Cuāuhtemōc
Banned
I don't know how but I am going to make sure this timeline ends up winning next year's Turtledoves. It's magnificent.
After Actium: Two Caesars Are Not Enough
- Thread starter Velasco
- Start date
Not many people seem to be reading this but I'm glad the ones that do like it
Oh, you've definitely got readers.
Chapter XII: Cleopatra of the East
The expulsion of the pretender Tiridates had, at least temporarily, secured the western border of the Parthian empire. His Roman benefactors were only able to bring him as far east as Edessa, where he was half-arsedly installed as an unwelcome over-king to the much dissatisfied local ruler Abgar II. The Emperor Vipsanian Augustus’s progress east had stalled in Thrace, where the outbreak of rebellions in Moesia and Barbarian raids from Dacia effectively halted the organization of a suitable force for the all-out invasion of Mesopotamia he had in mind.
Triumphant, Phraates IV and his court passed through Armenia and Antropatene. From Artaxata he dispatched a small force northward into the kingdom of the Bosphorus. He ordered the execution of the king Asander and forced the marriage of the Queen Dynamis with rival-king (also her uncle) Mithridates of Pontus. Retreating south, he installed his son-in-law Darius [1] as prince in Antropatene, before withdrawing to his Royal palace in Ctesiphon for the winter months.
Cleopatra accompanied the court to Ctesiphon, where she and Alexander Helios were received in grand style by Phraates’ daughter Sayarsis[2]. Phraates and Sayarsis eagerly put on a grand spectacle of banquets and festivities, all calculated to impress upon their illustrious guests the might and grandeur of the Parthian Empire. Wisely, Oxyartes Surena had held off from marrying Cleopatra himself, so as not to offend his ever-paranoid King. It is probable he only carried on his liasion with her long enough as to bring her unimpeded to his King.
His judgement call proved correct, for Phraates was of a mind that no man other than himself would make a fit consort for the Egyptian Queen. Her fame preceded her; to allow so powerful a subject as Surena to marry her would be a challenge to his own prestige and the stability of his throne. Accordingly, Phraates promptly took and married Cleopatra, putting away his other wives and making her his Queen. Alexander Helios was also elevated and sent for an educational stay amongst the Dahae, as was common for Parthian royal heirs.
Entertainment for Cleopatra and Sayarsis
Peace in the west freed up the Parthians to turn their eyes east. From the eastern confines of the Parthian realm to the northernmost reaches of India, there had emerged a multitude of diminutive Indo-Bactrian and Indo-Greek principalities. These were under constant harassment from the Saka (Scythian) tribes and the Yuezhi, who respectively occupied western and eastern Bactria. The Parthians pretended to some sort of loose supremacy over the region; at very least, the petty kings and chieftians should tend to their affairs and not ruffle any Parthian feathers. Unfortunately for the status quo, the Saka had of late proven troublesome by reason of their increasingly frequent incursions southward into Seistan, incindentally the fiefdom of Suren himself. Whilst busy in the east, Suren had sent against them a small force under his client Vijayamitra, the satrap of Indike Leuke (lit. "white India").
Now Phraates sent him back east, where he joined Vijayamitra with a substantial levy from his patrimonial lands. With the assistance of Phraates' staunch allies the Dahae, who marched under the command of Artabanus[3], the Parthian troops moved in a pincer movement against the Saka in western Bactria. Through 27BC Oxyartes hacked, raped and pillaged his way as far north as the Oxus, eventually taking the city of Bactria.
In the mean time, Phraates and Cleopatra had left the bulk of the court behind in Ctesiphon, desiring to undertake a quick tour passing through Babylon, Characene, Susa, Esfahan and Ecbatana, from where they would return to Ctesiphon. Things took a turn for the worse during their stay at the court of Attambalos II of Characene, on the Persian Gulf, where Phraates was beset by violent dreams. At the same time Cleopatra's face grew grossly swollen, thanks to an infection of her teeth which caused her great pain. Her sufferring was only alleviated by the extraction of the problematic tooth, which had to be yanked out with such vigour that it flew out of her mouth. The King's diviners were unanimous as to the meaning of these omens: great suffering would come over Phraates, unless Cleopatra was removed from her position and flung to the East. The chief of the mages also advised Phraates not to put the Queen to death, so as not to offend the Gods; she was, after all, Isis manifest.
The diviners hand their interpretation to the King
Phraates was immediately resolved to send Cleopatra away - no Queen was worth his own well-being. This he did in the most benevolent of terms, granting to her many gifts, coffers of jewels and trains of slaves. He also gave her for wife to his son Saraspades. The Saka having been pacified, he ordered Oxyartes to bring Cleopatra in grand style to Bactria, where she was to be installed as Queen.
