NationStates Jolt Archive


The History of Rome from 475 to the Present (For Background Purposes)

RomeW
15-10-2005, 07:49
(For anyone who might be curious about my nation's history and how I see things. This will also provide some background for RP's I may do in the future. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Based on the NS Earth.)

In 475, the Western Roman Empire was a mess. Ruled in name by the Romans but ruled in practice by the Germans, there was a growing perception at the time that it wouldn’t be a matter of “if” the West would fall but “when”. The last Emperor who could genuinely claim the title of “Emperor” was Anthemius, and he ruled until 472. From there until 476 was a parade of “puppet” Emperors put in place by the Germanic tribes to further their own interests. Julius Nepos was one of those puppets, put in power after a political coup led by the Eastern Empire took out the incumbent Emperor Glycerius. Nepos proved himself quite capable of ruling the Empire, showing a diplomatic flair that restored Provence to Roman rule and ended hostilities with the Visigoths. However, not all his decisions were bright ones, including the decision to install Glycerius as “Bishop of Mediolanum” that would eventually lead to a Glycerius-orchestrated coup led by Orestes that took Nepos out of the Imperial office and installed Romulus Augustus (or “Augustulus”) as Emperor. Augustulus’ reign was short-lived, as Odoacer, his Germanic “Master of Soldiers”, led a coup that gave him unquestioned control of Italy and the title of “King of Italy”. His move was designed to make the rule of the Germans over their kingdoms recognized in more than just in practice, but the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno refused to acknowledge Odoacer’s rule unless he recognized Nepos- who the East recognized as Emperor since he came to power in 475- as Western Emperor. Odoacer did so, but he was determined to get rid of Nepos to further his own rule. Nepos made his own preparations to counter Odoacer’s, leading to the Battle of Ravenna in 479. Nepos’ resounding victory over Odoacer restored the Western Empire unquestionably to Nepos, and a number of treaties signed in 480 officially set the boundaries of the Western Empire and officially recognized the Germanic kingdoms as independent.

Nepos, once regaining control of Rome, would reform Rome again and lay the foundations for the state to today. His first actions would be to legalize pagan culture and end its persecution in much the same way that Constantine ended Christian persecution, convinced that the suppression of pagan culture led to the degradation of the Roman State (plus many of the pagan-minded people, especially in the Senate, were still around at the time). This wouldn’t mean that Christianity would become illegal- it would just mean that it would now have to operate side-by-side with the pagans. It wouldn’t be easy, but eventually Christians and pagans could learn to co-exist (OOC: in fact, I argue that under this thought a truly “Roman” version of Christianity would emerge, with a religion that’s more mindful and considerate of other ways of thinking and would ultimately be more tolerant). Thus, Rome would become the first state with freedom of religion actually entrenched in law, but it would probably take hundreds of years before attitudes actually shifted in that direction. The Romans would also give the Senate more powers, although the Emperor still had the final say on all potential laws.

The Roman State that Nepos inherited would include just Provence and Italy, but after Nepos reasserted Roman control, it would again become a strong state, and would pick up allies in the Vandals and Visigoths (done to maintain the Empire’s security). This would not go unnoticed: when Justinian I became Eastern Roman Emperor (hereafter the Empire will be called “Constantinopolitan”, because “Byzantine” was never the name of the state), he would make it a policy to reunite East and West, especially after conquering Ostrogothic Illyria in 534. A deal was struck in 539, but Constantinople’s policies of enforcing Eastern Christianity on the population won them little support, so in 542 the Romans voided the deal. Reunion has been attempted- with mixed results- since then, but most historians are still unconvinced that a real union between East and West will ever occur.

In the 7th century, Arab attacks forced the Constantinopolitans to bequeath Egypt, Palestine and Syria, and despite Roman help, annexed the Vandal Kingdom of north Africa and southern Spain from the Constantinopolitans (taken by Justinian from the Alans in 550). Shortly afterwards, Rome decided to launch a counter-offensive against both the Franks and the Arabs, convinced that it could now regain its old borders, at first being repulsed on both fronts. However, after the 843 death of Charlemagne (that dissolved the Frankish Empire), Rome’s attempts at re-conquest fared much better: in 851, the Romans routed a Frankish force near Nice, and in 853 defeated the Arabs near present-day Algiers. In ten years, Rome found itself as masters again of Gaul, Germany and North Africa, and twenty years later extended their rule all the way to Egypt, Britain, Brittany, Syria, Nubia, Abyssinia, Hadharamut and Mesopotamia, with Roman armies successfully forcing the Constantinopolitans to submit to Roman rule in 881. A year later- with the voluntary union of the Visigothic Kingdom and the Roman Empire- Rome now commanded all of its former territories, and with other areas added as a bonus. The incumbent Emperor, Claudius III, was given the title “Emperor of the World” following his victories.

