Alternate history questions
If anyone looked at my sig they would have known that I am writing an alternate history story, but I am fast running out of ideas about the world the story is set in. So here I'm gonna post some "Points of Divergence" for that world, I would be hoping for anyone who have any idea what would be changed in that world if the PoD happened.
1, Tarquinus Superbus killed by republican mob led by Brutus, but the mob crowns the Brutus king--- in my story the Brutii line would last until Caesar, when he deposed the last King. Any other possibilities?
2. Persians conquered Greece--- in my story the large number of Greeks moved to friendly barbarian tribes, or to their colonies. The northern Greeks would form the Greco-Germania empires. Any other possibilities?
3. Carthage survived as the Barcid Kingdom in Iberia and New Carthage beyond the Sahara--- most doubtful of my three PoDs, but still possible. Any ideas on how they survived the destruction of Carthage?
I got more PoDs to write, but I dont have much time now, if there are some interesting discussion about his I will probably post more.
Re: Alternate history questions
1. Could there even be a Caesar if Rome was a kingdom? There surely wouldn't be THE Caesar that we know from history.
2. Greeks stay in Greece ruled as a Persian satrapy until the next big internal conflict shakes the overextended Achaemenid empire and the hellenes happily revolt away. Perhaps their politics prevent the rise of Macedonia so there will never be the Alexandrian empire and it's successors? They could remain divided as petty little city-states and then be overrun by celts and/or dacians.
3. I don't quite see how a post-Carthago Barcid kingdom could survive long unless something major distracts the Romans from destroying it. And what do you mean by 'beyond Sahara'? Are you referring to the Sub-Saharan Africa? Anyway, the Barcid would need at least to win decisively in Iberia, kick the Romans out of the peninsula and get most of the native peoples there as their allies and/or subjects.
Re: Alternate history questions
1. There would have been another popular upprising against Brutus, most probably being more Democratic ala Athens. This would mean that Caesar woudl probably have been a servant of the Democracy, rather than one who could overthrow a Republc. Republics are a lot easier to overthrow than Democracies, because Democracies are less predictable. If Brutus had been crowned King, and things remained this way, many different situations arise:
- There is no reason for individuals to expand the borders of Rome - the main reason to do so was personal glory
- Rome would therefore have remained an Italiote power
- I would see them being a lot like Athens, ie spreading Colonies
- Carthage may have become the main Meditteranean power, rather than Rome
- There are no more personal power bases, all the power is centralised in the King
- An incompetent King would ruin any large gains Rome could make - Like the Later Roman Emperors
2. Again, popular uprisings would occur in the citie, probably forming more military based areas, such as Sparta. This would only occur when there is a weaker Persian ruler. If you look at Asia Minor, when the Greek cities there were under Persian rule, they were for the most part happy, hwoever they also supported people like Alexander who came to "liberate" them. Ultimately, they would be content, until such a time came as they could rise up.
3. Well if #1 occured, this is not a likely situation, because the Republic could not have produced the great generals it needed to fight against the Carthaginians. However, I do not see Carthage forming Kingdoms. They had a verys table Republic, of which the Barcids were willing participants.
Re: Alternate history questions
"2. Persians conquered Greece--- in my story the large number of Greeks moved to friendly barbarian tribes, or to their colonies. The northern Greeks would form the Greco-Germania empires. Any other possibilities?"
Seems more likely to me that the Greeks would have stayed where they were, like the other urban cultures (Phoenicia, Egypt) that were conquered by Persia. I do not recall any massive exodus of Greeks from Ionia when that was conquered by Persia.
Re: Alternate history questions
The Athenians abandoned Athens when the Persians arrived though, so if they lost the Battle of Salamis, they would probably flee somewhere else, if they still have a fleet.
Re: Alternate history questions
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1, Tarquinus Superbus killed by republican mob led by Brutus, but the mob crowns the Brutus king--- in my story the Brutii line would last until Caesar, when he deposed the last King. Any other possibilities?
The only other possibilites would be that some other patrician family would see some weakness in the king and make a go for the crown. Or if the line of kings would die in some other way. Or maybe the king dies, and then the throne is up for graps in a great civil war and Cesare ends as the last man standing. Without doubt however, a Roman monarchy would've worked on different mechanisms than the Republic one. This however goes for Rome's internal power-struggle. How Rome would've dealt with its foreign relations different than from the Republic is another thing.
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2. Persians conquered Greece--- in my story the large number of Greeks moved to friendly barbarian tribes, or to their colonies. The northern Greeks would form the Greco-Germania empires. Any other possibilities?
The Greeks probably wouldn't moved anywhere. Surly a great deal of them might move to coloines, or side with the Persians in an attempt to gain extra advantages from their new Overlords. Also, I cannot actually think of any "friendly barbarian" tribes that the Greeks could come to and form Hellenistic kingdoms with. Also why would they form kingdomes in a new land when they fleed their old home to escape having to live under a king? Most likly Greece would rather to the majority have accepted their roll under the Great King, at least to an oppertunity to rebell. Or they might even learn to enjoy a life in a stabile area.
If they did escape however, I would say that most either fleed to colonies across the sea, fleed to found new coloines across the sea or went north to found new cities in the Balkans.
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3. Carthage survived as the Barcid Kingdom in Iberia and New Carthage beyond the Sahara--- most doubtful of my three PoDs, but still possible. Any ideas on how they survived the destruction of Carthage?
I don't have a clue how Carthage might survive as a state after it's destruction by Rome. Since Carthage had lost its over-sea empire and most of its African possessions I don't understand how the Romans could've simply have left a state working within Iberia. While single persons might've escaped across Sahara from the Romans, I don't see who they could've formed a New Carthage. The only possibly idea would be that a small group of people stole ALOT of cash, somehow escaped across Sahara and then used the money to buy a mercinery army and carve themselves an empire which would then take on heavy Punic influences from their lords.
