The Roman Empire

Standard of the city of Rome, with SPQR insignia

Gaius Julius Caesar in 45 BC

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus in 28 BC

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus in 161 AD

Flavius Valerius Constantinus in 306 AD

Constantinople in the Eastern Empire until 1453

Imperial Autocracy until 1453 AD

The Roman Empire was an Ancient Mediterranean state centered around the City of Rome. It lasted roughly 2000 years from 753 BC to 1453 AD and dominated the Mediterranean region for the majority of its existence.

Beginning as a small city-state kingdom founded by the mythical patriarch Romulus, a Trojan heir. The Roman Republic (Res Publica) was one of the most successful states in the region, conquering Etruria, Samnium, Capua, and Magna Graecia. By 215 BC at the beginning of Hannibal's Rebellion, the Republic had conquered most of North Africa, Greece, Italy, and Iberia. Syria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt would not be added to the Empire until the fall of the Alexandrian Empire in 56 BC. After the Battle of Passerum in 31 BC the Principate would begin with the reign of Octavian Caesar/Augustus as Emperor. The Principate would be replaced by the Dominate in 285 by Emperor Diocletian during the Crisis of the Third Century. Diocletian also introduced the Tetrarchy in 305 splitting the Empire into East and West, which would be solidified by Emperor Theodosius in 375 AD.

After the shattering of the Western Empire into the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of Soissons, the Kingdom of Lugdunum, the Kingdom of Cartagena, the Kingdom of Portus Cale, and the Kingdom of Utica. That left the Eastern Empire in Constantinople as the last hold out of Imperial power. The Eastern Empire would attempt to reconquer the West under the reign of Emperor Justinian, however they would only be able to hold onto Italy and Africa for any substantial amount of time.

The rise of Islam in the 650s and the Neo-Alexandrian Rebellion in the early 600s cut the empire off from its African and Syrian holdings, losing Alexandria and Antioch to the Greeks and Babylon and Memphis to the Muslims, the Empire would continue to hold onto small outposts such as Cyrprus, Socotra, and Djerba until much later. The Neo-Alexandrians would disappear by the 1100s beginning the new era of Roman-Muslim wars to begin, leading the Eastern Empire to be conquered in 1453 by the Turkish Sultanate, finally ending 2000 years of Roman Government.

## Imperial Periods

Kingdom (753 - 509 BC)

Early Republic (509 - 557 BC)

Decemvirate (557 - 548 BC)

Late Republic (548 - 27 BC)

Julian Dynasty (27 BC - 25 AD)

Julio-Vipsanian Dynasty (25 - 85 AD)

Julio-Flavian Dynasty ( 85 - 102 AD)

Julio-Antonian Dynasty (102 - 231 AD)

Julio-Neronian Dynasty (231 -279 AD)

Crisis of the Third Century (279 - 285 AD)

Julio-Valerian Dynasty (285 - 305 AD)

Julio-Constantinian Dynasty (305 - 365 AD)

Julio-Theodosian Dynasty (365 - 391 AD)

Leonid Dynasty (391 - 435 AD)

Valentinian Dynasty (435 - 510 AD)

Julio-Justinian Dynasty (510 - 671 AD)

Heraclian Dynasty (671 - 732 AD)

Isaurian Dynasty (732 - 791 AD)

Amorian Dynasty (791 - 865 AD)

Phocid Dynasty (865 - 921 AD)

Doucid Dynasty (921 - 1001 AD)

The Twenty Years of Anarchy (1001 - 1021 AD)

Julio-Macedonian Dynasty (1021 - 1147 AD)

Julio-Comnenid Dynasty (1147 - 1306 AD)

Angelid Dynasty (1306 - 1354 AD)

The Latin Anarchy (1354 - 1364 AD)

Megalodoucid Dynasty (1364 - 1389 AD)

Julio-Palaeologan Dynasty (1389 - 1453 AD)

## History

### Kingdom Period (753-509 BC)

The City of Rome was established as a Kingdom by the mythical King Romulus and his dead brother Remus, who were sons of Ares and grandsons of Gavenaus, Son of PhantomGuy. Romulus and his successor Numa Pompilius were essential for the formation of the Roman character.

#### Veiite War

During the reign of the sixth king of Rome, Servius Tullius, the City went to war against the neighboring Etruscan city of Veii over the salt fields of Ostia Antica, it was during this war that the early Republican heroes such as Lucius Junius Brutus, Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, Publius Valerius Poplicola, and Marcus Horatius Pulvillus earned their distinction serving alongside Servius Tullius. The King's brother Lucius Tarquinius Superbus made a deal with the Veiite king that should Rome lose, Tarquin would become King - this would spiral into the Republican Overthrow of the Monarchy.