However, this time Roman rule was short-lived. 53 years after Claudius’ empire was formed it fell apart. In Constantinople (where the emperors ruled as governors)- a new dynasty took power and shook off Roman rule, as did the Arabs in the Middle East and north Africa and the British kingdoms. The Romans’ Gallic territories held out for much longer but were still tenuous: Rome fought for control with the French kingdom (who inherited it from the Franks) and, increasingly, newcomers like the Normans and the English. Internally, Rome’s civil struggles continued, as the ideological battle between the pagans and the Christians showed a Roman population that was still very deeply polarized.

The history of Rome for the next 607 years was a history that was bound to struggle, both externally and internally. In Gaul, Rome steadily lost ground to the Normans and the English, leading to their almost total eviction in France by the end of 1204 at the hands of the egocentrically named Phillip Augustus, and for the next few hundred years the only remaining Roman territory in Gaul would be Narbon, the Pyrenees and Basqueland. In Germany and Italy, power waxed and waned depending on who was the Emperor- a pagan ruler would see periods of sectarian crises (two of whom, Genoa and Venice, were successful) at the hands of Christian princes, while times of Christian rule saw periods of intense persecutions of the pagans, setting off many revolts. There were a few centrist Emperors at this time that did attempt to bridge the social gap, but for the most part the polarization of Roman society was too deep-seated for even the best of Emperors to fix at the time.

The man who would change all that and steer Rome to its present day course was a man by the name of Decius Capitolinus. Capitolinus ascended to rule at the age of 14, the youngest Emperor on record, in the year of 1542, in the middle of yet another civil strife. The preceding 25-year period was the period known as the Roman Civil War, where the battle between the pagans and the Christians came to a head following the famous acts of Martin Luther. Capitolinus was neither a pagan nor a Christian and only assumed the throne because he was a distant cousin of the previous Emperor, Paul III, and was the only family member who managed to escape the massacre of the Imperial family when a pagan faction raided the Imperial palace. The incident stuck with Capitolinus his entire life, convincing him that it was time to end the ideological nonsense and bring the pagans and Christians closer together.

The 14-year-old quickly erased any doubts over his legitimacy to rule in successfully brokering the end of the Civil War at the Peace of Mantua that divided the Senate directly in half between the pagan factions and the Christian ones (many of whom still existed in what remained of Roman territory). He also pointed Rome away from its re-conquest efforts, formally recognizing the independence of Germany and S and NW Italy (which were effectively independent by that time anyway) and setting a course for Roman exploration projects that dotted the next few centuries. He also enacted several decrees that reformed Roman education, directing it towards greater tolerance for both sides and ending what he termed “the politicization of education”. He was also the first ruler from Europe to openly embrace the Muslim empires (famously stating that “the only difference they have with us is that they name ‘God’ differently”) and established diplomatic relations with all three by 1553: the Ottomans were the first to sign in 1547 (leading to the famous meeting with Suleiman The Magnificent where Capitolinus remarked that “his palace is greater than Rome itself”), then the Safavids in 1549 and then finally the Mughals in 1553. His actions brought Rome closer to the Arabic world, forging a relationship that brought new ideas to both sides and helped the economies of both sides immensely. The Arabs were quick to embrace a European power that was not bent on going to war with them, even bestowing Capitolinus the honorary title “Emir of the Romans”, but Christian Europe was divided- the Pope openly denounced Capitolinus as a heretic (leading to Capitolinus’ famous reply, “if tolerance and acceptance is a heresy, then the Pope is himself a heretic”), but with Papal power on the wane, the competing Christian groups rallied behind Capitolinus, mostly just because they wanted to be against the Pope. Within Roman territory, the Christians moved well away from the Pope (as a growing number had for centuries during the period of unrest) after his statement and moved closer to Capitolinus, whom they saw as “the real modernist in a time of anachronisms” (Martel, writer, 1647).

In the 17th century, the Roman Empire began the climb to industrialization. They had already cement and had used it extensively- eventually, they started to use coal power and steam engines, and by 1650, the Romans had begun to use machines as we would know them. It was around this time that the suddenly resource-needy state began to expand overseas- in 1698, the Romans established colonies on the islands of Andros and Eleuthea, and in 1701, the Romans defeated Castile (northern Spain as the southern half belonged to the Visigoths) in a bid to conquer Venezuela, which they finished conquering in 1704. Rome, now industrialized, now became a major global power on the same level as Britain and France.

