Will Rome lose any territory as a result of this second civil war? Parthia seems to have escaped, at least temporarily.
Roman Timeline
- Thread starter DominusNovus
- Start date
Parthia'll be conquered in the next update. Darius will keep things together for awhile, as Silvanus did. He'll actually make sure to have an heir appointed, so there's going to be a little bit of stability here (mainly cuz writing these civil wars is tedious).Matt Quinn said:
Here's another one for you guys to enjoy.
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Secundus Amaticus Darius was emperor from AD 176 to AD 187. He would re-conquer Parthia, while restoring some stability to the Empire and expanding Roman influence.
As soon as he was proclaimed emperor, Darius quickly moved to crush the Parthian revolt. His campaign was well executed, and Hecatompylos fell in AD 181. With it fell the last of the resistance. As an example of what happened to those who opposed Roman rule (and as an example of what happened when you named your capital something annoying to type), Darius had Hecatompylos razed and the ground sowed with salt. Many of the rebellious Parthians were crucified, while the lucky ones were sold into slavery. Those that didn't openly revolt were dispersed throughout the Empire. According to the records, the rebellious provinces lost about 70-80% of their population. Darius then repopulated the region with settlers primarily from Italia, Hispania, and Gaul (the most Romanized reigions of the Empire). Not surprisingly, there weren't many revolts for the rest of Darius' reign.
Darius then returned to Persepolis to govern the Empire. He decided not to govern from Rome mainly because Persepolis was much closer to the hot spots of the Empire that needed his attention, though the fact that his was born there likely played a factor in his decision. He still had many public works built in Rome and spent lavishly on the Eternal City. Still, he did do much to glorify Persepolis as well, building the Forum of Darius and the Amatican Amphitheater.
Meanwhile, the Gothonians had defeated the Venedae in a great battle, forcing the Venedae chieftens to pay tribute to Atreus II. Atreus then demanded that the Romans provide some sort of payment to the Gothonians, for defending the Empire while it was weak. Darius, who felt honor bound to do so (and didn't really want to have to deal with a hostile Gothonian kingdom), agreed. He allowed more Gothonians to settle in the Empire (most of whom settled in Lemovia and Burgundia) and married his daughter to Atreus' grandson.
Darius put new emphasis on the colonial trading posts, many of which had been abandoned during the civil wars. However, Darius' greatest project was the Canalis Aegyptum (Egyptian Canal), begun in AD 184. It would cross the Sinai, connecting the Mare Internum (Mediterranean Sea) and the Mare Rostrum (Red Sea). The Canal was definitely the grandest of Darius' projects, and possibly the greatest feat of Roman engineering to this time, though it would be delayed several times over the period of its construction.
Unfortunately, Darius died in a riding accident in the spring of AD 187, leaving the Empire to his son, Marcus Amaticus Darius. He left the Empire much more stable and secure than he found it and was remembered fondly by the Roman people.
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Do you guys even read this part? I like monkeys... Well, not really, but monkeys are funny.
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Secundus Amaticus Darius was emperor from AD 176 to AD 187. He would re-conquer Parthia, while restoring some stability to the Empire and expanding Roman influence.
As soon as he was proclaimed emperor, Darius quickly moved to crush the Parthian revolt. His campaign was well executed, and Hecatompylos fell in AD 181. With it fell the last of the resistance. As an example of what happened to those who opposed Roman rule (and as an example of what happened when you named your capital something annoying to type), Darius had Hecatompylos razed and the ground sowed with salt. Many of the rebellious Parthians were crucified, while the lucky ones were sold into slavery. Those that didn't openly revolt were dispersed throughout the Empire. According to the records, the rebellious provinces lost about 70-80% of their population. Darius then repopulated the region with settlers primarily from Italia, Hispania, and Gaul (the most Romanized reigions of the Empire). Not surprisingly, there weren't many revolts for the rest of Darius' reign.
Darius then returned to Persepolis to govern the Empire. He decided not to govern from Rome mainly because Persepolis was much closer to the hot spots of the Empire that needed his attention, though the fact that his was born there likely played a factor in his decision. He still had many public works built in Rome and spent lavishly on the Eternal City. Still, he did do much to glorify Persepolis as well, building the Forum of Darius and the Amatican Amphitheater.
