EmperorOfTheNorthSea: I know, but that's mostly why it's going to be an epilogue. There's just way too detail to cover; even an emperor with a considerably shorter reign than Romulus Augustus could take awhile to get through, never mind several more emperors who would require similar treatment. Besides, the main objective of this timeline has always been to create an "alternate version" of the reign of Romulus Augustus. Nevertheless, I never wanted to just leave it at that either. So while the Epilogue will not be as detailed as the main focus of the timeline, it should hopefully provide a sufficient level of insight into the future of this alternate reality.
The House of Romulus Augustus
Epilogue Part 1
OLYBRIUS II (r. AD 516—542)
Olybrius II, son of the great
Romulus Augustus, left behind a mixed legacy. He had always been regarded as a wild one—a physically tough, brutish lout; devoid of any trace of empathy or humility. Despite these qualities, he had always been loyal to his father, whom he regarded as the greatest Emperor in Roman history, and thus he sought to follow in the same path. In Olybrius’s mind, the quickest way to achieve greatness in his own right was through battle. With both his father and mother no longer alive to keep him in check, Olybrius hastened to war, leading an army to the aid of the pro-Roman aristocracy in
Mauretania. Despite several victories on the battlefield, Olybrius was unable to force a decisive outcome due in part to his own recklessness as a strategist. Lacking adequate manpower, his troops were spread too thin, allowing for the
Mauri to gradually overwhelm the Romans through a series of small-scale skirmishes and ambushes. Eventually the Emperor and his army were forced to take refuge in
Altava, the capital of the
Mauro-Roman kingdom that remained loyal to the Western
Empire of the Romans.
As the Romans fell back behind the walls of Altava, the Mauri—now augmented via alliances with the
Gaetuli and the
Garamantes—seized the momentum by following the Emperor and placing his city under siege. Although his officers advised patience, arguing that the city had enough troops and supplies to weather a siege until reinforcements from Africa arrived, Olybrius rejected their approach, exclaiming that he and his soldiers would not be remembered as “cowards who hid behind walls like frightened women and children.” The Emperor’s command was to launch a counterattack against the besiegers, forcing the Romans and their Mauro-Roman brethren into a battle in which defeat was all but certain. However, Olybrius was prevented from leading the sortie in person due to the physical ailments of old age. This proved beneficial to the Romans, enabling more able commanders to make the best out of a critical situation without Olybrius’s interference. The Romans and their allies fought valiantly, utilizing effective tactics and their superior training to outfight the enemy for a time. But in spite of their courage and best efforts, the Roman army was ultimately defeated in the
Battle of Altava, consequently leaving the city less protected and more vulnerable to a direct assault.
The Romans at Altava did not die in vain, however. Even with the support of the Gaetuli and Garamantes, the Mauri sustained a large number of casualties. In addition to losing thousands to death or severe injury, some of their supplies were destroyed by the Romans who managed to fight their way to several Mauri camps after breaking through enemy lines. So while Altava’s defenses were severely weakened, the Mauri no longer possessed the necessary means to maintain a prolonged siege as a result of their own pyrrhic victory. A full-scale attack was considered, but ultimately rejected by the rank-and-file Mauri, many of whom came to fear the Romans’ resolve after witnessing their sacrifice on the battlefield. Faced with an impasse, the Mauri offered to give safe passage out of Altava to the Emperor and his remaining forces. Olybrius accepted the deal, leaving the shocked and outraged inhabitants to their own defenses. As they departed the all but doomed city, the citizens of Altava shouted “
Judas” to the Emperor. This event would be remembered as the
Great Betrayal.
Olybrius withdrew with the remnants of his army to
Carthage, the capital of the
Diocese of Africa. His failed campaign in Mauretania had a profound impact on his ego and psyche. He had been defeated but refused to acknowledge it as such; doing so was beneath an Emperor of the Romans from his perspective. Instead, he sent messengers to
Rome,
Ravenna and the other major cities throughout
Italy and
Africa, instructing officials to host a huge celebration in honor of their Emperor’s great victory at Altava. He took all of the credit for the damage that his troops inflicted on the Mauri, despite the fact that it was his officers who turned a crushing loss into a valiant defeat. In spite of his aggrandized account of his own role in the conflict, Olybrius remained bitter and depressed over its outcome. Sickened by himself and the overall situation in Africa, he returned to Italy in late AD 538 even as roaming hordes of Mauri and Garamantes—emboldened by their success in Mauretania—began to invade the Empire’s African provinces.
The Emperor’s return to Ravenna had little effect on the state of the Imperial capital, which by then was under the
de facto control of the palace official
Herodianus. In some ways he was a broken man; the energy and zeal of his youth were drained by old age and physical deterioration. Fed up with politics and trying to live up to his father’s legacy, Olybrius sank into decadence and indolence, consigning himself to the pleasures of debauchery, lechery, gluttony and drunkenness. His physical and mental decline over the next few years culminated in obesity and increasingly violent mood swings. In addition to ruining himself physically, his extravagances began affecting the financial state of the Empire. Vast sums of money were diverted to the Emperor’s personal projects, including the construction of several new palaces, as well as a hippodrome in Ravenna, all of which were initiated for the sole pleasure of Olybrius. It had taken decades for Romulus Augustus to revive the fortunes of the Western Empire, which even then was still highly dependent on economic support from its counterpart the Eastern Empire, but it took only a few years for Olybrius to bring the West to near financial ruin once more.