Rome’s newfound successes led to even more revolutionary activity back home, as a new crop of philosophers emerged in the Empire. Concerns over poor working conditions and over too much Imperial power led to the 1742 Roman Revolution. The Revolution set the foundations for the current Roman Constitution (instituted by Marcus Aurelius II, who called himself that as a homage to the earlier Philosopher Emperor) with a number of new political freedoms emerging (such as freedom of speech and expression), as well as the abolition of slavery. The Revolution failed in its quest to get the Senate directly elected by the people, but it did succeed in curbing the Senate’s power with the Constitution.

In the late 18th century, a new threat emerged from the east. Napoleon Bonaparte, a French Revolutionary (who was actually Corsican), invaded Italy in 1797 and actually went all the way to Rome, where he overthrew the Emperor Claudius V and declared, “The Roman Republic is reborn”. The Praetorian Guard managed to secure Claudius’ position in power after Napoleon left, but Bonaparte left an impression in the minds of the Roman people (as they felt that Napoleon was “Roman”), who again called for the direct election of now both the Senate and the Emperor. They half succeeded: the Senate was now directly elected (by wealthy landowners only), but the Emperor was still an inherited position, though the only power that he had was veto power. As Napoleon’s power began to wade in the 1810s, the people called for the government to provide him support, but Claudius, remembering how Napoleon dethroned him, refused. In 1815, after Napoleon was overthrown by a European coalition that also included Claudius, the Roman population forcibly deposed Claudius and declared a Republic. Ten years of actual physical fighting ensued between the Praetorian Guard and Republicans, and, after that ended with a ceasefire, more fiery debate over the role of the Emperor in Roman life, as well as discussions over suffrage. The electoral questions were not resolved until Keylusus II came to power in 1912, when he declared that all government positions in the Empire would be elected through universal suffrage.

While the philosophical debates raged, the Romans proceeded to add territory across the globe. In 1817, during the confusion of Napoleon’s reign, Rome went to war with Portugal over its colonial possessions and wound up wresting Brazil and Mozambique away from the Portuguese. In 1832, the Romans took control of northern Australia and eastern New Guinea, as well as several islands in the outlying areas. They also went to war for the first time with British troops in Burma, and while the Romans were defeated outside of Rangoon, they did manage to get a foothold in the Adaman Islands. Roman policies of expansion continued into the 19th century, with the Empire adding Somalia and Hadaharamut by 1874. Closer to home, the Romans successfully united the Italian Peninsula under Giuseppe Garibaldi from 1861 to 1870, forging a new Empire that stretched from the Pyrenees to Dalmatia. The union wasn’t perfect, taking several years for the various Italian peoples to eventually rally behind the Emperor, but for most Italians they were finally relieved to have a united country under what many viewed as “the greatest society that ever lived in Italy”.

In 1894, the Romans went to war for the first time against the Abyssinians. The official reasoning was because of Abyssinian assaults on Roman positions in Somalia, but the vast majority of the public believed it was just another case of Roman imperialism. The Christian population of Rome was especially appalled at a Roman assault on another “Christian” state, while other Romans were worried about the negative effects of imperialism, namely nationalism and the reaction by the indigenous population against being “conquered”. These feelings- coupled with a Roman defeat at Adowa in 1896- started a new Roman policy of “integration”, with progressive policies aimed at incorporating the new territories into the Roman metropolitan area and the new peoples into the greater Roman society. Universal male suffrage- independent of wealth- was instituted across the Empire in 1901, meaning that now even the “colonial” peoples could elect and send members to the Roman Senate.

In 1912, a new development emerged on the Roman political scene- Keylusus II, the son of Regulus III, was thrust into power at the age of 20 after the sudden death of Regulus. He was studying political science at the University of Rome at the time, from where he received his thoughts about instituting real democracy in the Empire, thoughts that he put into use almost immediately after gaining power. The people of Rome, expectedly, were extremely unhappy that a 20-year-old “boy” was in power and clamoured for his removal, causing Keylusus to institute his now famous decree (Decree No. 27542, or “The Electoral Decree”) instituting real democracy in the Roman Empire. He decreed that later that year there would be elections- under universal suffrage (independent of gender now as well as independent of wealth)- for the Imperial throne, commissioned and audited by the close Roman ally Egypria, the Roman Free Press and several Universities across the Empire (which still occurs today), and for a five-year term. Partly due to his goodwill, Keylusus triumphed in 1912, claiming the first of an unprecedented 16 straight electoral victories. Upon the completion of his final term in 1992- on December 8- he retired, ending an 80-year reign that brought him the title of “the Eternal Emperor”.