Meanwhile, the Gothonians had defeated the Venedae in a great battle, forcing the Venedae chieftens to pay tribute to Atreus II. Atreus then demanded that the Romans provide some sort of payment to the Gothonians, for defending the Empire while it was weak. Darius, who felt honor bound to do so (and didn't really want to have to deal with a hostile Gothonian kingdom), agreed. He allowed more Gothonians to settle in the Empire (most of whom settled in Lemovia and Burgundia) and married his daughter to Atreus' grandson.
Darius put new emphasis on the colonial trading posts, many of which had been abandoned during the civil wars. However, Darius' greatest project was the Canalis Aegyptum (Egyptian Canal), begun in AD 184. It would cross the Sinai, connecting the Mare Internum (Mediterranean Sea) and the Mare Rostrum (Red Sea). The Canal was definitely the grandest of Darius' projects, and possibly the greatest feat of Roman engineering to this time, though it would be delayed several times over the period of its construction.
Unfortunately, Darius died in a riding accident in the spring of AD 187, leaving the Empire to his son, Marcus Amaticus Darius. He left the Empire much more stable and secure than he found it and was remembered fondly by the Roman people.
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Do you guys even read this part? I like monkeys... Well, not really, but monkeys are funny.
This installment is pretty cool too, plus I see the seeds of the eventual East-West split coming...
Here's the good stuff. A decadent perverted Emperor who pisses alot of people off (we had to get to one of them by some point).
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Marcus Amaticus was the Roman Emperor from AD 187 to AD 193. His early reign would be marked mainly by military campaigns, while the rest of his reign was noted for corruption and decadence.
Soon after ascending to the throne, Marcus Amaticus had to deal with the Alani who were raiding into the Caucasian states of Colchis and Iberia, both Roman client states. He made short work of the Alani, crushing them by AD 188. He then moved against the Hunni to the north and defeated them in several battles. Having dramatically weakened the two most troublesome tribes in the area, Marcus Amaticus returned to Persepolis in AD 190.
Seeking to ingratiate himself with the populace, he built several public works in the city, much more so than his father, who had focused most of his projects on Rome. Marcus, however, almost completely ignored the city of Rome. He also stopped construction on the Canalis Aegyptum. Most of the money saved by these actions went to his grand palace, the Domus Aureum (Golden House), which further angered the people of Rome.
Still, he was popular in the East, and none dared to challenge him as, despite his extravagance, Marcus was one of the most skilled generals Rome had ever seen (in every battle against the Alani and Hunni, he was outnumbered by a significant margin, and he only lost one battle). However, the Senate did have enough confidence to request that he at least continue construction on the Canal and that he use some of the Imperial funds to help repair Rome after a recent fire.
Marcus Amaticus then went to assess the situation in Rome. He received a relatively cold reception from the populace, though the Senate, eager to have their agenda addressed, did welcome him graciously. Marcus, however, annoyed with having to go to Rome in the first place, was not pleased in the least. He rounded up several upper class women, many wives or daughters of Senators, and returned to Persepolis. Upon his return, he opened up a brothel, staffed by the kidnapped women.
The people would take no more. In the winter of 193, Marcus Amaticus' brother, Titus Amaticus Darius, and his sister, Amatica Daria (with whom Marcus is supposed to have had an incestuous relationship) assassinated Marcus. Titus would now become the next emperor.
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What'dya guys think? Should I go with the blonde or the brunette?
Oh, and how about the timeline?
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Marcus Amaticus was the Roman Emperor from AD 187 to AD 193. His early reign would be marked mainly by military campaigns, while the rest of his reign was noted for corruption and decadence.
Soon after ascending to the throne, Marcus Amaticus had to deal with the Alani who were raiding into the Caucasian states of Colchis and Iberia, both Roman client states. He made short work of the Alani, crushing them by AD 188. He then moved against the Hunni to the north and defeated them in several battles. Having dramatically weakened the two most troublesome tribes in the area, Marcus Amaticus returned to Persepolis in AD 190.
Seeking to ingratiate himself with the populace, he built several public works in the city, much more so than his father, who had focused most of his projects on Rome. Marcus, however, almost completely ignored the city of Rome. He also stopped construction on the Canalis Aegyptum. Most of the money saved by these actions went to his grand palace, the Domus Aureum (Golden House), which further angered the people of Rome.
