Sheesh. You guys might have noticed that I like to do my imperial updates, one per Emperor. Well, that works well when you don't have an Emperor that lives all that long. Well, I've got Brutus here reigning for 52 years. Anyway, here's his reign up to the mid 340s. BTW, I've been inspired by the Roman Commerical Revolution on SHWI, a fascinating read, from what I've gotten through so far (not much of it, actually).
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Secundus Julius Brutus would rule the Eastern Roman Empire from AD 327 to 379, and would go down in history as the Eastern Empire's greatest Emperor, as well as its first Zoroastrian Emperor. Though he was a mere 22 years of age upon assuming power (he was, after all, only second in line to the throne), he proved to be capable in virtually ever enterprise he undertook. He officially halted the persecution of the Christians. He sponsored a great many developments to the economy. He also expanded the Empire to new lands, something no Emperor had done in generations.
Brutus solved the "Christian problem" of the Empire by a very effective compromise. On the one hand, most of the Christian citizens were perfectly law abiding, good Roman citizens. On the other hand, they were reviled by the predominately Pagan and Zoroastrian elite of the Empire. Plus, their teachings usually were interpreted (not necessarily by the Christians) to be anti-Roman. Brutus simply levied an additional tax on Christians. If they paid the tax, they were displaying their loyalty to the Empire, which diffused the main argument their opponents had against them. Still, they were opposed, so Brutus made it hard for them to proselytize. They could still do their good works and care for others, in an effort to convert them, but actually discussing their beliefs was illegal, except in certain locations (Churches, their own private homes, and a few other specific locations). This seemed to appease everyone, and Christians gradually registered for the tax (many were hesitant, out of fear that the Empire were just trying to figure out where they all were), especially after it was apparent that Brutus had no qualms about punishing those that hadn't.
Brutus was among the first in the Empire to recognize the rise of the Banking Clans. A few individuals had begun to take deposits for the elite as security. They then began to branch out into insuring various ventures, usually trading expeditions. From there, they started to invest into such ventures directly, using their banking funds. These combined practices resulted in fabulous wealth for the Bankers (who, in typical Roman fashion, organized along familial lines) and their clients. Brutus decided that these Clans could either be an invaluable ally to the State. He began to include the most elite of the bankers in his inner circle. With their advice, he began to institute reforms to the Empire.
First, the day to day banking of the Military was entrusted to various bankers, to provide a certain amount of stability and protection against civil war. The Legions, after all, would have a stake in the Clans and their investments, and causing any problems would threaten that. Brutus also instituted a form of paper money and an elaborate system of Notary Publics to protect against counterfeiting. Brutus also sent out a vast number of trading expeditions, many more than any prior Emperor. He was able to send out more than his predecessors due to most of the expeditions being joint ventures between the Banking Clans and the Empire. Trading posts were reestablished far and wide, from the western coast of Africa to South East Asia.
Besides just trading posts, Brutus expanded the Empire's influence the old fashioned way. His main motivation was to keep the Legions occupied, as he knew all too well the cost of letting them sit idle. His first campaign was directed at the former Persian Satrapy of Mazun, along the Persian Gulf Coast of Arabia (modern day UAE and Oman), in AD 334. The campaign was well executed, and there was little effective resistance. Within a year, the entire region was secured. The coastal cities submitted to the conquest relatively easily due to their fear of the desert Bedouins, who had stepped up their raiding in recent years (in fact, this was a partial pretext for the invasion.
With the Bedouin threat, the Empire was provided with a relatively simple way to keep the Legions busy. Brutus assigned the in the region to a cycle of duties. The first assignment defensive work, guarding the new conquest and building fortifications, the exact kind of work the Legions hated the most (soldiers would vie for positions immune to construction duties). Then, when they were desperate for a change of pace, they would be conduct operations against the bedouins. Afterward, they'd be assigned to a comparatively nice position in the Empire, with another Legion filling in their place. This method worked extremely well. So well that the bedouins gave up on attacking the fortified coastal cities, and withdrew from the eastern regions of Arabia, out of the Empire's reach (as the Legions were woefully unskilled at desert operations on their own).
By 342, Brutus realized that the Legions weren't really doing much again. At this point, he decided to acquire the rich trading region of Arabia Felix (modern day Yemen) [http://www.livius.org/a/1/maps/arabia_map.gif]. Around this time, the kingdom of Hadramaut was at war with the kingdom of Qataban, to its west. Seeing an opportunity, Brutus offered to make Hadramaut a client kingdom of the Empire, in return for an alliance against Qataban. The Hadramautians accepted the offer, and, the Empire sent its Legions to the aid of their new ally. The port city of Qana', Hadramaut's major port, had already been captured by Qataban, so the Romans proceeded to assault the city. Of course, as could be expected, the city was liberated by the Romans, who then proceeded to march on the Qataban capital of Timna. By the end of 344, the city had fallen and its king captured. Hadramaut was safe and the Eastern Roman Empire had a foothold in Southern Arabia.
