What do you think of this idea?

[Ryukil]

I'm very interested in history, and have always wanted to write non-fiction. However, I'm much better at writing fiction because then I can create my own narrative and throw some excitement in.

I am of Italian ancestry, and have always loved the Roman Empire. My friend is German and we always argue about which is better, the Roman Empire or the German Reichs. It's pretty funny. So I was thinking of writing in the "alternate history" genre, which is a sub-genre of science fiction. It's where you write about alternate universes, in which something historically differs from our own universe. The most common alternate history books are about World War II, i.e. the Axis powers winning. The most famous example of this is Fatherland by Robert Harris.

I was thinking of writing an alternate history novel in which the Roman Empire never fell. I would probably set in sometime in the early sixteenth century. It would be seen through the eyes of a German (at this point Rome has conquered all of Germany) who dislikes Rome's control of his people. He will probably lead a resistance or something.

I haven't decided on Rome's borders yet, but I would think it has Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, all of England, Scotland, and Ireland, North Africa, the southernmost parts of Scandinavia, perhaps a few colonies in Iceland, all or some of Poland (no further on the eastern frontier), Turkey, and the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. I'm not sure if they're going to be Christian or not. I have a feeling Christianity will have been snuffed out in this time line and is an underground sect that is heavily persecuted. Then we have the Muslims. The Muslims probably conquered some of the Roman Empire in their early years, mostly along the North African coast and perhaps Sicily. The Romans retaliated and retook Sicily almost immediately, and by 900 AD they had pushed the Muslims back into Arabia, reclaiming all of their lost territory. By this time Germany had also been conquered and by 1500 AD Germans are no longer "barbarians" but civilized little Romans. Intermarriage and stuff ensues in that long interim. At some point the Romans probably came into conflict with the Vikings, and took some parts of Southern Scandinavia. The Scandinavians are still a threat but are kept at bay. In the east Russia is becoming a force to be reckoned with. The Romans have also probably sent a few naval expeditions around Africa, and perhaps have discovered America at this point. Rome, for the most part though, is done expanding and only wishes to defend her borders. It is for the most part stable, but nations can only last so long...

This is just a rough outline of some of my ideas. I'm not a master of geopolitics or anything, but had the Empire survived this is what seems likely. I have no idea what the thing is in history that allowed the Empire to survive, but I'll figure that out. So what do you guys think? It's an ambitious project that will require a lot of study, but I think it has potential.

 

[The Judge]

Well, I'm not an expert on this kind of thing, but you're not the first to have thought of it. To my knowledge there's someone who has posted on the critiques thread which posits the continuation of the Roman empire and I'd be amazed if there aren't published novels with the same plot line. Having said that, as we are continually telling ourselves the idea alone isn't enough, it's the execution of the idea which is important. So beaver away. Do your research - into 16th century life as much as the Roman world -- and let your imagination loose. But remember, your readers don't want a history lesson. They are interested in people, and what people do. Your characters are paramount, not the society and time in which they live (though, of course they are products of that society and time).

Good luck with it.

 

[chrispenycate]

I think you'll find that the 'cusp point' in alternate history best represented numerically in books is the American civil war, though the fall of the third Reich is a serious contender.

In your research you should definitely try and read Harry Turtledove's "Agent of Byzantium", where the split was caused by Mohammed becoming a Christian monk, leaving Persia as the counterbalance both military and religious to the (mainly Greek) eastern empire.

Yes, you're intending to avoid the schism between the segments of Rome; the Romans would have liked to do as much, and they were great administrators and organisers, but the scale beat them; the trouble is, the reaction time with distances that great cannot damp out rebellion and secession without higher tech communications than could be managed at the time, even though the Empire was at the peak of technology.

Without the dark ages, how far would science have developed by the sixteenth century? Unless the empire became considerably more repressive than previously, quite a long way; possibly up to where we are now? It was, after all, the fall of Byzantium that fired the renaissance, with knowledge stored and not built upon for centuries. Well, I look forward to shooting holes in your theories…

 

[Dang]

My Splintered project (unfortunately I have four different projects on the go!) has the concept that reality was fractured by a great war. Fantasy as it were but you could use a solar/celestrial event or even 2012 magnetic field/pole reversal or a megabomb/weapon. Anyway I digress.

My humble suggestion is that I use overlapping realities. Partial parallel worlds which link together. Imagine that South Western and Central Europe to the Northern parts of Africa are controlled by a modernised Roman Empire (possibly without Constantine so they still suppress Christianity and/or Jews and in true Roman style have adopted Hindu/African beliefs into their pantheon)

Parallel to them and occupying duplicates of the same land/cities and people the Germans rose to power and built a powerful Reich with airships and rockets. They control as far as Austria and border on what would be Italy. Because both realities overlap you have two factions - the mystic Imperial Rome investigating a way to beach the mysterious barrier between realties. The scientific Germans meanwhile have gathered the finest scientist, explorers and military minds to try their own attempts to conquer new "living space". Now you can have both powers facing off. Up to you where you go with that.

Anyway its just a quick 5 minute idea I offer. Hope it helps.

 

[Dang]

Sorry for the double post but googling and quoting HistoryOnTheNet this springs out to me "No one had decided on a good way to choose an Emperor,. This meant that any general could march into Rome, kill the Emperor and make himself the next Emperor. In 73 years there were 23 Emperors and 20 of them were murdered"

I say create a powerful Emperor who can surive these enemies and maybe Rome would have adapted and survived.