An Age of Miracles Continues: The Empire of Rhomania
- Thread starter Basileus444
- Start date
I thought it was just a raid as opposed to a full-scale takeover. The ships involved went back to Jahzara after it was over instead of sticking around which tells me that it was a smash-and-dash.
Also is Port Royal officially Roman or Mexican?
Evilprodigy
Donor
There's the line about change in management I was thinking of, which could have been temporary.
Huh, this kinda looks like the OTL American or Portuguese approach. No massive inland land grabs, just (mostly) taking strategically important islands for use in trading with vital Asian markets.
Evilprodigy
Donor
That's how everyone did it in the east, except for Spain in the Philippines, until the 1700s when imperialism came into full swing and mercantilism had gripped the European powers (it saw the first major land acquisitions in India and Indonesia for the BEIC and VOC) and quinine (and other Malaria treatment) became cheap in the mid-to-late 1800s. There's a reason France, Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Portugal all only had trade ports in the east until so much later.
Romans of the Caribbean. I love that you did that in such a way that makes sense.
I've loved this timeline since page one of thread one. The writing is generally good and you don't stretch my SoD far enough to decrease my enjoyment of it (50-150 years past the POD is when historical plausibility turns into general plausibility for me). It's also the only timeline to be the main factor in my decision to buy a game (CK2).
I've loved this timeline since page one of thread one. The writing is generally good and you don't stretch my SoD far enough to decrease my enjoyment of it (50-150 years past the POD is when historical plausibility turns into general plausibility for me). It's also the only timeline to be the main factor in my decision to buy a game (CK2).
Yep. Although I'm rooting for Rome in this story, Triunes have very nice ATL potential that I might like in the absence of Roman Empire.
Regarding update, I love Roman Caribbean colonies. Give me bases everywhere and I'll die a happy man
P.S. B444, your writting and especially historical knowledge has really gotten superb. All those little anegdotes taken from OTL really make the story feel real.
A lot of ATL nations are actually in a position to be better off than OTL in almost every way:
Greece -> Rhomania: No explanation necessary as to why.
Russia: No Tatars raids as Ukraine/Scythia was conquered and tamed centuries ahead of OTL. OIf major catastrophes such as wars, civil wars and communist like regimes are avoided, TTL Ukraine alone may have over 120 to 180M inhabitants in OTL's boundaries. Central Russia may have 250M inhabitants and Siberia if conquered and settled a lot earlier might be almost unrecognisable from today population and infrastructrure wise. TTL Russia has hegemonic potential.
Germany -> HRE: No 30 Year's War and earlier unification, if the "War of wrath" is directed at them, things could be different though.
Scandinavia: Solidly unified TTL and its geographic position means that it is virtually unassailable. Scotland is likely to become TTL's version of Ireland for the Trinues. But the Scandinavian peninsula itself is basically an island, especially if the EAN controls Kola and Karelia. With trade and economic development, population could well become larger than OTL. It won't be a great power in the long-term unless it gets settlement colonies, but TTL Scandinavia will have a much larger clout and presence compared to OTL.
Portugal: Dominant nation in Iberia, has access to Castille's manpower.
Ethiopia: Only civilized nation in East Africa, will dominate the region in the coming decades and centuries. Already integrated in Western trade networks on its own terms.
Egypt: Suffered a lot but is likely to be stable now, integration in the wider Mediterranean economy will help massively. It won't be a poor country OTL but may not be super wealthy either. Still it will be better off than OTL.
Poland: It's too early to tell but the country is looking like it won't be partioned TTL. Can become a second Germany in economic development if it plays its cards right.
Great post! I wonder who is on track to be weaker ITTL as opposed to OTL.
Maybe Spain since it is still dealing with a rump al-Andalus?
Looks like the Dutch will also be a little weaker but I guess that depends on what happens to Lotharingia long term
Probably Italy will be weaker if Rome occupies (even in despotate form) everything from Naples south. If Rhomania survives into 2019 I can see Italy never properly unifying as a result.
I don't know about you guys but i think is impossible for rome to maintain colonies in the Caribbean because it lacks reliable access to the Atlantic ocean
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Oh you sweet summer child. Never doubt just how bullshit the Euros can be. How do you think the Britbongs colonized India?
if they can have a reliable allies by gitbutlar and have some colonies on the eastern side of the Atlantic they should be fine
Evilprodigy
Donor
I am in agreement with this.
It wouldn't be too difficult to set up an autonomous situation but that leaves the colonies high and dry in the case of any concerned effort by a western European power to take the islands and their access to them is hinged upon good relations with Spain. Rome wouldn't want to be in that sort of position of vulnerability.
IMO Crete and Cyrpus need to diversify their agriculture away from sugar and towards more lucrative agriculture that they have a competitive advantage in due to the climate. I think that's mostly in the form of citrus, wine, tobacco, olives, potato, and a bit of livestock in that order, maybe, of potential lucrativeness.
Roman sugar production should instead look to other sources of cheap labour and good climate, like India, for Sugar Production and acquisition or, more locally, Egypt, North Africa, and the Levant since the scorching heat of the desert is good for Sugarcane and irrigation can supply water needs. Arabs spread sugarcane cultivation across that region already so there should be plenty of knowledge around plus all the deported Arabs is going to mean vast open pockets of land for plantation-style agriculture to be filled with the Sudanese slaves. Though higher operation costs mentioned in the update from Ethiopia nipping the first of the slaves could mean these are less profitable, and the irrigation would involve start-up costs that may not prove attractive for entrepreneurs. Regardless, more significant roman presence in the Indian Ocean makes Indian Sugar a potentially more lucrative source of sugarcane production and more secure than the Caribbean, at least the Ethiopians have a long track record of friendliness and geopolitical reasons to be allied to the Romans than the Spanish may not have in a few decades.
Great job, great list.
I have nothing to add, except that I think it is Pyrgos, not Pyrogos, and that I believe that they do have Singapore (IIRC it's called Singapura and/or Leontopolis?)
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You are right - I went back and fixed it. Thanks for the catch.
Speaking of video games...after re-reading that last update again I'm probably going to spend the weekend replaying Black Flag. I'll just pretend instead of Edward Kenway his name is Leo Kalomeros.
Evilprodigy
Donor
I'm currently in the process of building a golden age of piracy setting for a D&D game with friends during the summer and now I'm thinking I'll include a Greek pirate or two to help flesh out the analogue to the Barbary Corsairs.
On the topic of the Herakleian Islands (If that is still the proposed name for OTL Philippines anyway) it would be interesting to see if the Muslim Mindanao part would still be around minus the rebellious separitism of OTL of course, especially given Rhomania's stance with Islam. I can see Mindanao (Or Bangsamoro if it gets called that) acting as a quasi state that pays tribute to Rome's ship lords.
It'd be interesting to see what will be the Archipelago's eventual name, Herakleian Islands is too long, plus the natives and colonizers there would probably prefer a more shorter name. Pyrgorians perhaps?
Also I'd love to assist anyone whose up for creating a spinoff of this TL but focusing more on the Herakleian Islands. The culture that develops alone would be a sight to read.
It'd be interesting to see what will be the Archipelago's eventual name, Herakleian Islands is too long, plus the natives and colonizers there would probably prefer a more shorter name. Pyrgorians perhaps?
Also I'd love to assist anyone whose up for creating a spinoff of this TL but focusing more on the Herakleian Islands. The culture that develops alone would be a sight to read.