Background
At the sunset of the classical Roman Empire, the Germanic tribes invaded most of its western part and founded several kingdoms which were virtually independent from the Roman capital in Constantinople. Out of those originally Pagan nations, only the Visigoths* converted directly to the Nicene branch of Christianism, while the others embraced the Arian one, deemed heretic by the Church in Rome. Thus, Arianism rose as a significant part of their identity, opposed to the Nicene Romans.
The city of Rome came under the control of the Ostrogoths, who at first tolerated Nicene Christianism in Italy, as it was overwhelmingly supported by their Roman subjects. However, things started to change after the Lombards, among other minor tribes, moved from the Carinthian region into Northern Italy after being defeated by the Gepids in Western Pannonia. The Ostrogoths and their allies (the North African Vandals and the Herulians settled in Northern and Central Italy) confronted the Lombards in the First Germanic War (552-558), but they were ultimately defeated, in part thanks to the later betrayal of most of the Herulian generals. As a result, the Lombards managed to establish a powerful kingdom spanning from Northern Italy to Carinthia and Tuscany, while the Herulians were granted a separate realm in former Gothic Dalmatia. The Lombards also managed to impose their hegemony over Ostrogoths, Herulians and Vandals, leading to the creation of the first Germanic Confederation in 570; despite the initial bitterness of Ostrogoths and Vandals, it suceeded to consolidate thanks to the growing threat of the Frankish expansion into the Alpine area, after they subdued both the Burgundians and the Swabians.
The consolidation of the Germanic Confederation under Lombardic leadership, who tried to emphasyze pan-Arianism as a glue for getting the four kingdoms together, led to an increasing wave of intolerance towards Nicene Christianism. Thus, many of the Roman Nicene population of Italy and Africa migrated to the rising Visigothic Kingdom during the first half of the 7th century. The ultimate push was the official substitution of the Roman pope by an Arian bishop in 634, forcing to exile the whole Nicene curia in Rome back to Constantinople. However, the Visigoths, who controlled Spain, Mauritania and most of Gaul by then, took advantage of the situation and appointed their 'own Pope' in their capital in Tolosa and upgrading the Kingdom to a sort of restored Western Roman Empire, which was obviously not recognized by Constantinople. This fact was known as the Schism of Tolosa (637), which divided the Nicene Christendom into a Western creed (led by the Visigothic Pope in Tolosa) and an Eastern creed (led by the Patriarch in Constantinople).
The Franks also did not recognize the authority of the new Arian Pope in Rome, and used the religious conflict as an excuse for starting the Second Germanic War (640-651), which confronted the Germanic Confederation (Lombards, Ostrogoths, Vandals and Herulians) against the Franks and their allies (Burgundians and Swabians). The powerful Franks defeated the old Confederation and replaced it by a new one under their own leadership: they kept the Arian Papacy in Rome, but under their direct surveillance, and expanded their hegemony over other neighbouring Arian kingdoms like Thuringia (668) and Bavaria (685). Finally in 692, Dagobert II upgraded the Confederation to a true Arian Empire in the same style of their neighbouring Western Roman and Eastern Roman ones. The capital of the Empire was moved to Mainz in 722, while the Franks kept their own capital at Aachen. Shortly after, the remaining Arian kingdom, the Gepidian realm in Pannonia, was subdued, thus conforming the original ten Arian kingdoms (Frankish, Lombardic, Gothic, Herulian, Vandalic, Gepidian, Thuringian, Swabian, Bavarian and Burgundian).
The Empire expanded through the North during the next centuries, firstly establishing new kingdoms for the newly-Arianized Germanic nations of Frisians (767), Saxons (795), Jutes** (811), Warnians (823) and Rugians (860), and secondly creating two new ones for the both Arianized and Germanicized Eastern Slavic peoples known as the Wends (kingdom since 924) and finally the conquered Baltic area, which was a melting pot of different nations Arianized during the Baltic Crusade (between 1157 and 1302; kingdom since 1322). Finally, the Middle Ages Empire was thus conformed by seventeen Arian kingdoms. The Arian Empire followed a strict Salian law since the Nassau dynasty reached the Imperial throne in 1281, and the kingdoms mostly followed this policy with few exceptions. The counties which formed the different kingdoms, however, allowed the rule of some countess, specially in the less Arianized regions like Corsica or Sardinia.