Still, he was popular in the East, and none dared to challenge him as, despite his extravagance, Marcus was one of the most skilled generals Rome had ever seen (in every battle against the Alani and Hunni, he was outnumbered by a significant margin, and he only lost one battle). However, the Senate did have enough confidence to request that he at least continue construction on the Canal and that he use some of the Imperial funds to help repair Rome after a recent fire.
Marcus Amaticus then went to assess the situation in Rome. He received a relatively cold reception from the populace, though the Senate, eager to have their agenda addressed, did welcome him graciously. Marcus, however, annoyed with having to go to Rome in the first place, was not pleased in the least. He rounded up several upper class women, many wives or daughters of Senators, and returned to Persepolis. Upon his return, he opened up a brothel, staffed by the kidnapped women.
The people would take no more. In the winter of 193, Marcus Amaticus' brother, Titus Amaticus Darius, and his sister, Amatica Daria (with whom Marcus is supposed to have had an incestuous relationship) assassinated Marcus. Titus would now become the next emperor.
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What'dya guys think? Should I go with the blonde or the brunette?
Oh, and how about the timeline?
Yeah, they're starting to get Persianized. Just look at the current dynasty's agnomen (last name), Darius. Very Persian name (that also fits well as a Roman name, with the -us ending). The emperors are also starting to take on the mannerisms of Persian emperors, making people prostrate themselves before the emperor, dressing all snazzy, etc.Diamond said:I wondered when you were going to have the incestuous emperor and his sister... seems to be a staple of Roman TL's.
Nice installment. Is it just me, or are your emperor's almost... anti-Roman? Very few of them seem to spend any time in the West.
Also important is that these Emperors are really starting to annoy Rome and the Senate. They, being the pragmatic people that they are, can accept Rome not being the administrative capital of the Empire, but it is still the Roman empire, and the emperors had better not forget that...
Next update.
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Titus Amaticus Darius reigned from AD 193 until AD 203. While he was a capable politician and administrator, he was nowhere near the general his brother was. Unfortunately, Titus also had to deal with many more military problems than Marcus had.
In Mauretania, the Gaetuli tribes were launching major raids into Roman territory. The Navari and Bastarnae were also raiding Roxolania and Costobocia. In the Caucasus, the Aorsi tribe was causing trouble, now that the Alani were out of the way. Most troublesome was that, in the east, the Kushan Empire was attacking Rome's Saka ally, the vital link between the Roman and Han empires.
Titus decided to delegate the problem of handling the barbarians to his brother's most trusted commander, Quintus Flavius Severus, while focusing his efforts on defending the Saka.
Severus first focused on the Navari and Bastarnae, defeating them by AD 194. He then went after the Aorsi, who were crushed in 196. The Gaetuli would submit in 199, though the Navari were attacking Roxolania again, forcing Severus to battle them again, achieving victory in AD 202.
Titus' campaign in the Saka Kingdom was long and drawn out, as he crisscrossed the state in a game of cat and mouse with the Kushan armies. Eventually, in the climactic battle of Maracanda in AD 197, Titus defeated the Kushans, forcing them to abandon their conquest of the Saka.
Titus didn't devote his reign solely to military matters, however. He restarted construction on the Canalis Aegyptum in AD 194, finishing it in AD 200. The canal opened with great celebration and fanfare, as ships from various parts of the world paraded through it. Titus also spent considerable effort on Rome, restoring the ailing Claudian Amphitheater and expanding the port at Ostia. Still, he prefered to govern from Persepolis.
The rest of Titus' reign would be mostly uneventful and peaceful (though Severus was busy battling barbarians) and he would die in his sleep in AD 203. His appointed successor was Appius Claudius Vincentius, a prominent and respected politician. However, Severus, who felt that Vincentius was not up to the task of defending the empire, had other plans.
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And remember kids, I'm flying my helicopter naked (or was it backwards?).
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Titus Amaticus Darius reigned from AD 193 until AD 203. While he was a capable politician and administrator, he was nowhere near the general his brother was. Unfortunately, Titus also had to deal with many more military problems than Marcus had.