Throughout all of this, Cleopatra kept her cool and adapted to the shift of events. Since Augustus had invaded Egypt, she focused on one chief goal: her survival. And now, at last, fate had brought her to the exotic east and presented her with her own kingdom, far outside the reach of Rome. As in Alexandria, she was fawned over by a Greek nobility elated to once again enjoy the rule of one of their own. She was Queen once again - not just in name, not just in reputation, but in fact. The Gods had taken their time but that no longer mattered: she was still Isis, the great Queen of Heaven, and she would not shy away from exercising her prerogative as the divine mistress of all of the affairs of the East.
Triumphant, Phraates IV and his court passed through Armenia and Antropatene. From Artaxata he dispatched a small force northward into the kingdom of the Bosphorus. He ordered the execution of the king Asander and forced the marriage of the Queen Dynamis with rival-king (also her uncle) Mithridates of Pontus. Retreating south, he installed his son-in-law Darius [1] as prince in Antropatene, before withdrawing to his Royal palace in Ctesiphon for the winter months.
Cleopatra accompanied the court to Ctesiphon, where she and Alexander Helios were received in grand style by Phraates’ daughter Sayarsis[2]. Phraates and Sayarsis eagerly put on a grand spectacle of banquets and festivities, all calculated to impress upon their illustrious guests the might and grandeur of the Parthian Empire. Wisely, Oxyartes Surena had held off from marrying Cleopatra himself, so as not to offend his ever-paranoid King. It is probable he only carried on his liasion with her long enough as to bring her unimpeded to his King.
His judgement call proved correct, for Phraates was of a mind that no man other than himself would make a fit consort for the Egyptian Queen. Her fame preceded her; to allow so powerful a subject as Surena to marry her would be a challenge to his own prestige and the stability of his throne. Accordingly, Phraates promptly took and married Cleopatra, putting away his other wives and making her his Queen. Alexander Helios was also elevated and sent for an educational stay amongst the Dahae, as was common for Parthian royal heirs.
Entertainment for Cleopatra and Sayarsis
Peace in the west freed up the Parthians to turn their eyes east. From the eastern confines of the Parthian realm to the northernmost reaches of India, there had emerged a multitude of diminutive Indo-Bactrian and Indo-Greek principalities. These were under constant harassment from the Saka (Scythian) tribes and the Yuezhi, who respectively occupied western and eastern Bactria. The Parthians pretended to some sort of loose supremacy over the region; at very least, the petty kings and chieftians should tend to their affairs and not ruffle any Parthian feathers. Unfortunately for the status quo, the Saka had of late proven troublesome by reason of their increasingly frequent incursions southward into Seistan, incindentally the fiefdom of Suren himself. Whilst busy in the east, Suren had sent against them a small force under his client Vijayamitra, the satrap of Indike Leuke (lit. "white India").
Now Phraates sent him back east, where he joined Vijayamitra with a substantial levy from his patrimonial lands. With the assistance of Phraates' staunch allies the Dahae, who marched under the command of Artabanus[3], the Parthian troops moved in a pincer movement against the Saka in western Bactria. Through 27BC Oxyartes hacked, raped and pillaged his way as far north as the Oxus, eventually taking the city of Bactria.
In the mean time, Phraates and Cleopatra had left the bulk of the court behind in Ctesiphon, desiring to undertake a quick tour passing through Babylon, Characene, Susa, Esfahan and Ecbatana, from where they would return to Ctesiphon. Things took a turn for the worse during their stay at the court of Attambalos II of Characene, on the Persian Gulf, where Phraates was beset by violent dreams. At the same time Cleopatra's face grew grossly swollen, thanks to an infection of her teeth which caused her great pain. Her sufferring was only alleviated by the extraction of the problematic tooth, which had to be yanked out with such vigour that it flew out of her mouth. The King's diviners were unanimous as to the meaning of these omens: great suffering would come over Phraates, unless Cleopatra was removed from her position and flung to the East. The chief of the mages also advised Phraates not to put the Queen to death, so as not to offend the Gods; she was, after all, Isis manifest.
The diviners hand their interpretation to the King
Phraates was immediately resolved to send Cleopatra away - no Queen was worth his own well-being. This he did in the most benevolent of terms, granting to her many gifts, coffers of jewels and trains of slaves. He also gave her for wife to his son Saraspades. The Saka having been pacified, he ordered Oxyartes to bring Cleopatra in grand style to Bactria, where she was to be installed as Queen.
Throughout all of this, Cleopatra kept her cool and adapted to the shift of events. Since Augustus had invaded Egypt, she focused on one chief goal: her survival. And now, at last, fate had brought her to the exotic east and presented her with her own kingdom, far outside the reach of Rome. As in Alexandria, she was fawned over by a Greek nobility elated to once again enjoy the rule of one of their own. She was Queen once again - not just in name, not just in reputation, but in fact. The Gods had taken their time but that no longer mattered: she was still Isis, the great Queen of Heaven, and she would not shy away from exercising her prerogative as the divine mistress of all of the affairs of the East.