#### Gallic Sack

While scheming with the Veiite king, Tarquin was also talking with the Gallic leader Brennator to come help him become king. Brennator jumped at this opportunity and marched on Rome, besieging the city and sacking all but the Capitoline Hill, installing Tarquin as king after killing Servius Tullius in battle. Tarquin let the gauls sack the rest of the city as payment, and handed Ostia to Veii for their cooperation.

### Republic Period (509-27 BC)

Upon learning of this great dishonor on the Roman people from their King, Romans in the city began organizing against Tarquin, led by Poplicola, and began communicating with the Legion still in the fields by Veii led by Brutus and Collatinus. After a month of struggle for the army to make it back to Rome, and urban warfare from the city revolutionaries, Tarquin was forced out the Palace by the Army and the Republic was established, with Brutus and Collatinus as the first Consuls. Following the brith of the Republic, Brutus would march back to Veii to end the war and Conquer the city, and force Tarquin into exile in Etruria. The Republican period would be dominated by great men vying for their family's influence, and would end up establishing the Dominance of the Senate and the wealthy noble families, as opposed to Centuriate Rule by the Army or Pontifical Rule by the Priest Class. This Senatorial System would go on to be the most successful form of government in the ancient world.

#### Macedonian Wars

During the first Consulship of Citron Medicus Aurantium and Fredericus Junius Germanicus in 275 BC the King of Macedon, Alexandros Spouki was called by the city of Tarentum to aid in their war with Syracuse. Syracuse was a member of the Philos League, which had a treaty with Rome that should any member of the league be attacked the Romans would join in for aid. The Syracusians, calling on their Roman allies, started the Macedonian Wars. Which would end with Macedon becoming a Province of the Republic, and with hegemony over Greece falling under Roman hands.

#### Punic Wars

During the Consulship of Gaius Claudius Benedictus and Caeso Quinctius Cincinnatus, in the year 269 BC, the new Carthaginian junta government, led by Gisco Ben-Daniyyel declared war on the Roman Republic, the Carthaginians were also at war with the hellenistic kingdoms which would later compose of the Alexandrian Empire of Ptolemaic Egypt, the Seleucid Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Antigonos at Gordion. With their aid the Romans would conquer Carthage proper and depose of the nationalist government.

#### Hannibal's Rebellion

Hannibal Barca was born in the mid 240s BC, about 25 years after the Roman Conquest of Carthage, into a punic noble family. His father Hamilcar taught him to forever hate their foreign rulers, and led them away from Africa to Spain where they would be trained in army life and warfare at the head of his fathers personal army. In 220 BC Hannibal and his brothers Mago and Hasdrubal led their hardened Spanish army in rebellion in Hispania Tarraconensis, joined by many tribal allies. The war would quickly spiral out of Roman control as Carthage, Numidia, and Massalia rebelled as well, leaving the Roman presence in the West in the hands of Hispania Baetica and its commander Publius Cornelius Scipio. Publius Scipio would die in the Battle of Carthago Nova, but his son Scipio Africanus would end up defeating Hannibal at the Battle of Zama, after Hannibal had failed to conquer Italy in his invasion. Nations like the Samnites and Epriots would be harshly punished at the end of the war for rebelling, and Carthage would have it's nobility purged following the death of Hannibal at the First Battle of Ad Decimum. The Result of this war would be increased Roman settlement of the provinces.

#### Cleopatra's War

In 69 BC, Alexandrian Queen Cleopatra VI Seleucus would march her army against Rome in an attempt to re-conquer Macedonia. Roman Consuls Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Gaius Julius Caesar would march to defend the Republic in a war that would last 15 years, seeing conflict in every province of the empire as Greek armies tore deep into Africa and Spain. Caesar would end up coming on top of the war, Pompey would end up dying in the 4th siege of Alexandria in 61 BC, his last words were reported to be "*Doleo tam me uxorem non habuisse adhuc aliam*".

After 54 BC Caesar would integrate the Eastern territories into the Republic extending all the way to Babylon, before being assassinated by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, and Decimus Brutus Albinus in 44 BC, leading to the First Civil War between the Senate of Rome, Marcus Antonius and his wife Cleopatra Seleucus VII, and Gaius Octavian Caesar.