In Mauretania, the Gaetuli tribes were launching major raids into Roman territory. The Navari and Bastarnae were also raiding Roxolania and Costobocia. In the Caucasus, the Aorsi tribe was causing trouble, now that the Alani were out of the way. Most troublesome was that, in the east, the Kushan Empire was attacking Rome's Saka ally, the vital link between the Roman and Han empires.
Titus decided to delegate the problem of handling the barbarians to his brother's most trusted commander, Quintus Flavius Severus, while focusing his efforts on defending the Saka.
Severus first focused on the Navari and Bastarnae, defeating them by AD 194. He then went after the Aorsi, who were crushed in 196. The Gaetuli would submit in 199, though the Navari were attacking Roxolania again, forcing Severus to battle them again, achieving victory in AD 202.
Titus' campaign in the Saka Kingdom was long and drawn out, as he crisscrossed the state in a game of cat and mouse with the Kushan armies. Eventually, in the climactic battle of Maracanda in AD 197, Titus defeated the Kushans, forcing them to abandon their conquest of the Saka.
Titus didn't devote his reign solely to military matters, however. He restarted construction on the Canalis Aegyptum in AD 194, finishing it in AD 200. The canal opened with great celebration and fanfare, as ships from various parts of the world paraded through it. Titus also spent considerable effort on Rome, restoring the ailing Claudian Amphitheater and expanding the port at Ostia. Still, he prefered to govern from Persepolis.
The rest of Titus' reign would be mostly uneventful and peaceful (though Severus was busy battling barbarians) and he would die in his sleep in AD 203. His appointed successor was Appius Claudius Vincentius, a prominent and respected politician. However, Severus, who felt that Vincentius was not up to the task of defending the empire, had other plans.
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And remember kids, I'm flying my helicopter naked (or was it backwards?).
Also, my next updates will be stuff on Rome's neighbors and other such trivia, before we get back to the timeline. Any ideas or suggestions on stuff I could include are welcome and appreciated.
Diamond
Banned
You might include more stuff on the actual cultures of Rome and the Han, and how they're being changed by interaction. What do clothing styles, trade, exploration, etc, etc, look like?
Here's an interesting thought: With two hugely powerful cultures (Rome and China) linked much closer than OTL, it seems to me that any or all 'barbarians' in between will be squeezed out, so to speak. Where will they go? India? Southeast Asia? Take to ships and discover Australia?
And where exactly is your Islam analog going to pop up, geographically? Hispania or Gaul seem the most likely, behind Egypt or Arabia...
Here's an interesting thought: With two hugely powerful cultures (Rome and China) linked much closer than OTL, it seems to me that any or all 'barbarians' in between will be squeezed out, so to speak. Where will they go? India? Southeast Asia? Take to ships and discover Australia?
And where exactly is your Islam analog going to pop up, geographically? Hispania or Gaul seem the most likely, behind Egypt or Arabia...
Basicly, there's gonna be a Muhammad type guy, who I'm calling Iskander (arabic for Alexander, remember, Arabia has had Roman trading outposts, which have influenced their culture slightly) right now, though thats not set in stone. Anyway, he's the sone of a Meccan trader who converts to Christianity. They managed to piss of the Meccans and flee for their lives to Persia, where Iskander grows up. While there, he is influenced by Zoroastrian teachings and eventually creates his own version of Christianity.Diamond said:
Meh, stability is overrated. Besides, things'll even out after the empire collapses. Blame the short reigns on the stress of ruling such a huge empire. Or the fact that of the last 5 emperors, Titus was the only one to die a natural death (1 of only 2 in the past 8 emperors). Besides, there were some pretty short reigns in the first century of OTL (Caligula, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Titus)DuQuense said:
Here's a mini-update before I start talking about foreign affairs and less tangible stuff (culture, language, food, monkeys, etc.).
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Quintus Flavius Severus, upon hearing that Vincentius had ascended the throne, addressed the Senate, saying that it was time that Rome was again ruled by true Romans, not Persians with Roman names. With the support of the Senate, Severus assembled an army and was preparing to march east when Vincentius himself arrived in Rome. Vincentius proposed an alternative to a bloody civil war. Vincentius would rule the eastern parts of the Empire while Severus would rule the western parts.