[1] Darius was the son of Artavasdes II of Media Antropatene and OTL ancestor of future Kings of Parthia thanks to his marriage with a Parthian princess.
[2] Sayarsis is an invented name, feminine derivation from historical Persian name Xsayarsa (Xerxes/Ahasuerus). No idea if it would be a valid name, but it sounds about right.
[3] Artabanus was either the son of Phraates IV or a distant kinsman, raised among the nomad Dahae.
Chapter XIII: The State of Affairs in the West 28-26BC
Caesarion's marriage to his step-mother Calpurnia Pisonis only made him more popular and powerful than ever. The support of her family and control of her fortune were welcome boons to the ambitious young man's fledling political career. Having served a brief term as a chief military tribune (tribunus laticlavius) in Macedonia, he was appointed to the College of Pontiffs and made a quaestor eight years younger than customary. Shortly after his promotion, Calpurnia was delivered of a small baby daughter, who was named Julia Calpurnia in order to differentiate her from the two other Julia Caesaris, the daughters of Octavian and Vipsanian (though the latter was better known by her former name Vipsania Agrippina). Years later Cleopatra would comment on the girl's striking resemblance to her mother.
The marriage to Calpurnia had been interpreted by Vipsanian as a direct affront to his authority, though Caesarion's popularity and revolt in Moesia prevented him from doing anything about it. In the west, the Imperator Occidentalis Crassus administered Gaul without significant disturbances, giving aid to Publicola Imperator Hispaniae in his war with the Cantabri, Vaccaei and Astures. Inexplicably (in Roman eyes), the united barbarians defeated a significantly larger Roman force and captured a Roman standard; the ensuing campaign that Publicola waged against them was marred by a string of Roman defeats. The brief respites provided by occassional, minor Roman victories were always promptly brought to an end.
Astur warriors
Publicola's defeats in the west provided the perfect platform for what Vipsanian planned as his perfect campaign against the Parthians. With Moesia and Dacia once more at peace, he finally assembled an expeditionary force of some 85,000 men and crossed the Bosporus into Asia.
The marriage to Calpurnia had been interpreted by Vipsanian as a direct affront to his authority, though Caesarion's popularity and revolt in Moesia prevented him from doing anything about it. In the west, the Imperator Occidentalis Crassus administered Gaul without significant disturbances, giving aid to Publicola Imperator Hispaniae in his war with the Cantabri, Vaccaei and Astures. Inexplicably (in Roman eyes), the united barbarians defeated a significantly larger Roman force and captured a Roman standard; the ensuing campaign that Publicola waged against them was marred by a string of Roman defeats. The brief respites provided by occassional, minor Roman victories were always promptly brought to an end.
Astur warriors
Publicola's defeats in the west provided the perfect platform for what Vipsanian planned as his perfect campaign against the Parthians. With Moesia and Dacia once more at peace, he finally assembled an expeditionary force of some 85,000 men and crossed the Bosporus into Asia.
Nice one. There were still Greco-Buddhists in northern India at this point, weren't there? It would be interesting to see what the Incarnate Isis, queen of a reborn Bactrian kingdom, makes of the descendants of Menander.
There are indeed. I'd expect the petty Indo-Greek kings to be quite in awe of Cleopatra and quite eager to get on her good side. Most likely Cleopatra will have Alexander Helios married to at least one neighbouring princess and set the stage for plenty of intermarriage between the Bactrian Cleopatrids and the Indo-Parthian, Indo-Scythian and Indo-Greek houses.
Chapter XIV: Ptolemies Restored
Upon his invasion of Egypt and the removal of joint monarchs Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion from the throne, Augustus had nominated Gaius Cornelius Gallus to serve him as praefectus Aegypti. The province was to be treated as the Emperor's personal property, with the prefect to govern and collect taxes on his behalf. The sudden death of Augustus and the intervention of the Greco-Egyptian nobility and priests had extracted from his successor Vipsanian a promise that, once in Rome, he would settle the succession to the throne and provide the Egyptians with a monarch of their own.
In the mean time, Gallus took up residence in Alexandria and set about consolidating Roman hold on the land. The arrival of Roman tax collectors lead to uprisings in Thebes and Heroonpolis in the Nile Delta, which Gallus competently put down.
At length, Vipsanian kept his promise and appointed Ptolemy XVI Grammateus ('the Librarian') and Lysandra to rule jointly on the throne. Lysandra was the daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes and his non-dynastic wife Mithridatis of Pontus, whilst Grammateus was the son of the usurper Berenice IV, born to her in prison after she had been deposed. Though both were fully royal in lineage, they were considered illegitimate as the issue of unofficial unions outside of the direct royal line. The legitimate heirs were those born in the purple, usually to the King and his sister-Queen, or alternatively to the crown prince and his sister-wife. The legitimate heirs led public lives and were, from birth, prominently featured in all inscriptions and momuments erected by their parents - contrary to the issue of lesser wives and concubines, who were side-lined and ignored. However, with the dynasty facing almost certain extinction, and with the strong arm of Rome to sustain them, Grammateus and Lysandra were able to assume the throne without any opposition from their countrymen.
