HOME | DD

Description
A request from 3D4D :
"Julius Nepos gained control of the kingdom of Odoacrer and recast the Western Roman Empire, among other events, an Empire that would remain for another 300 years."
I have taken this scenario almost 100 years, and the Western Roman Empire still exists. After this, it becomes more speculative to determine the scenario, with the Franks unifying and breaking up every so many years, but ever expanding, and the politics soon turning back on itself and infighting bound to happen any second now.
As it looks now, the Western Empire could continue to survive, but the future is ever uncertain...

PoD: 477 AD

In 474 AD, the governor of Dalmatia, with the blessing of the eastern Roman Emperor Zeno, took his Illyrian field army and sailed to Italia, overthrowing the western Emperor Glycerius without without a fight and proclaimed himself western emperor on the 24th of June. He took the name Regnal name of Imperator Caesar Flavius Julius Nepos Augustus.

Western Rome was not doing well. It had been wrecked by political intrigue, overrun by foreign tribes, and the prestige of the offices had been eroded to a hollow shell of what it once was. And Julius Nepos was no different. He came from nothing, carrying a heritage with no elevation beyond his father, and still he sat on the throne of the West in Rome. But his position was not uncontested.

Just a year later, Nepos' magister militum, commander-in-chief, rose up against him with at the head of a foederati army. Seeing the writing on the wall, Julius Nepos fled with his armies to his home province of Dalmatia, where he heard the news of this commander having installed his 15-year-old son as Augustus. Nepos' only hope was that he still had his army, and that neither of the Roman generals fighting for the throne of the East recognised this "Romulus Augustulus".

The next year came. The cycle of uprising and revolt continued, and this time Romulus Augustulus was dethroned and sent to a private villa, to rot in obscurity until he died. The new ruler, however, broke with this barbaric tradition. Odoacer did not take the Imperial purple, instead, he took the title of "Ruler of Goths and the Romans" and "Autocrat". He struck a deal with Julius Nepos, in which he officially "recognised" him as the legal Emperor... as long as he kept his head out of Italian politics, and politics in general. Nepos could rot in Dalmatia, for all Odoacer cared. He wanted to rule, and he wanted to rule for a LONG time.

Julius Nepos "ruled" like this for a few years, and for a while, it seemed that all would be relatively well like this. Until in 480, whilst plotting a campaign to restore his authority in Italia, two retainers attacked him. Nepos was badly wounded, but one of the retainers was captured alive and questioned. The man confessed under torture that the attack was at the instigation of the Bishop of Salona, the same Glycerius whom Nepos had deposed as Emperor and driven into the church six years previously. Nepos took this as a warning, and he continued his plotting more secretive afterwards.

Over the first half of the 480's, Nepos plotted to have his supporters installed in influential places in Odoacer's domain. He also forged an alliance with his northern neighbour Theodoric, who was the ruler of the province of Pannonia, and king of the Ostrogoths living there.

With the blessing of the once-more ruling Emperor Zeno in the East, Julius Nepos sprang his trap in 484 AD. Odoacer was lured to a feast, under the guise of Nepos having decided to renounce his claims and retire to a monastery, relinquishing all power to a man of Odoacer's choice. Instead, during the meal, Julius Nepos looked as Glycerius, Bishop of Salona, former western Emperor, and the man who had tried to have him killed, multiple times, by then, was poisoned at the table. While Nepos smiled and Glycerius grasped for air, Theodoric drew his sword and struck Odoacer on the collarbone. Four men entered that night, and only two left.

Julius Nepos had struck a deal with Theodoric: in exchange for some land in Dalmatia, help in conquering the neighbouring Rugian Kingdom, and a position in the Imperial government, Theodoric would become a loyal supporter of Julius Nepos, the reinstalled western Emperor.

Julius Nepos reigned for another 20 years, dying in 504. He had married a daughter of Emperor Zeno by his first wife Arcadia, and after his death, he was succeeded by his son Imperator Caesar Arcadius Julius Tarasis Augustus, then 23 years of age. King Theodoric by then was 50 years of age and had ruled the Ostrogoths for almost 30 years. Arcadius and Theodoric met in Ravenna, and it was decided to continue the mutually beneficial relationship. Theodoric had come to be the de-facto ruler of the Visigoths in Spain and Provence as well, and he couldn't risk a war with both the Franks in the north, and the Romans in the south, whilst also trying to maintain control over a personal domain stretching from the Danube to the Atlantic Ocean. And so, Arcadius and Theodoric continued their agreement. And the western Roman Empire remained.

Over the course of the next 30 years, Europe would see the almost-destroyed light of Rome flare up, when, with the combined might of Arcadius's son Claudius Dalmatius and Justinian the Great conquered the Kingdom of the Vandals in North Africa and parts of the Visigothic Kingdom in Hispania. But after the death of Justinian, the eastern empire lost a vital drive, and the latest western Emperor, Justillius, was not of the same power and drive as some of his ancestors.

To the north, a new power had gathered, as Franks had already been unified, turned conqueror, collapsed in multiple states, and be resurgent, twice over. The future of Rome was uncertain...