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Secundus Julius Brutus would rule the Eastern Roman Empire from AD 327 to 379, and would go down in history as the Eastern Empire's greatest Emperor, as well as its first Zoroastrian Emperor. Though he was a mere 22 years of age upon assuming power (he was, after all, only second in line to the throne), he proved to be capable in virtually ever enterprise he undertook. He officially halted the persecution of the Christians. He sponsored a great many developments to the economy. He also expanded the Empire to new lands, something no Emperor had done in generations.
Brutus solved the "Christian problem" of the Empire by a very effective compromise. On the one hand, most of the Christian citizens were perfectly law abiding, good Roman citizens. On the other hand, they were reviled by the predominately Pagan and Zoroastrian elite of the Empire. Plus, their teachings usually were interpreted (not necessarily by the Christians) to be anti-Roman. Brutus simply levied an additional tax on Christians. If they paid the tax, they were displaying their loyalty to the Empire, which diffused the main argument their opponents had against them. Still, they were opposed, so Brutus made it hard for them to proselytize. They could still do their good works and care for others, in an effort to convert them, but actually discussing their beliefs was illegal, except in certain locations (Churches, their own private homes, and a few other specific locations). This seemed to appease everyone, and Christians gradually registered for the tax (many were hesitant, out of fear that the Empire were just trying to figure out where they all were), especially after it was apparent that Brutus had no qualms about punishing those that hadn't.
Brutus was among the first in the Empire to recognize the rise of the Banking Clans. A few individuals had begun to take deposits for the elite as security. They then began to branch out into insuring various ventures, usually trading expeditions. From there, they started to invest into such ventures directly, using their banking funds. These combined practices resulted in fabulous wealth for the Bankers (who, in typical Roman fashion, organized along familial lines) and their clients. Brutus decided that these Clans could either be an invaluable ally to the State. He began to include the most elite of the bankers in his inner circle. With their advice, he began to institute reforms to the Empire.
First, the day to day banking of the Military was entrusted to various bankers, to provide a certain amount of stability and protection against civil war. The Legions, after all, would have a stake in the Clans and their investments, and causing any problems would threaten that. Brutus also instituted a form of paper money and an elaborate system of Notary Publics to protect against counterfeiting. Brutus also sent out a vast number of trading expeditions, many more than any prior Emperor. He was able to send out more than his predecessors due to most of the expeditions being joint ventures between the Banking Clans and the Empire. Trading posts were reestablished far and wide, from the western coast of Africa to South East Asia.
Besides just trading posts, Brutus expanded the Empire's influence the old fashioned way. His main motivation was to keep the Legions occupied, as he knew all too well the cost of letting them sit idle. His first campaign was directed at the former Persian Satrapy of Mazun, along the Persian Gulf Coast of Arabia (modern day UAE and Oman), in AD 334. The campaign was well executed, and there was little effective resistance. Within a year, the entire region was secured. The coastal cities submitted to the conquest relatively easily due to their fear of the desert Bedouins, who had stepped up their raiding in recent years (in fact, this was a partial pretext for the invasion.
With the Bedouin threat, the Empire was provided with a relatively simple way to keep the Legions busy. Brutus assigned the in the region to a cycle of duties. The first assignment defensive work, guarding the new conquest and building fortifications, the exact kind of work the Legions hated the most (soldiers would vie for positions immune to construction duties). Then, when they were desperate for a change of pace, they would be conduct operations against the bedouins. Afterward, they'd be assigned to a comparatively nice position in the Empire, with another Legion filling in their place. This method worked extremely well. So well that the bedouins gave up on attacking the fortified coastal cities, and withdrew from the eastern regions of Arabia, out of the Empire's reach (as the Legions were woefully unskilled at desert operations on their own).
By 342, Brutus realized that the Legions weren't really doing much again. At this point, he decided to acquire the rich trading region of Arabia Felix (modern day Yemen) [http://www.livius.org/a/1/maps/arabia_map.gif]. Around this time, the kingdom of Hadramaut was at war with the kingdom of Qataban, to its west. Seeing an opportunity, Brutus offered to make Hadramaut a client kingdom of the Empire, in return for an alliance against Qataban. The Hadramautians accepted the offer, and, the Empire sent its Legions to the aid of their new ally. The port city of Qana', Hadramaut's major port, had already been captured by Qataban, so the Romans proceeded to assault the city. Of course, as could be expected, the city was liberated by the Romans, who then proceeded to march on the Qataban capital of Timna. By the end of 344, the city had fallen and its king captured. Hadramaut was safe and the Eastern Roman Empire had a foothold in Southern Arabia.
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Speaking of him, we need some cool title for him, since Prophet doesn't quite fit.