In a fairly novel arrangement, it was determined that the two were to hold the throne as clients of the Emperor, and indirectly of the Republic; if Egypt was his personal property, he was within bounds to name local rulers to govern on his behalf. They also consented to the continued residence of the prefect, who acted as the Emperor's representative, overseeing the collection of his taxes and enough grain to meet the needs of Rome.
Lysandra and Grammateus were married in Rome, so that she was already with child when they arrived to take possession of their ancestral kingdom. She gave birth to twin sons, both named Ptolemy. Shortly thereafter Lysandra abandoned the grotesque Grammateus in Alexandria and accompanied Gallus in his march south. This march was the first time a Roman army had ventured so far south, passing even the first Cataract of the Nile. Grammateus was too occupied with his eromenoi, feasting and occassional bouts of gout to care too much about what his Queen did or didn't.
In the aftermath of Cleopatra's removal, southern Egypt had been subject to raids and expansion from the warrior queen Amanirenas, the Candace of Kush. This Queen and her husband Teriteqas had their capital at Meroe on the east bank of the Nile. Together they pursued an aggressive expansionist policy, subduing the Blemmyes so as to expand their rule east to the Red Sea, and now desiring to advance upwards along the Nile. Now Lysandra and Gallus lead their joint force against her - Gallus at the head of three Roman legions, Lysandra at the head of (the admittedly smaller) Egyptian levy she had managed to summon up.
Amanerinas was defeated in a number of minor skirmishes and hurriedly accepted Lysandra's offer of peace. At Gallus' behest, a buffer state was set up, Dodekaschoinos ("Twelve Miles"), comprising of the valley of the Nile between Aswan (the first Cataract) and the second cataract, in the upper reaches of the Sudan to the south of Abu Simbel. These lands had been a bone of contention between Ptolemy Egypt and it's southern neighbours for some generations by this point in time. Lysandra appointed Nebwawy, the High Priest of Khnum, to rule the land, and married him to Nesisti, a high-born lady of the Blemmye who served as high priestess at the great temple of Isis at Philae. Their dominion stretched eastward beyond their desert capital Deraib to a largely nominal suzerainty over the Trogodites people, who resided along the Red Sea coast and in the Nubian desert. Amanerinas recognised Lysandra as her senior and agreed to an annual tribute comprising ivory, gold, ebony, exotic animals and their skins, and slaves.
The campaign did not bring about any effective Egyptian or Roman presence in Ethiopia, but provided appropriately for the interests of all parties. An autonomous Dodekaschoinos posed a threat to neither Egypt nor Kush, and though it was a satellite of Egypt, the Kushites were at liberty to maintain their dealings in the area. Peace allowed for the tranquil carrying out of a trade that was far more lucrative to all than warfare; the lines of commerce from central Africa through Kush upwards along the Nile, and the sea-faring merchants from Seres and India who brought their goods to Arabia, from there to the Red Sea, and from there across the desert to Coptos on the Nile.
Their mutual border secure, both Queens were free to turn their attentions elsewhere.
By the time their army began the return march north, Lysandra and Gallus had become lovers. Perhaps they already were at the outset of the campaign. This was evidenced by the erection of a joint monument at Syene, and another at Apollinopolis, in which Gallus' name appeared alongside Lysandra's. Sensing what was afoot, the grossly obese Grammateus departed from Alexandria. Leaving behind his two infant sons by Lysandra, he escaped with his boy lovers and personal attendants to the kingdom of Herod of Judaea. His ways being unacceptable to the Jews, he proceeded to Syria, from where he wrote to Vipsanian, exposing the lovers and requesting Vipsanian give him the young Cleopatra Selene (daughter of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra VII) fo wife. During his brief stay in Jerusalem he brought forward a teenage son of his (so he claimed), named Ptolemy Philopator ('the Father-Loving'), who married Salampsio, a daughter of Herod, in a show of mutual friendship and support.
Grammateus arrived at Antioch just as Vipsanian withdrew from Ephesus, where he had gone to sacrifice. With the bulk of Rome's legions in the East, and with Vipsanian infuriated at Gallus' behaviour (surely the prefect did not fancy himself some new type of Julius Caesar?), it was showdown time.
In the mean time, Gallus took up residence in Alexandria and set about consolidating Roman hold on the land. The arrival of Roman tax collectors lead to uprisings in Thebes and Heroonpolis in the Nile Delta, which Gallus competently put down.
