or another, Napoleon Buonaparte makes his own destiny, and forges a new nation where for thousands of years there had only been divided states. Buonaparte raises a Grande Esercito as he proceeds to easily conquer (through the sword or through pen) those who will not fall in line.
But the divided Italians are a mess, and tensions are high. Buonaparte decides to move the capitol from Genoa to Roma and declare this the New Roman Empire. He is now Imperator Napoleon Augustus I.
France attempts to invade again, but is not quite as strong under the non-Bonaparte leadership of this timeline, and Napoleon's army (with the help of the Austrians, British, Prussians, and Spaniards) rebuffs them and invades parts of southern France. A treaty divides France into multiple states, under different spheres of influence, to prevent them from rising up again.
Under Napoleon, Italy takes Algeria. Allying with Austria-Hungary, the countries quickly conquer and divide Venice in 1820. A war erupts with the Ottomans over control of Venezian satellite cities, as planned.
While progress in the Balkans is slow, Napoleon quickly gains possession of their lands in North Africa, from Tunis to Suez. Opening a second front, a successful invasion of Crete is followed by a successful invasion of the Peloponnesian Peninsula; reinforcements pour into Greece. Istanbul falls, and the Ottomans relocate their capital to Ankara. Independence movements erupt across the Balkans, weakening the divided Ottomans. Within two years, all of their European possessions are in Italian/Austrian-Hungarian hands, and the western coast of Turkey is Italian-controlled. They capitulate. Austria-Hungary takes Bosnia and Croatia for Mediterranean access, and everything north of the Danube and Sava rivers; everything else falls into Italy's hands.
A couple years elapse between wars. Napoleon uses it to build up infrastructure and unity in his expanded empire. Meanwhile, the British are nervously contemplating whether this brings stability to their crucial Mediterranean trade routes, or whether Napoleon's Italy poses a threat to their control of Suez and Gibraltar...
From that position of such power, well, you can imagine how Napoleon and his successors gain control of Spain, the Levant, and France.
OTL Europe, 1788. In this scenario, Sardinia (yellow) has conquered Genoa (teal).
The Siege of Genoa in 1747 results in Sardinian victory; the Genoan Republic and Corsica fall under Sardinian rule. As a result, Napoleone Buonaparte is born a Sardinian citizen rather than a Frenchman, and Sardinia has about fifty years to build up a good navy to defend its new coastal regions.
During France's revolution, it attempts an invasion of northern Italy. A coalition of Italian States rises up to defeat the invaders. Napoleone is the most successful general of this Coalition, and due to his strategic brilliance, clever usage of artillery, and ability to win in spite of stacked odds, he ultimately casts out the invaders and successfully invades Nice in southern France, and fortifying the position with heavy artillery to ensure no more French attacks. (Frustrated by impossibility of invasion, France decides to concentrate on winning the war against the Prussians, and proceeds to do well in this theater, at least for a while.)
In gratitude, the other armies of the northern Italian coalition are generally loyal to Buonaparte, who forces the abdication of the Sardinian king and proceeds to establish a Republic of Sardinia, although it is doubtless that Buonaparte is in charge.
Through devious political machinations, coups arise in some of these other nations, resulting in change of leadership to Buonapartean loyalists. Some opt outright to join with Sardinia proper, inspired by fear of the growing French menace in the northwest. Others are thinly veiled puppet states.
One way or another, Napoleon Buonaparte makes his own destiny, and forges a new nation where for thousands of years there had only been divided states. Buonaparte raises a Grande Esercito as he proceeds to easily conquer (through the sword or through pen) those who will not fall in line.
But the divided Italians are a mess, and tensions are high. Buonaparte decides to move the capitol from Genoa to Roma and declare this the New Roman Empire. He is now Imperator Napoleon Augustus I.
France attempts to invade again, but is not quite as strong under the non-Bonaparte leadership of this timeline, and Napoleon's army (with the help of the Austrians, British, Prussians, and Spaniards) rebuffs them and invades parts of southern France. A treaty divides France into multiple states, under different spheres of influence, to prevent them from rising up again.
Under Napoleon, Italy takes Algeria. Allying with Austria-Hungary, the countries quickly conquer and divide Venice in 1820. A war erupts with the Ottomans over control of Venezian satellite cities, as planned.
While progress in the Balkans is slow, Napoleon quickly gains possession of their lands in North Africa, from Tunis to Suez. Opening a second front, a successful invasion of Crete is followed by a successful invasion of the Peloponnesian Peninsula; reinforcements pour into Greece. Istanbul falls, and the Ottomans relocate their capital to Ankara. Independence movements erupt across the Balkans, weakening the divided Ottomans. Within two years, all of their European possessions are in Italian/Austrian-Hungarian hands, and the western coast of Turkey is Italian-controlled. They capitulate. Austria-Hungary takes Bosnia and Croatia for Mediterranean access, and everything north of the Danube and Sava rivers; everything else falls into Italy's hands.
A couple years elapse between wars. Napoleon uses it to build up infrastructure and unity in his expanded empire. Meanwhile, the British are nervously contemplating whether this brings stability to their crucial Mediterranean trade routes, or whether Napoleon's Italy poses a threat to their control of Suez and Gibraltar...
From that position of such power, well, you can imagine how Napoleon and his successors gain control of Spain, the Levant, and France.
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Take a note that any country claiming to be RE (or at least successor of Rome) would automatically get hostility of HRE. Country claiming all territories of RE would get hostility of almost whole Europe- even if any of this states wouldn't start military actions against such upstart realm (which would be very small and rather weak at the beginning- hardly on par with strongest "players"), economically such state would be crippled very fast.
Ah- actually in OTL such state appeared. Napoleon Empire
It wasn't as successful as You want it to be but considering how much territories it actually gained, I guess that it'd be enough to strengthen Napoleon.
Ah- actually in OTL such state appeared. Napoleon Empire
It wasn't as successful as You want it to be but considering how much territories it actually gained, I guess that it'd be enough to strengthen Napoleon.