By the late 16th century. the Empire began to colonize different parts of the World: northern and southern Atlantis***, South Africa, southern India, western Australia and some islands in the Indian Ocean. Some of them were lost to other European powerhouses or achieved independence; those which remained until the 19th century were pretty heterogenous: while Arian Atlantis was 98% Arian Germanic, others like Arian India was basically a colonial society with a small Arian Germanic elite ruling over an almost-full-native population. Some of the colonial cities were blooming metropoles by the second half of 19th century, specially Moritzstadt (the Atlantic capital) and Kapstadt (the South African capital); other colonies were still quite underdeveloped, like the Oceana islands, which were basically an outpost dedicated to send exotic birds to the Imperial aviary (the Emperors used to hold an extravagant collection of dodos in their luxurious compound in Carthago) and provide tortoise oil to the Arian sailors.
Since the last European conflict, the British Wars of 1790-1799, which confronted the Arian Empire against the British Commonwealth****, the Arian Empire enjoyed an unusually prolonged period of relative internal and external peace which helped to the success in the heavy process of industrialization and modernization of the country at many levels. However, at the political level, the Arian Empire remained a bit backwards compared to other European countries. The regime was still mostly absolutist with just some liberties awarded to the different county councils. The seventeen Kings still held most of the real power, with the Emperor playing a sort of moderating role between them. Even if lacking of decisive power, the figure of the Emperor had a strong symbolism for all the Arians, even for the factions who pushed for more political freedom. His figure was even more prestigious than the Arian Pope's, as the Arian sentiment has finally succeeded more in the nationalistic side rather than in a mere religious one.
However, by 1878 the relatively stable, traditionalist, absolutist Empire will suffer a big unexpected blow that will shake its ciments...
Notes:
* Main PoD of this TL: Visigoths convert directly to Nicene Christianism while Franks embrace Arianism instead.
** Jutes did not migrate to Britain and remained in Jutland, later becoming an Arian Kingdom.
*** Atlantis is the ITL name for the Americas.
**** The British Commonwealth is the resulting union of different post-Roman, Celtic. Pictish, Norse and Saxon realms which developed independently and later federated. They are neither Nicene nor Arian, as they developed an autonomous Church instead, like the Nordic countries.
The city of Rome came under the control of the Ostrogoths, who at first tolerated Nicene Christianism in Italy, as it was overwhelmingly supported by their Roman subjects. However, things started to change after the Lombards, among other minor tribes, moved from the Carinthian region into Northern Italy after being defeated by the Gepids in Western Pannonia. The Ostrogoths and their allies (the North African Vandals and the Herulians settled in Northern and Central Italy) confronted the Lombards in the First Germanic War (552-558), but they were ultimately defeated, in part thanks to the later betrayal of most of the Herulian generals. As a result, the Lombards managed to establish a powerful kingdom spanning from Northern Italy to Carinthia and Tuscany, while the Herulians were granted a separate realm in former Gothic Dalmatia. The Lombards also managed to impose their hegemony over Ostrogoths, Herulians and Vandals, leading to the creation of the first Germanic Confederation in 570; despite the initial bitterness of Ostrogoths and Vandals, it suceeded to consolidate thanks to the growing threat of the Frankish expansion into the Alpine area, after they subdued both the Burgundians and the Swabians.
The consolidation of the Germanic Confederation under Lombardic leadership, who tried to emphasyze pan-Arianism as a glue for getting the four kingdoms together, led to an increasing wave of intolerance towards Nicene Christianism. Thus, many of the Roman Nicene population of Italy and Africa migrated to the rising Visigothic Kingdom during the first half of the 7th century. The ultimate push was the official substitution of the Roman pope by an Arian bishop in 634, forcing to exile the whole Nicene curia in Rome back to Constantinople. However, the Visigoths, who controlled Spain, Mauritania and most of Gaul by then, took advantage of the situation and appointed their 'own Pope' in their capital in Tolosa and upgrading the Kingdom to a sort of restored Western Roman Empire, which was obviously not recognized by Constantinople. This fact was known as the Schism of Tolosa (637), which divided the Nicene Christendom into a Western creed (led by the Visigothic Pope in Tolosa) and an Eastern creed (led by the Patriarch in Constantinople).