At length, Vipsanian kept his promise and appointed Ptolemy XVI Grammateus ('the Librarian') and Lysandra to rule jointly on the throne. Lysandra was the daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes and his non-dynastic wife Mithridatis of Pontus, whilst Grammateus was the son of the usurper Berenice IV, born to her in prison after she had been deposed. Though both were fully royal in lineage, they were considered illegitimate as the issue of unofficial unions outside of the direct royal line. The legitimate heirs were those born in the purple, usually to the King and his sister-Queen, or alternatively to the crown prince and his sister-wife. The legitimate heirs led public lives and were, from birth, prominently featured in all inscriptions and momuments erected by their parents - contrary to the issue of lesser wives and concubines, who were side-lined and ignored. However, with the dynasty facing almost certain extinction, and with the strong arm of Rome to sustain them, Grammateus and Lysandra were able to assume the throne without any opposition from their countrymen.
In a fairly novel arrangement, it was determined that the two were to hold the throne as clients of the Emperor, and indirectly of the Republic; if Egypt was his personal property, he was within bounds to name local rulers to govern on his behalf. They also consented to the continued residence of the prefect, who acted as the Emperor's representative, overseeing the collection of his taxes and enough grain to meet the needs of Rome.
Lysandra and Grammateus were married in Rome, so that she was already with child when they arrived to take possession of their ancestral kingdom. She gave birth to twin sons, both named Ptolemy. Shortly thereafter Lysandra abandoned the grotesque Grammateus in Alexandria and accompanied Gallus in his march south. This march was the first time a Roman army had ventured so far south, passing even the first Cataract of the Nile. Grammateus was too occupied with his eromenoi, feasting and occassional bouts of gout to care too much about what his Queen did or didn't.
In the aftermath of Cleopatra's removal, southern Egypt had been subject to raids and expansion from the warrior queen Amanirenas, the Candace of Kush. This Queen and her husband Teriteqas had their capital at Meroe on the east bank of the Nile. Together they pursued an aggressive expansionist policy, subduing the Blemmyes so as to expand their rule east to the Red Sea, and now desiring to advance upwards along the Nile. Now Lysandra and Gallus lead their joint force against her - Gallus at the head of three Roman legions, Lysandra at the head of (the admittedly smaller) Egyptian levy she had managed to summon up.
Amanerinas was defeated in a number of minor skirmishes and hurriedly accepted Lysandra's offer of peace. At Gallus' behest, a buffer state was set up, Dodekaschoinos ("Twelve Miles"), comprising of the valley of the Nile between Aswan (the first Cataract) and the second cataract, in the upper reaches of the Sudan to the south of Abu Simbel. These lands had been a bone of contention between Ptolemy Egypt and it's southern neighbours for some generations by this point in time. Lysandra appointed Nebwawy, the High Priest of Khnum, to rule the land, and married him to Nesisti, a high-born lady of the Blemmye who served as high priestess at the great temple of Isis at Philae. Their dominion stretched eastward beyond their desert capital Deraib to a largely nominal suzerainty over the Trogodites people, who resided along the Red Sea coast and in the Nubian desert. Amanerinas recognised Lysandra as her senior and agreed to an annual tribute comprising ivory, gold, ebony, exotic animals and their skins, and slaves.
The campaign did not bring about any effective Egyptian or Roman presence in Ethiopia, but provided appropriately for the interests of all parties. An autonomous Dodekaschoinos posed a threat to neither Egypt nor Kush, and though it was a satellite of Egypt, the Kushites were at liberty to maintain their dealings in the area. Peace allowed for the tranquil carrying out of a trade that was far more lucrative to all than warfare; the lines of commerce from central Africa through Kush upwards along the Nile, and the sea-faring merchants from Seres and India who brought their goods to Arabia, from there to the Red Sea, and from there across the desert to Coptos on the Nile.
Their mutual border secure, both Queens were free to turn their attentions elsewhere.
By the time their army began the return march north, Lysandra and Gallus had become lovers. Perhaps they already were at the outset of the campaign. This was evidenced by the erection of a joint monument at Syene, and another at Apollinopolis, in which Gallus' name appeared alongside Lysandra's. Sensing what was afoot, the grossly obese Grammateus departed from Alexandria. Leaving behind his two infant sons by Lysandra, he escaped with his boy lovers and personal attendants to the kingdom of Herod of Judaea. His ways being unacceptable to the Jews, he proceeded to Syria, from where he wrote to Vipsanian, exposing the lovers and requesting Vipsanian give him the young Cleopatra Selene (daughter of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra VII) fo wife. During his brief stay in Jerusalem he brought forward a teenage son of his (so he claimed), named Ptolemy Philopator ('the Father-Loving'), who married Salampsio, a daughter of Herod, in a show of mutual friendship and support.