He used his time well, instituting many progressive decrees and commissioning many public works- including the improved Roman Road system and the construction one of the world’s largest synagogues in Rome following World War II- that greatly improved the economy. He also annexed the Ogaden Region in 1932 from Abyssinia (upon the request of the Somalis), as well as- finally- Burma in 1944, the latter coming after Rome responded to an attack by the Japanese during World War II on the Adaman Islands, an attack Rome repelled. He was also criticized at times for being focusing far too much on centralizing power in Rome, refusing to grant the provinces several rights including that of taxation or to even incorporate set borders for the provinces. His policy in this regard has been best known for a quote he uttered in 1966- “Draw a line on the map, and you create division”- where he steadfastly refused to incorporate clear provinces for the fear that they would break away. However, despite the provincial issue Keylusus retained his popularity throughout his reign, mainly for his highly progressive attitudes.

Internationally, Keylusus was known for his diplomatic efforts and for being a moderating force at a time of heightened emotions throughout his reign. Rome was officially neutral in both World Wars (it only entered World War II because of Japanese aggression and stayed out of World War I because of “conflicting interests”), and helped broker peace in both instances. It also accepted many refugees from all over the world, with many of those same refugees being political prisoners. It was during Keylusus’ time that Rome’s legacy as a highly tolerant, equal and democratic society became firmly entrenched, often being regarded as a “model” for the way society should be. In fact, several of Keylusus’ late additions to the Empire- such as south-central Gaul (in the wake of the collapse of the French Republic), NE Louisiana, Vancouver Island, California, Nevada, Idaho, southern British Columbia, New York State, North Dakota and Ontario- all came at the request of the local populace’s, who were convinced that Roman rule was preferable to the government situation they were presently in (the latter three later became independent as “the Principality of Ontario”).

One major aspect of his international policy was his stance on anti-imperialism, which he vociferously spoke out against. His most important statement came after the Treaty of Sévères in 1920 that practically dissolved the Ottoman Empire. The treaty granted Thrace and much of Anatolia to Byzantium (the name of the Constantinopolitan state after 1894), Palestine to Britain (to compliment its earlier annexation of Egypt), Syria and Cilicia to France and much of northern Cappadocia to the newly created Armenian state, leaving the Ottomans with just southern Cappadocia. Keylusus, calling the arrangement “territorial shoplifting”, organized a resistance effort with the Ottomans in 1923 which failed to restore Anatolia but managed to restore Syria and Cappadocia to the Ottoman state. The Romans and Ottomans later entered an arrangement called the “Confederation of Roman States” in the hopes that they could bring in Byzantium as well, but the Byzantine-Roman rivalry was still very much etched into the minds of both Byzantium and Rome (especially after the Byzantines were attacked by both the Romans and the Ottomans in 1923), so the arrangement failed in this regard. He was, however, successful in other international initiatives, such as helping broker the end of World War II and the 1979 ceasefire in Cyprus, as well as being an outspoken critic of the “Cold War” political shell game. Very late in his career Keylusus made Rome a key figure at the end of the War, gobbling up massive chunks of former Soviet and American territory in the wake of the collapse of both governments as well as working to thoroughly ensure the stability of the new world. The old territories have regained their old wealth, but stability has been a continuing concern.

In 1992, Keylusus gave way to Paul XII, elected with a 70% majority in the December elections. Paul’s legacy has been a mixed one- he continued many of Keylusus’ policies, especially the public works (which won him re-election in 1997), as well as granting independence to Brazil and Mozambique shortly after assuming the throne and Ontario soon afterward. He also sent Roman spending levels to stratospheric proportions, levels that had not been seen since the time of Nero or Commodus. By the end of his reign in 2002- the same year he gave way to the current Emperor Rodin Hartian- the tax level stood at a mind-boggling 71%. Predictably, Rome’s economy was gutted and needed a massive overhaul, which it received when Hartian was swept to power in 2002. Hartian’s policies- including massive tax and spending cuts- greatly revived the economy and earned him widespread praise across the Empire. He also dealt with the provincial question head-on, creating a system of “Dominions” that granted widespread autonomy to many of the provinces (leaving only Latium, Provence, California, Nevada, Idaho and SE British Columbia under direct Roman rule), remaking the Empire into a federation of states based in Rome. His argument was that Rome was “effectively a federation anyway” and felt that the Empire would be more effectively run in this manner. He also founded the Roman Union, an updated alliance from that forged between the Ottomans and Keylusus, which effectively united all of the former provinces of the Empire into one strong alliance. There are a few kinks that need to be worked out, but for the most part, the Union’s prospects are bright.