### Principate (27 BC-285 AD)

The Civil War would morph into Octavian and the Senate against Antony and Cleopatra, ending at the Battle of Passerum in 31 BC where Antony and Cleopatra would be defeated, and end up committing suicide. This would dawn the Principate with Octavian (now Augustus) becoming the First Emperor in the aftermath of the battle in 27 BC. The Principate would be marked by the Julian dynasty's use of Republican methods to cement their power as opposed to the Dominants use to the Army to maintain power. Augustus and his successors would maintain the Senate and its offices while occupying all of the actual power himself.

#### Conquest of Gaul

In order to strengthen his position of power, Augustus and his friend, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, drew up a plan to incorporate the Gallic lands into the Empire, heavily borrowing off his uncle Julius Caesar's plans for conquering Gaul. in 19 BC Rome invaded Helvetia, and by 5 BC they had conquered the last strongholds of Gallic resistance at Avaricum.

#### Conquest of Germany

Long after the conquest of Gaul in the later years of Augustus' reign, on the advice of their grandfather the Emperor, Gaius and Lucius Vipsanius Caesar, as well their cousins Nero Claudius Drusus and his son Germanicus Caesar to form an official invasion of Germania and regain the honor lost after Marcus Agrippa Postumus' defeat and death at the hands of the Cheruscian leader Arminius. The Invasion spanned 15 years, beginning in 10 AD and ending in 25 AD, ending in the ascension of Gaius and Lucius as joint Emperors of Rome and the integration of Germania Major as a province under supervision of Germanicus.

#### The Jewish Revolt

During the reign of Titus Flavius Vespasianus and his son Titus Caesar Vespasianus, the province of Judea rebelled against the Empire, leading to the systematic extermination of all non-Jews in the province, Roman or Goaboan alike. The response was swift from Vespasian and it resulted in the mass genocide of all rebellious Jews in the fortress of Masada, and the permanent exile of all Jews from Judea for the rest of the Imperial period, resulting in the Jewish Diaspora.

### Dominant (285-476 AD)

Following the Reign of Severus Elagabalus and the extinction of the Neronian imperial line, the Empire slipped into chaos again, fracturing into the Neo-Alexandrian Empire, the Palmyrene Empire, the Gallic Empire, and the Roman Empire. Only to be swiftly saved by Emperor Lucius Domitius Aurelianus and his successor Gaius Aurelius Diocletianus, who established their rule on the permission of the army. The Dominant is typically more authoritarian, more fragile, and more bureaucratic than the Principate.

#### Crisis of the Third Century

Severus Claudius Elagabalus was assassinated in 279 AD, and in the wake of that assassination the Medians and Alexandrians took the opportunity to war with Rome. the Median army was stopped by Palmyrene general Odaenathus, who was killed by the Alexandrian army in the Battle for Tripoli. In this Odaenathus' wife Zenobia declared herself Empress of all her husband had conquered, and formed an alliance with King Telehector of Alexandria. In the west the Gallic noble Vercingetorix Malbreccus declared himself King of the Barbarians. In Rome the emperorship was changing hands every other month until the general of the legion in Hispania Baetica, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus, marched to defeat the Gauls before they could invade Italy. Succeeding and taking hold of the state long enough to defeat the eastern rebellions as well before getting assassinated by his jewish slave Zechariah. Aurelius' nephew Diocletian succeeded him, and spent his time re-establishing Imperial order.

#### Antonine Plague

During the reign of Emperor Antoninus Galba Bassianus in 281 AD a new outbreak of smallpox came to the Empire from the Turkish steppe, and severely depopulated the cities of the Empire, claiming 15-20 million lives over the course of the outbreak. The plague didn't hit the rural countryside as hard as it did the urban areas, leading to more emphasis being on the barbarian provinces of Hispania, Gaul, and Germania rather than the civilized provinces of Greece, Egypt, and Italy. The plague directly caused the rise of the Dominant period as urban areas became less necessary to maintaining authority.

#### Barbarian Invasions

In the aftermath of Aurelius' assassination the age of barbarian migrations began, starting with migrations into Pannonia and Germania, tribes soon sought to come to Hispania, Africa, and Illyria by whatever means necessary. These migrations and their resulting wars occupied the time and effort of Constantinian emperors, paving the way for the relative peace of the Theodosians

### Tetrarchy (375-476 AD)

After the death of Diocletian in 305 he split the Empire into 4 Divisions, Two Kingdoms and Four Dominions, along with re-doing the provincial system. The Eastern and Western Empires would only be united under Constantine the Great and Theodosius I and II. after which the Empire would never be united again. During this period, Orthodoxy was made into the state religion of the emperors, and Imperial authority began to deteriorate as new emperors would not be able to keep up with the military needs of the Empire.