Grammateus arrived at Antioch just as Vipsanian withdrew from Ephesus, where he had gone to sacrifice. With the bulk of Rome's legions in the East, and with Vipsanian infuriated at Gallus' behaviour (surely the prefect did not fancy himself some new type of Julius Caesar?), it was showdown time.
Chapter XV: The Parthian Campaign, 26-25 BCE
Ahead of Vipsanian’s advance into Mesopotamia, the rival King Tiridates had proceeded east with his own force, in order to rally support for himself against Phraates IV. He was not without allies in the Parthian Senate, and was able to advance unchallenged into Assyria. He took the important city of Hatra, capital of the King of Araba, who surrended to him without bloodshed thanks to the prompt arrival of Izates, King of Adiabene. Phraates, meanwhile, had established his forward base in Media Antropatene, desiring to make the rugged hill country of Armenia the main theatre of the oncoming war.
He succeeded and was able to draw Vipsanian's forces into a skirmish outside of Tigranakert, where the Romans were soundly routed. The fool Tiridates had meanwhile decided to press his advantage and march towards Ctesiphon, only to be overcome by a far superior force of Elamite, Scythian and Parthian warriors lead by Phraates' sons Vonones, Saraspades and Phraanes. Vipsanian's campaign had centered around the idea of placing Tiridates as a Roman client on the Parthian throne; he hoped Tiridates presence would give his invasion legitimacy in face of the unpopular Phraates' tyranny. As the armies drew closer for a full-blown confrontation north-east of Melitene, Vipsanian was forced to dispatch a significant number of men south-eastward to rescue Tiridates. These men were successful but their absence cost Vipsanian the victory at Melitene and forced him to draw back in direction of Edessa. At Melitene many from the Roman side were captured, including Vipsanian's beloved brother Lucius Agrippa and the King of Commagene. A second battle near Melitene was the first sound Roman victory of the campaign, but the Parthians sustained only minor casualties. Phraates stayed put in Armenia but sent orders for his three sons to cross the desert to Palmyra. The Palmyrans were semi-nomadic Parthian allies, depending on the caravan trade that came from Persia. With their assistance, the King's sons intended to march into the Decapolis and take Damascus.
On the matter of Egypt, Vipsanian had sided with Grammateus and granted his request, sending for Cleopatra Selene to be brought to Syria from Octavia's home in Athens. His wrath with Gallus had been placated somewhat by the arrival of a large embassy bearing rich gifts from Lysandra and Gallus, with which Vipsanian quickly set about trying to ransom his brother. Vipsanian ordered Gallus to come before him and Lysandra to keep her peace and take back her husband (which was, in reality, a certain death sentence), but was surprehended by news that Gallus and Lysandra came forth at the head of a large army, including two legions and the Gallic guard Caesar had previously given Cleopatra.
Given passage by Herod, this force came into Damascus and soundly crushed the combined Parthian-Palmyran invaders. Lysandra personally decapitated the King's three sons Vonones, Saraspades and Phraanes, sending forward their heads as gifts to Vipsanian.
This unexpected show of brutality initially horrified Vipsanian, who fear a reprisal in like kind from Phraates. Instead, the generally psychopathic Phraates thought little of it - perhaps relieved at the removal of three potential dynastic rivals (even if they were his own sons) - and sent entreaties of peace to Vipsanian. Though Vipsanian wanted to capitalize on Lysandra's victory, he had no wish to further imperill his brother's life and had already incurred huge casualties, losing some 20,000 men without so much as kicking a stone in Mesopotamia.
On Lysandra's good advice, Vipsanian hurriedly brought about the brutal execution of Phraates' rival Tiridates, sending forward the man's corpse as a show of his good will to Parthia.
The two armies met and Vipsanian and Phraates feasted together. Both sides were eager to save face and bring about a quick peace. The relieved Phraates handed over Artaxias II of Armenia, who had put to death all of the Romans in his kingdom. Artaxias' kingdom was divided in three: a portion enlarged the Roman client kingdom of Sophene, another was set up into the new province of Iberia, and what was left was handed to Artaxias' brother Tigranes to hold as a vassal of Parthia.
In recriprocity, Vipsanian handed over the rebel Kings of Adiabene and Araba. Phraates handed over all of the prisoners he had taken, also giving Vipsanian custody of the girl Pompeia Magna, the daughter of the Roman rebel Sextus Pompey who had fled with her father to Anotalia and sold, after his capture, into captivity in Parthia. Finally, the Bosporus Kingdom was recognised as falling under Rome's sphere of influence and the kingdoms of Media Antropatene and Albania left as Parthian vassals.
In gratitude, Vipsanian retained Gallus and Lysandra as allies. Gallus was maintained as prefect, and Lysandra appointed regent for her eldest son Ptolemy Philippus. Grammataeus was given the island of Cyprus and Cleopatra Selene sent home to Athens.