The Franks also did not recognize the authority of the new Arian Pope in Rome, and used the religious conflict as an excuse for starting the Second Germanic War (640-651), which confronted the Germanic Confederation (Lombards, Ostrogoths, Vandals and Herulians) against the Franks and their allies (Burgundians and Swabians). The powerful Franks defeated the old Confederation and replaced it by a new one under their own leadership: they kept the Arian Papacy in Rome, but under their direct surveillance, and expanded their hegemony over other neighbouring Arian kingdoms like Thuringia (668) and Bavaria (685). Finally in 692, Dagobert II upgraded the Confederation to a true Arian Empire in the same style of their neighbouring Western Roman and Eastern Roman ones. The capital of the Empire was moved to Mainz in 722, while the Franks kept their own capital at Aachen. Shortly after, the remaining Arian kingdom, the Gepidian realm in Pannonia, was subdued, thus conforming the original ten Arian kingdoms (Frankish, Lombardic, Gothic, Herulian, Vandalic, Gepidian, Thuringian, Swabian, Bavarian and Burgundian).
The Empire expanded through the North during the next centuries, firstly establishing new kingdoms for the newly-Arianized Germanic nations of Frisians (767), Saxons (795), Jutes** (811), Warnians (823) and Rugians (860), and secondly creating two new ones for the both Arianized and Germanicized Eastern Slavic peoples known as the Wends (kingdom since 924) and finally the conquered Baltic area, which was a melting pot of different nations Arianized during the Baltic Crusade (between 1157 and 1302; kingdom since 1322). Finally, the Middle Ages Empire was thus conformed by seventeen Arian kingdoms. The Arian Empire followed a strict Salian law since the Nassau dynasty reached the Imperial throne in 1281, and the kingdoms mostly followed this policy with few exceptions. The counties which formed the different kingdoms, however, allowed the rule of some countess, specially in the less Arianized regions like Corsica or Sardinia.
By the late 16th century. the Empire began to colonize different parts of the World: northern and southern Atlantis***, South Africa, southern India, western Australia and some islands in the Indian Ocean. Some of them were lost to other European powerhouses or achieved independence; those which remained until the 19th century were pretty heterogenous: while Arian Atlantis was 98% Arian Germanic, others like Arian India was basically a colonial society with a small Arian Germanic elite ruling over an almost-full-native population. Some of the colonial cities were blooming metropoles by the second half of 19th century, specially Moritzstadt (the Atlantic capital) and Kapstadt (the South African capital); other colonies were still quite underdeveloped, like the Oceana islands, which were basically an outpost dedicated to send exotic birds to the Imperial aviary (the Emperors used to hold an extravagant collection of dodos in their luxurious compound in Carthago) and provide tortoise oil to the Arian sailors.
Since the last European conflict, the British Wars of 1790-1799, which confronted the Arian Empire against the British Commonwealth****, the Arian Empire enjoyed an unusually prolonged period of relative internal and external peace which helped to the success in the heavy process of industrialization and modernization of the country at many levels. However, at the political level, the Arian Empire remained a bit backwards compared to other European countries. The regime was still mostly absolutist with just some liberties awarded to the different county councils. The seventeen Kings still held most of the real power, with the Emperor playing a sort of moderating role between them. Even if lacking of decisive power, the figure of the Emperor had a strong symbolism for all the Arians, even for the factions who pushed for more political freedom. His figure was even more prestigious than the Arian Pope's, as the Arian sentiment has finally succeeded more in the nationalistic side rather than in a mere religious one.
However, by 1878 the relatively stable, traditionalist, absolutist Empire will suffer a big unexpected blow that will shake its ciments...
Notes:
* Main PoD of this TL: Visigoths convert directly to Nicene Christianism while Franks embrace Arianism instead.
** Jutes did not migrate to Britain and remained in Jutland, later becoming an Arian Kingdom.
*** Atlantis is the ITL name for the Americas.
**** The British Commonwealth is the resulting union of different post-Roman, Celtic. Pictish, Norse and Saxon realms which developed independently and later federated. They are neither Nicene nor Arian, as they developed an autonomous Church instead, like the Nordic countries.