Description
A request from 3D4D :
"Julius Nepos gained control of the kingdom of Odoacrer and recast the Western Roman Empire, among other events, an Empire that would remain for another 300 years."
I have taken this scenario almost 100 years, and the Western Roman Empire still exists. After this, it becomes more speculative to determine the scenario, with the Franks unifying and breaking up every so many years, but ever expanding, and the politics soon turning back on itself and infighting bound to happen any second now.
As it looks now, the Western Empire could continue to survive, but the future is ever uncertain...

PoD: 477 AD

In 474 AD, the governor of Dalmatia, with the blessing of the eastern Roman Emperor Zeno, took his Illyrian field army and sailed to Italia, overthrowing the western Emperor Glycerius without without a fight and proclaimed himself western emperor on the 24th of June. He took the name Regnal name of Imperator Caesar Flavius Julius Nepos Augustus.

Western Rome was not doing well. It had been wrecked by political intrigue, overrun by foreign tribes, and the prestige of the offices had been eroded to a hollow shell of what it once was. And Julius Nepos was no different. He came from nothing, carrying a heritage with no elevation beyond his father, and still he sat on the throne of the West in Rome. But his position was not uncontested.

Just a year later, Nepos' magister militum, commander-in-chief, rose up against him with at the head of a foederati army. Seeing the writing on the wall, Julius Nepos fled with his armies to his home province of Dalmatia, where he heard the news of this commander having installed his 15-year-old son as Augustus. Nepos' only hope was that he still had his army, and that neither of the Roman generals fighting for the throne of the East recognised this "Romulus Augustulus".

The next year came. The cycle of uprising and revolt continued, and this time Romulus Augustulus was dethroned and sent to a private villa, to rot in obscurity until he died. The new ruler, however, broke with this barbaric tradition. Odoacer did not take the Imperial purple, instead, he took the title of "Ruler of Goths and the Romans" and "Autocrat". He struck a deal with Julius Nepos, in which he officially "recognised" him as the legal Emperor... as long as he kept his head out of Italian politics, and politics in general. Nepos could rot in Dalmatia, for all Odoacer cared. He wanted to rule, and he wanted to rule for a LONG time.

Julius Nepos "ruled" like this for a few years, and for a while, it seemed that all would be relatively well like this. Until in 480, whilst plotting a campaign to restore his authority in Italia, two retainers attacked him. Nepos was badly wounded, but one of the retainers was captured alive and questioned. The man confessed under torture that the attack was at the instigation of the Bishop of Salona, the same Glycerius whom Nepos had deposed as Emperor and driven into the church six years previously. Nepos took this as a warning, and he continued his plotting more secretive afterwards.

Over the first half of the 480's, Nepos plotted to have his supporters installed in influential places in Odoacer's domain. He also forged an alliance with his northern neighbour Theodoric, who was the ruler of the province of Pannonia, and king of the Ostrogoths living there.

With the blessing of the once-more ruling Emperor Zeno in the East, Julius Nepos sprang his trap in 484 AD. Odoacer was lured to a feast, under the guise of Nepos having decided to renounce his claims and retire to a monastery, relinquishing all power to a man of Odoacer's choice. Instead, during the meal, Julius Nepos looked as Glycerius, Bishop of Salona, former western Emperor, and the man who had tried to have him killed, multiple times, by then, was poisoned at the table. While Nepos smiled and Glycerius grasped for air, Theodoric drew his sword and struck Odoacer on the collarbone. Four men entered that night, and only two left.

Julius Nepos had struck a deal with Theodoric: in exchange for some land in Dalmatia, help in conquering the neighbouring Rugian Kingdom, and a position in the Imperial government, Theodoric would become a loyal supporter of Julius Nepos, the reinstalled western Emperor.

Julius Nepos reigned for another 20 years, dying in 504. He had married a daughter of Emperor Zeno by his first wife Arcadia, and after his death, he was succeeded by his son Imperator Caesar Arcadius Julius Tarasis Augustus, then 23 years of age. King Theodoric by then was 50 years of age and had ruled the Ostrogoths for almost 30 years. Arcadius and Theodoric met in Ravenna, and it was decided to continue the mutually beneficial relationship. Theodoric had come to be the de-facto ruler of the Visigoths in Spain and Provence as well, and he couldn't risk a war with both the Franks in the north, and the Romans in the south, whilst also trying to maintain control over a personal domain stretching from the Danube to the Atlantic Ocean. And so, Arcadius and Theodoric continued their agreement. And the western Roman Empire remained.

Over the course of the next 30 years, Europe would see the almost-destroyed light of Rome flare up, when, with the combined might of Arcadius's son Claudius Dalmatius and Justinian the Great conquered the Kingdom of the Vandals in North Africa and parts of the Visigothic Kingdom in Hispania. But after the death of Justinian, the eastern empire lost a vital drive, and the latest western Emperor, Justillius, was not of the same power and drive as some of his ancestors.

To the north, a new power had gathered, as Franks had already been unified, turned conqueror, collapsed in multiple states, and be resurgent, twice over. The future of Rome was uncertain...