Severus agreed to discuss the idea and the two went to work at dividing the Empire. The Western Roman Empire would consist of Europe and Africa, while the Eastern Roman Empire would control the Asian provinces. The only land border would be the Canalis Aegyptum, with the Western Empire reserving the right to collect northbound tolls, and the Eastern Empire collecting southbound tolls. The various islands would be go to whichever Empire they were closer to (so Crete would go to the West, while Cyprus would go to the East). The Western Empire would be governed from Rome, the Eastern Empire, from Persepolis. The two empires would also had to pledge a defensive alliance for as long as they stood. The only point of contention was the Vincentius insisted that the Eastern Emperor be first among the two (kinda like the Pope and Patriarch). However, Vincentius was able to convince Severus to agree to this eventually.
The agreement worked out, Vincentius returned to Persepolis to govern his Empire, while Severus began his reign in Rome. All around the empire, the people hailed the agreement, as they were tired of the instability and civil wars of recent years. However, their hopes for peace and quiet, at least in the west, were soon dashed by the upcoming events.
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Heh, another cliffhanger. You guys think this works out alright? The Western Empire is actually the larger of the two and has a more secure border (short border in Europe, half of which is next to an ally, and the african barbarians aren't too much of a problem, they never did as much damaged as the european barbarians in OTL), but the Eastern Empire still has a larger population and is significantly richer.
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Quintus Flavius Severus, upon hearing that Vincentius had ascended the throne, addressed the Senate, saying that it was time that Rome was again ruled by true Romans, not Persians with Roman names. With the support of the Senate, Severus assembled an army and was preparing to march east when Vincentius himself arrived in Rome. Vincentius proposed an alternative to a bloody civil war. Vincentius would rule the eastern parts of the Empire while Severus would rule the western parts.
Severus agreed to discuss the idea and the two went to work at dividing the Empire. The Western Roman Empire would consist of Europe and Africa, while the Eastern Roman Empire would control the Asian provinces. The only land border would be the Canalis Aegyptum, with the Western Empire reserving the right to collect northbound tolls, and the Eastern Empire collecting southbound tolls. The various islands would be go to whichever Empire they were closer to (so Crete would go to the West, while Cyprus would go to the East). The Western Empire would be governed from Rome, the Eastern Empire, from Persepolis. The two empires would also had to pledge a defensive alliance for as long as they stood. The only point of contention was the Vincentius insisted that the Eastern Emperor be first among the two (kinda like the Pope and Patriarch). However, Vincentius was able to convince Severus to agree to this eventually.
The agreement worked out, Vincentius returned to Persepolis to govern his Empire, while Severus began his reign in Rome. All around the empire, the people hailed the agreement, as they were tired of the instability and civil wars of recent years. However, their hopes for peace and quiet, at least in the west, were soon dashed by the upcoming events.
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Heh, another cliffhanger. You guys think this works out alright? The Western Empire is actually the larger of the two and has a more secure border (short border in Europe, half of which is next to an ally, and the african barbarians aren't too much of a problem, they never did as much damaged as the european barbarians in OTL), but the Eastern Empire still has a larger population and is significantly richer.
IIRC there was [3~4 ago] a Discovery show about Rome and it pointed out that in the 200~300 period Most of the World population was ruled by Empires- Rome, Persia, India, Kymer, China, Olmec, & Pre- Inca.
With the red sea Canal There would be lots more Trade with India, and on to Kymer. Trade includes Ideas. With East Roma controling the Eythuran Sea this would Increase.
?Also was there a Interant preacher running around Palistine following his return from Tibet. & getting into trouble [Cruified] with the Poweres that Be?
?Did Palistine Revolt in 79 CE?
With the red sea Canal There would be lots more Trade with India, and on to Kymer. Trade includes Ideas. With East Roma controling the Eythuran Sea this would Increase.
?Also was there a Interant preacher running around Palistine following his return from Tibet. & getting into trouble [Cruified] with the Poweres that Be?
?Did Palistine Revolt in 79 CE?
Hey guys, I'm gonna do a few more standard updates before I talk about the general situation of the world. Reason is that (spoiler), the western empire is about to fall. Kinda. Anyway, I figure it'll be more interesting to talk about varying cultures and such when you have several more nations in the picture (though, for the most part, they'll be fairly similar in terms of culture, for now).