He succeeded and was able to draw Vipsanian's forces into a skirmish outside of Tigranakert, where the Romans were soundly routed. The fool Tiridates had meanwhile decided to press his advantage and march towards Ctesiphon, only to be overcome by a far superior force of Elamite, Scythian and Parthian warriors lead by Phraates' sons Vonones, Saraspades and Phraanes. Vipsanian's campaign had centered around the idea of placing Tiridates as a Roman client on the Parthian throne; he hoped Tiridates presence would give his invasion legitimacy in face of the unpopular Phraates' tyranny. As the armies drew closer for a full-blown confrontation north-east of Melitene, Vipsanian was forced to dispatch a significant number of men south-eastward to rescue Tiridates. These men were successful but their absence cost Vipsanian the victory at Melitene and forced him to draw back in direction of Edessa. At Melitene many from the Roman side were captured, including Vipsanian's beloved brother Lucius Agrippa and the King of Commagene. A second battle near Melitene was the first sound Roman victory of the campaign, but the Parthians sustained only minor casualties. Phraates stayed put in Armenia but sent orders for his three sons to cross the desert to Palmyra. The Palmyrans were semi-nomadic Parthian allies, depending on the caravan trade that came from Persia. With their assistance, the King's sons intended to march into the Decapolis and take Damascus.
On the matter of Egypt, Vipsanian had sided with Grammateus and granted his request, sending for Cleopatra Selene to be brought to Syria from Octavia's home in Athens. His wrath with Gallus had been placated somewhat by the arrival of a large embassy bearing rich gifts from Lysandra and Gallus, with which Vipsanian quickly set about trying to ransom his brother. Vipsanian ordered Gallus to come before him and Lysandra to keep her peace and take back her husband (which was, in reality, a certain death sentence), but was surprehended by news that Gallus and Lysandra came forth at the head of a large army, including two legions and the Gallic guard Caesar had previously given Cleopatra.
Given passage by Herod, this force came into Damascus and soundly crushed the combined Parthian-Palmyran invaders. Lysandra personally decapitated the King's three sons Vonones, Saraspades and Phraanes, sending forward their heads as gifts to Vipsanian.
This unexpected show of brutality initially horrified Vipsanian, who fear a reprisal in like kind from Phraates. Instead, the generally psychopathic Phraates thought little of it - perhaps relieved at the removal of three potential dynastic rivals (even if they were his own sons) - and sent entreaties of peace to Vipsanian. Though Vipsanian wanted to capitalize on Lysandra's victory, he had no wish to further imperill his brother's life and had already incurred huge casualties, losing some 20,000 men without so much as kicking a stone in Mesopotamia.
On Lysandra's good advice, Vipsanian hurriedly brought about the brutal execution of Phraates' rival Tiridates, sending forward the man's corpse as a show of his good will to Parthia.
The two armies met and Vipsanian and Phraates feasted together. Both sides were eager to save face and bring about a quick peace. The relieved Phraates handed over Artaxias II of Armenia, who had put to death all of the Romans in his kingdom. Artaxias' kingdom was divided in three: a portion enlarged the Roman client kingdom of Sophene, another was set up into the new province of Iberia, and what was left was handed to Artaxias' brother Tigranes to hold as a vassal of Parthia.
In recriprocity, Vipsanian handed over the rebel Kings of Adiabene and Araba. Phraates handed over all of the prisoners he had taken, also giving Vipsanian custody of the girl Pompeia Magna, the daughter of the Roman rebel Sextus Pompey who had fled with her father to Anotalia and sold, after his capture, into captivity in Parthia. Finally, the Bosporus Kingdom was recognised as falling under Rome's sphere of influence and the kingdoms of Media Antropatene and Albania left as Parthian vassals.
In gratitude, Vipsanian retained Gallus and Lysandra as allies. Gallus was maintained as prefect, and Lysandra appointed regent for her eldest son Ptolemy Philippus. Grammataeus was given the island of Cyprus and Cleopatra Selene sent home to Athens.
I love all these updates!
Thanks! Jammy and Jonathan thank you too. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated
Cuāuhtemōc
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What will be the reaction of the Indo-Greeks to Cleopatra? If her newly instated Bactrian kingdom is strong enough, perhaps they can expand to the Indus!
What will be the reaction of the Indo-Greeks to Cleopatra? If her newly instated Bactrian kingdom is strong enough, perhaps they can expand to the Indus!
Right now her kingdom's position is precarious, at best. She holds the city of Bactria, and that's about it.