By AD 540, the Christianized Roman world was shocked by the Western Emperor’s latest scandal at a time when they were just becoming accustomed to Olybrius’s outrageous behavior. In the past he had secretly enjoyed a flirtatious relationship with
Galla Rusticiana Marcia, the wife of his first-born son and junior colleague
Theodosius II [1]. With the exception of a single drunken night together, Olybrius did not dare to allow this forbidden romance to continue while his morally-strict father and mother lived. With both dead, he ultimately dropped his restraint with regard to his lust for Marcia, along with any effort at concealment. Olybrius’s decision to live with Marcia in public as virtual man and wife became a source of immense shame for his true wife and son,
Irene and Theodosius, respectively. It was common knowledge that faithfulness meant nothing to an adulterer like Olybrius, but seducing his own daughter-in-law was too much for the conventional morality of the Roman people. While it generated sympathy for the Empress, who was already popular and beloved for her modest nature and support for charity, the scandal eliminated what little pretense of respect there was for Theodosius. He had always been considered unworthy of his great namesake due to his weak character; now the known world regarded him as a cuckold in the worst possible way. Even the paternity of his own children with Marcia was called into question as rumors circulated that Olybrius was their true father.
Every appeal for the Emperor to end this disgraceful liaison and take up with his lawful wife were ignored. The situation worsened when the public discovered that Marcia was pregnant by mid AD 541. Since she and her true husband lived apart as a result of her relationship with Olybrius, no one questioned who the father was. Ultimately,
Pope Simplicius II issued an ultimatum to the Emperor, beseeching Olybrius to end the abominable affair with his own daughter-in-law or risk excommunication from the holy
Catholic Church. For the first time in many years, Church and State were on a collision course. But while the Imperial Court was firmly entrenched in the Emperor’s thrall—its members more concerned with personal wealth and avarice than Roman or Christian virtue—the majority of the people sided with Simplicius and angrily demanded for an end to this unholy affair. Olybrius's obstinate reaction, or lack of any reaction at all, contributed to his increasing public disapproval, leading to instances of civil disturbances in multiple cities throughout the Western Empire. But as the possibility of civil war grew more apparent, a deadly outbreak of plague emerged in the Western Empire; first in Africa and then spreading throughout the Italian Peninsula.
The
Great Plague, alternatively known as the
Plague of Justinian due to its surfacing first in the Eastern Empire, was a devastating pandemic that swept through the known world, ravaging the Empire and many of its neighbors on an unprecedented scale. The Empire’s own population, combined by the extensive road and trade network that linked the port cities throughout the Mediterranean, ironically amplified the speed and magnitude of the pandemic. It would ultimately claim the lives of millions, reducing the world population by a staggering thirteen percent. This massive reduction in population had Empire-wide consequences for the Romans, resulting in mass crop failure and consequently famine as well. The Imperial family and members of the Imperial Court remained unaffected by food shortage, but were vulnerable to the plague like virtually everyone else. Olybrius’s own physical condition—worsened by his excessively hedonistic lifestyle—made him even more susceptible to infection. He contracted the disease by late AD 541 and perished the following year on January 22nd at the age of 58. His daughter-in-law and mistress, Marcia, died in childbirth six days later along with her child who was stillborn.
The legacy of Olybrius II was tainted by his vanity, limited military experience, incompetent administration, and military setbacks such as the debacle in Mauretania. Where the historians sang praise after praise for Romulus Augustus, many were quick to condemn Olybrius for reversing much of the good fortune that the Western Empire enjoyed under his father’s reign. Though a fringe of Olybrius’s supporters continued to exist after his reign, he was widely perceived as an incompetent Emperor; egocentric, rash and given to bad judgment. It would be centuries before his memory was partially rehabilitated as some later historians took a softer view of his legacy, noting that at the very least his presence allowed for a peaceful transition of power and therefore provided Romulus Augustus’s plans for dynastic succession to gain momentum instead of collapsing outright with his demise. Nevertheless, there was a consensus that Olybrius was almost nothing like his predecessor.
Abrahamus Wenceslaus, a thirteenth century Romano-Slavic poet, summed up Olybrius’s legacy by referring to him as “not the new Romulus, but
Commodus II.”
Olybrius Corpulentus (“Olybrius the Fat,”
painted AD 1024)
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[1]
Theodosius II [
of the West], son of
Olybrius II; not to be confused with the
eastern Theodosius II (AD 401–450), son of
Arcadius.
A/N: The format of the Epilogue will be a summary of the respective reigns of the Emperors who follow in Romulus Augustus’s bloodline/dynasty. This may take a little while so I can't say exactly how often each part of the overall Epilogue will be released.
There will be a “spin-off” for its eastern branch, the Justinian dynasty, which is connected to Romulus’s house via Justinian’s marriage to Honoria, Romulus’s granddaughter.
I will also make a few map-based updates (similar to the AD 537 Map) in order to give some insight into the bigger picture of the timeline’s Post-Romulus Augustus Period.
), Saffarids and Buyids came close. The Seljuk Sultanate. The Empire of Khwarizm. The Ilkhanate. Timur. The Safavids.