#### Hunnic Invasion

In the reign of the child Emperor Constans II in 361, The Empire was met with the Scourge of God, Atilla the Hun. The Huns were the unstoppable force pushing all the barbarians more west into Imperial territory, and now they were here to make some quick loot. Pope Leo the Great rode out for the Emperor to deal with Atilla peacefully, and successfully convinced the horde to settle in Pannonia, where they quickly became docile.

#### Second Cherusian Wars

In the reign of Theodosius I in 375 the Germanic leader Hermann of the Cherusii marched into Gaul without Roman permission, claiming to be the true heir to the Germanic King Arminius and his struggle he was only defeated in the end by Flavius Stilicho, a Romano-Vandal General.

#### Saxon Wars

In the following years, in the reign of Theodosius' son Theodosius II, Stilicho was called to deal with a similar conflict when the Saxons attempted to invade Britannica under the leadership of Kings Hengist and Horsa of the Jutes, Angles, and Saxons. Stilicho was ordered to return to Ravenna before he left for the island however, and the Empire officially abandoned the British provinces in 390 AD.

#### The Fall

In the 470s under increased barbarian pressure and a very weak imperial authority, the Empire fractured further in the West into the Roman Kingdom of Italy, the Roman Kingdom of Soissons, the Burgundian Kingdom of Lugdunum, the Visigoth Kingdom of Cartagena, the Gallic Kingdom of Portus Cale, and the Vandal Kingdom of Utica, the following anarchy led to the Italian Kingdom breaking from Roman authority in Dalmatia and conquering it in the year 476 AD, finally ending the Western Empire.

### Byzantine Period (476-1453 AD)

After the fall of the West the East prevailed for another 1000 years, typically referred to as the Byzantine Empire after the city of Byzantium which Constantinople is founded upon. This empire was largely Greek and much less dominated by the Julian family.

#### Wars of Reconquest

Upon the acension of Emperor Flavius Sabbatius Justinianus to the Eastern Empire in 525 AD, he began work on a grand reconquest of the Western Empire. Organizing with Latin nobility and Roman sympathizers in Italy, Justinian reconquered Italy for the Empire, and from there grabbed North Africa, Spain, and southern Gaul. The gains outside of Italy however would be more expensive to maintain and quickly abandoned as the Justinian Plague and Islamic Conquests soon came in in the mid 600s. Justinian and his general Flavius Belisarius however successfully reincorporated Italy into the Empire, where it would remain until the Franks and Normans conquered large parts of italy in the 1300s.

#### Neo-Alexandrian Rebellions

In the 650s during the reign of Emperor Flavius Mauricius Justinianus the Neo-Alexandrian Empire and Arab Caliphate worked together to coordinate their rebellion, The Neo-Alexandrians had been an unforgettable minority ever since their empire was conquered in the first century BC. Greeks viewed the Dual Seleucid-Ptolemaic Empire as the true Greek state, much more than the Romans, and were constantly looking for a moment to regain their independence. The Neo-Alexandrian Empire would carve out little enclaves for itself in regions like Pontus, Cyrene, Crete, and the area surrounding the city of Alexandria beginning in the 650s when a general rebellion would rise up in Egypt, Syria, Babylonia, and Armenia Minor. The Alexandrian-Arab relations would lead to Alexandria becoming a functional buffer-state for the Empire, as as soon as their rebellion succeded, Arabs began invading. Mesopotamia and Egypt would fall first, and the Greeks would struggle for centuries to hold onto Syria and Anatolia.

#### Dacian Wars

During the reign of the Amorian Emperors, the Dacian Kingdom had grown to a position of relative power under King Andrew Monoculus, when the Amorian dynasty led way to the Phocids, Emperor Nicephorus Phocas led his armies to meet the Dacian army which had just sacked Moesia, and held Andrew in a terrible defeat. In this Roman victory Phocas took prisoner the entire Dacian army, and had every man blinded except for every hundreth man. and had them lead back to the Danube, where they could return home. In this punishment, when Andrew saw his army in such a state he died of a heart attack on the spot. Ending any Dacian resistance or dream of empire.

#### Muslim Invasion

After the final outposts of the Alexandrian Empire fell to the Fatimids in 1104 AD, the Arabs could finally point their efforts toward Rome, and with the acension of Emperor Basil II Macedonius the long series of Romano-Muslim wars would begin. Occupying much of the careers of the following Macedonian and Comnenid Emperors. By this point the Caliphates had held Egypt, Mesopotamia, Syria, and North Africa for a decent amount of time.

