What if Constantine during his reign had divided the empire in four parts (see map), and adopted the two set of four rules below:
Four Rules of Succession:
1 - The First Caesar succeeds the Augustus, the Second Caesar succeeds the first, and so on.
2 - The Emperor is automatically replaced by the next in the line of succession after death, abdication, or ascension.
3 - Legal abdications can’t be reversed, and former emperors must retire from politics.
4 - The successor of the Third Caesar is always chosen and nominated by the new Augustus.
Four Rules about governance:
1 - There are four Emperors, one Augustus, and three Caesars.
2 - The Augustus is above the other emperors and has indirect authority over the military of the other emperors.
3 - The Caesars are equal between each other differing in status only by virtue of the territory that they rule and their place in the line of succession to the Augustus, one does not have authority over another.
4 - The Augustus is responsible for the security of the entirety of the empire, because of that he should help the other emperors in case of serious threats.
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Each Emperor would receive the following territories:
Augustus: Prefecture of Italy
My assumption - Richest Prefecture, without dangerous borders, can focus their resources in mobile armies.
First Caesar: Prefecture of the East (Oriens)
My assumption - Second richest Prefecture, but in contact with the biggest threat against Rome, the Sassanids. They would have the best equipped, trained, and paid limitanei.
Second Caesar: Prefecture of Illyria
My assumption - Third most rich Prefecture, threats on its borders are less serious than the eastern border, but the border is very long.
Third Caesar: Prefecture of Gaul
My assumption - Poorest Prefecture, but with less threats coming from the other side of the border than the Sassanid border, the border is also not as long as the Danubian and could become even shorter with some roman proactivity.
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The Military would be reformed to be composed of the following branches:
Limitanei: Never to be called to operate in other prefectures other than their home prefecture, but they could be of use in very short campaigns and raids against the barbarians. A Dux command them at provincial level, the Comes coordinate them at diocesan level meanwhile directly commanding the comitatenses. Two different branches form the Limitanei.
- Permanent: Guards and Garrison of the frontier, not as well paid or well equipped as other more mobile forces, but at least they are permanent troops paid and fully equipped by the state.
- Militia: Men from specific military colonies set up on the frontiers, they are called sporadically for training or to reinforce the permanent limitanei on short missions outside the limes. Their main mission is to reinforce the permanent limitanei in case of invasion. This branch has even less equipment than the permanent branch, and are paid only when they are in mission, but they receive their lands from the state and they could equip themselves better if they can afford it from their pockets, a little throwback to the republic here.
Comitatenses: The regular standard legions, under direct command of the comes of the Diocese.
Schola Palatinae: The elite of the Legions. Exclusively under the command of the Augustus. It is composed of former comitatenses units (from centuries up to entire legions) picked through the empire to serve as the elite forces, have bigger pay and better equipment.
Four Rules of Succession:
1 - The First Caesar succeeds the Augustus, the Second Caesar succeeds the first, and so on.
2 - The Emperor is automatically replaced by the next in the line of succession after death, abdication, or ascension.
3 - Legal abdications can’t be reversed, and former emperors must retire from politics.
4 - The successor of the Third Caesar is always chosen and nominated by the new Augustus.
Four Rules about governance:
1 - There are four Emperors, one Augustus, and three Caesars.
2 - The Augustus is above the other emperors and has indirect authority over the military of the other emperors.
3 - The Caesars are equal between each other differing in status only by virtue of the territory that they rule and their place in the line of succession to the Augustus, one does not have authority over another.
4 - The Augustus is responsible for the security of the entirety of the empire, because of that he should help the other emperors in case of serious threats.
_______________________________________________________
Each Emperor would receive the following territories:
Augustus: Prefecture of Italy
My assumption - Richest Prefecture, without dangerous borders, can focus their resources in mobile armies.
First Caesar: Prefecture of the East (Oriens)
My assumption - Second richest Prefecture, but in contact with the biggest threat against Rome, the Sassanids. They would have the best equipped, trained, and paid limitanei.
Second Caesar: Prefecture of Illyria
My assumption - Third most rich Prefecture, threats on its borders are less serious than the eastern border, but the border is very long.
Third Caesar: Prefecture of Gaul
My assumption - Poorest Prefecture, but with less threats coming from the other side of the border than the Sassanid border, the border is also not as long as the Danubian and could become even shorter with some roman proactivity.
_______________________________________________________
The Military would be reformed to be composed of the following branches:
Limitanei: Never to be called to operate in other prefectures other than their home prefecture, but they could be of use in very short campaigns and raids against the barbarians. A Dux command them at provincial level, the Comes coordinate them at diocesan level meanwhile directly commanding the comitatenses. Two different branches form the Limitanei.
- Permanent: Guards and Garrison of the frontier, not as well paid or well equipped as other more mobile forces, but at least they are permanent troops paid and fully equipped by the state.
- Militia: Men from specific military colonies set up on the frontiers, they are called sporadically for training or to reinforce the permanent limitanei on short missions outside the limes. Their main mission is to reinforce the permanent limitanei in case of invasion. This branch has even less equipment than the permanent branch, and are paid only when they are in mission, but they receive their lands from the state and they could equip themselves better if they can afford it from their pockets, a little throwback to the republic here.
Comitatenses: The regular standard legions, under direct command of the comes of the Diocese.
Schola Palatinae: The elite of the Legions. Exclusively under the command of the Augustus. It is composed of former comitatenses units (from centuries up to entire legions) picked through the empire to serve as the elite forces, have bigger pay and better equipment.
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