To make her situations worse, her neighbours are all big and bad: to the north-west, the Saka (Scythians), to the north-east, the Yue-Chi, to the south-west, Sistan (held by Suren), to the south-east, Indo-Greek kingdoms in Bactria and Arachosia down into the Hindu Kush and Punjab etc. What she has are political smarts and one hell of a reputation - only question is whether or not that's enough to survive in the shitstorm that's about to hit the Parthian fan. The Indo-Greeks will no doubt be in awe of her and quite receptive to having her as mistress, provided she has enough military might to fend for herself amongst these vultures.Chapter XVI: King Asander and The Death of Calpurnia
The capture of Tanais
Having departed from the company of Phraates IV of Parthia, the Emperor Vipsanian spent two months at the court of Artavasdes, King of Sophene. The peace with Parthia had enlarged the kingdom of Sophene to include the great city of Tigranocerta, which the Romans now fortified for their allies.
This accomplished, the Emperor and part of his army proceeded to Taurica (Crimea), marching northward through Iberia and Colchis. Vipsanian assisted the local archon Asander[1] in putting down a revolt of the natives which threatened to remove him from power. The end of this revolt spurred some aggression from neighbouring tribes known as the Maeotoae, against which Vipsanian and Asander undertook a joint campaign. Victory extended Asander’s rule as far as Tanais, on the mouth of the Tanais (Don) River, gaining valuable additional territory which allowed the Bosporan Kingdom to trade better with the nomadic Scythian interior and continue to provide Rome with considerable amounts of wheat, fish and slaves. The acquired strip of land was, like Egypt, treated as Vipsanian’s private property: Asander was to hold the new province of Maeotoia directly from the Emperor, with an Imperial prefect appointed to oversee the collection of taxes and tariffs. He was also granted the neighbouring province of Iberia (carved out from the Armenian Kingdom by the recent peace) on the same terms. Finally, Asander was elevated to the royal dignity, as befitting the ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom.
This campaign provided the general template of the policy Vipsanian most liked to pursue. He set up or strengthened the local ruler, granting them territory owned by him to rule on his behalf, under the watchful eye of an imperial prefect who served Vipsanian’s interests exclusively. By this means he sought to establish a solid base of power with which to maintain his rule, especially if opposition should ever force him out of Rome.
Back in Rome, Calpurnia Pisonis died when she went into labour prematurely with her second child. Caesarion was not with her, being far too busy enjoying Bacchan delights in the country with his eromenos, Iullus Antonius, the eighteen year old son of the late Mark Anthony and brother of Caesarion's closest friend and confidante Antyllus. He hurried to her side but arrived a few hours too late. He made up for his absence at her death bed with an extravagant funeral procession, in which her brother Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus gave the eulogy. At his behest the Senate awarded her the posthumous honour of Augusta and permitted she be worshipped alongside his father as Diva Calpurnia.
The child survived and received the name of Ptolomaeus Julius Caesar in accordance with the naming conventions of the Roman élite.
This accomplished, the Emperor and part of his army proceeded to Taurica (Crimea), marching northward through Iberia and Colchis. Vipsanian assisted the local archon Asander[1] in putting down a revolt of the natives which threatened to remove him from power. The end of this revolt spurred some aggression from neighbouring tribes known as the Maeotoae, against which Vipsanian and Asander undertook a joint campaign. Victory extended Asander’s rule as far as Tanais, on the mouth of the Tanais (Don) River, gaining valuable additional territory which allowed the Bosporan Kingdom to trade better with the nomadic Scythian interior and continue to provide Rome with considerable amounts of wheat, fish and slaves. The acquired strip of land was, like Egypt, treated as Vipsanian’s private property: Asander was to hold the new province of Maeotoia directly from the Emperor, with an Imperial prefect appointed to oversee the collection of taxes and tariffs. He was also granted the neighbouring province of Iberia (carved out from the Armenian Kingdom by the recent peace) on the same terms. Finally, Asander was elevated to the royal dignity, as befitting the ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom.
This campaign provided the general template of the policy Vipsanian most liked to pursue. He set up or strengthened the local ruler, granting them territory owned by him to rule on his behalf, under the watchful eye of an imperial prefect who served Vipsanian’s interests exclusively. By this means he sought to establish a solid base of power with which to maintain his rule, especially if opposition should ever force him out of Rome.
Back in Rome, Calpurnia Pisonis died when she went into labour prematurely with her second child. Caesarion was not with her, being far too busy enjoying Bacchan delights in the country with his eromenos, Iullus Antonius, the eighteen year old son of the late Mark Anthony and brother of Caesarion's closest friend and confidante Antyllus. He hurried to her side but arrived a few hours too late. He made up for his absence at her death bed with an extravagant funeral procession, in which her brother Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus gave the eulogy. At his behest the Senate awarded her the posthumous honour of Augusta and permitted she be worshipped alongside his father as Diva Calpurnia.
The child survived and received the name of Ptolomaeus Julius Caesar in accordance with the naming conventions of the Roman élite.
[1]Son of the first Asander, who was put to death by the Parthians.
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Feedback, comments, criticisms would really be welcome guys
Vipsanian's policy seems to make sense, but it might encourage a ruler to become greedy. I like the TL so far, and have been reading when I can.