#### Crusades

To combat the Abdulist Invasions, Emperor Alexander Comnenus made a deal with Pope Urbanus II to begin what would be known as the Crusades. The Pope would offer universal clemency for any Goaboanist who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Judea, and either fought the Arabs, or settled there, or both. The Crusades and the effect of the crusades is the subject of its own page which goes into far more detail.

#### Frankish Wars

During the Angelid dynasty, the French Normans and Gascon noble class, often absent from crusades, decided to join together to Invade Italy. Under permission from the King of France, the Duke Raimond of Toulouse, Bohemond of Normandy, and Duke Lombar of Aquitaine launched a war which led to the French occupation of Milan and the Po Valley under the Duke of Aquitaine, and the formation of an independent Kingdom in Naples and Sicily. The Romans would cede the remaining territories to the Pope and lost all the territories on the Italian peninsula.

#### Latin Wars

After the loss of Italy to the French, the French quickly abandoned the territory, leading to the Italian peninsula to be dominated by Italian city states, a number of those city states, such as Venice, Genoa, Tarentum, and Naples would attempt to take island forts and small trading posts away from the Empire, leading up to the Latin Anarchy (1354-1364), where Italian armies besieged Constantinople and sacked the Byzantine countryside until enough concessions were met. In the end the Empire was forced to give up control of many of the Islands still in its posession, along with key trading ports such as Troy, Ephesus, Athens, and Dyrrhachium. Some of these cities would become Italian states, such as the Republic of Athens, or the Duchy of the Islands.

#### Turkish War

After the end of the Latin Anarchy, the Megalodoucid family took power in the Empire, and during the reign of Emperor John VII in 1380 the Turkish horde swept into Anatolia in the vacuum left by the Mongol Empire. The resulting 70 years would be the final moments for the battered Empire as it was stretched to its limits. With lands being eaten away by Italians in Greece and Turks in Anatolia, only Constantinople remained in 1440 when Emperor Constantine XI Palaeologus rose to the purple.

#### The Fall

After much suffering, the Empire was ready. The Sultan had began to march towards Constantinople early 1453. on May 29th it would all be over. Before the city fell the Emperor Constantine rode out to make a speech to his small Roman garrison, as the last Speech by the Last Emperor of the Last Romans.

*"Most noble leader, illustrious tribunes, generals, most courageous fellow soldiers and all loyal honest citizens! You know well that the hour has come: the enemy of our faith wishes to oppress us even more closely by sea and land with all his engines and skill to attack us with the entire strength of this siege force, as a snake about to spew its venom; he is in a hurry to devour us, like a savage lion. For this reason I am imploring you to fight like men with brave souls, as you have done from the beginning up to this day, against the enemy of our faith. I hand over to you my glorious, famous, respected, noble city, the shining Queen of Cities, our homeland. You know well, my brothers, that we have four obligations in common, which force us to prefer death over survival: first our faith and piety; second our homeland; third, the emperor anointed by the Lord, and fourth; our relatives and friends.*

*Well, my brothers, if we must fight for one of these obligations, we will be even more liable under the command strength of all four; as you can clearly understand. If God grants victory to the impious because of my own sins, we will endanger our lives for our holy faith, which Christ gave us with his own blood. This is most important of all. Even if one gains the entire world but loses his soul in the process, what will be the benefit! Second, we will be deprived of such famous homeland and of our liberty. Third, our empire, renowned in the past but presently humbled, low and exhausted, will be ruled by a tyrant and an impious man. Fourth, we will be separated from our dearest children, wives and relatives.*

*This wretch of a Sultan has besieged our city up to now for fifty seven days with all his engines and strength; he has relaxed the blockade neither day nor night, but, by the grace of Christ, our Lord, who sees all things, the enemy has often been repelled, up to now, from our walls with shame and dishonour. Yet now too, my brothers, feel no cowardice, even if small parts of our fortifications have collapsed from the explosions and engine missiles, as you can see, we made all possible, necessary repairs. We are placing all hope in the irresistible glory of God. Some have faith in armament, others in cavalry, might and numbers but we believe in the name of our Lord, our God and Saviour, and second, in our arms and strength granted to us by divine power.*

*I know the countless hordes of the impious will advance against us, according to their custom, violently, confidently and with great courage and force in order to overwhelm and wear out our few defenders with hardship. They attempt to frighten us with loud yells and innumerable battle cries. But you are all familiar with their chattering and I need say no more about it. For a long time they will continue so and will also release over us countless rocks, all sorts of arrows and missiles, like the sand of the sea. But I hope that such things will not harm us; I see, greatly rejoice, and nourish with hopes in my mind that even if we are few, you are all experienced and seasoned warriors – courageous, brave, and well prepared. Protect your heads with shields in combat and battle. Keep your right hand, armed with the sword, extended in front of you at all times. Your helmets, breastplates and suits of armour are fully sufficient together with your other weapons and will prove very effective in battle. Our enemies have none and use no such weapons. You are protected inside the walls, while they will advance without cover and with toil.*

*For these reasons, my fellow soldiers, prepare yourselves, be firm, and remain valiant, for the pity of God. Take your example from the few elephants of the Carthaginians and how they dispersed the numerous cavalry of the Romans with their noise and appearance. If one dumb beast put another to flight, we, the masters of horses and animals, can surely even do better against our advancing enemies, since they are dumb animals, worse even than pigs. Present your shield, swords, arrows, and spears to them, imagining that you are a hunting party after wild boars, so that the impious may learn that they are dealing not with dumb animals but with their lords and masters, the descendants of the Greeks and the Romans.*

*You are well aware that this irreligious Sultan, the enemy of our holy faith, violated for no good reason the peace treaty we had with him and disregarded his numerous oaths without a second thought. Suddenly, he appeared and built his castle in the straights of Asomatosso so he might be able to inflict daily harm on us. Then he put our farms, gardens, parks, and houses to the torch, while he killed and enslaved as many of our Christian brothers as he found; he broke the treaty of friendship. He befriended the inhabitants of Galata, the wretches rejoice over this, as they are unaware of the parable of the farmer’s son who was roasting snails and said, ‘Oh stupid creature,’ etc.*

*Well my brothers, since he started the siege and the blockade, every day he opens his fathomless mouth and is seeking an opportunity to devour us and this city, which thrice-blessed Constantine the Great founded and dedicated to the all holy most chaste Mother of God, our lady, Mary the eternal virgin. She became the Queen of Cities, the shield and aid of our homeland, the shelter of Christians, the hope and joy of all wishes to destroy this city, which was once proud and blooming like a rose of the field.*

*I can tell you that this city mastered the entire universe; She placed beneath her feet Pontus, Armenia, Paphlagonia, The Amazonian lands, Cappadocia, Galatia, Media, Georgian Colchis, Bosphorus, Albania, Syria, Cilicia, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Palestine, Arabia, Judea, Bactria, Scythia, Macedonia, Thessaly, Boeotia, Locris, Aetolia, Arcarnania, Achaea, the Peloponnese, Epirus, Illyria, Lykhnites, the Adriatic, Italy, Tuscany, the Celts, and Galatian Celts, Spain up to Cadiz, Libya, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Beledes, Scude, Numidia, Africa and Egypt.*

*Now he wants to enslave her and throw the yoke upon the Mistress of Cities, our holy churches, where the Holy Trinity was worshiped, where the Holy Spirit was glorified in hymns, where angels were heard praising in chant the deity of and the incarnation of God’s word, he wants to turn into shrines of his blasphemy, shrines of the mad and false Prophet, Mohammed, as well as into stables for his horses and camels.*

*Consider then, my brothers and comrades in arms, how the commemoration of our death, our memory, fame and freedom can be rendered eternal.”*

## Religion

After the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, Emperor Constantine converted to Orthodox Goaboanism, paving the way for Orthodoxy's dominance over the European continent. After the legalization and acceptance of Orthodoxy, Constantine hosted the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon, where they codified the Thracian Creed as the core of Orthodoxy. Roman acceptance of Orthodoxy would also lead to the Orthodox clergy to become major figures in the Empire, primarily in the later empire where bishops would serve as governors, bureaucrats, and magistrates. Culminating in the major figure the Pope had to play in the politics of Rome, whether it be talking with Atilla, or serving as independent ruler of Latium.

## Legacy

The legacy of the Roman Empire is a very broad topic. The Romans influenced everything they touched, Roman thought and precedent can still be felt as far as Scotland and Armenia. Roman religion turned a continent of pagans into monotheistic Goaboans, and the Latin language is inscribed on buildings to this day. Roman law forms the basis of European law codes, and Roman titles are still held by Popes, Emperors, and Kings. Without the Roman state, Europe, and in-turn the world, would be incredibly different.