what if Justinian had a male heir, and decided that after his death the empire should have divide in 2, with a western part formed by the reconquered territories (africa, italy, spain and dalmatia) and ruled by a ceasar or a junior emperor? would this arrangement have changed the fate of the western half of the empire, or was it bound to fall? what happens when the lombards arrive?
What if Justinian devided the empire in western and eastern part
- Thread starter ELMRIS
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I believe I've read that Justinian actually did consider this at one point, before ultimately deciding against it - so it's entirely possible that he could end up going through with the plan in the ATL.
On paper, it actually looks like a good solution - it would allow the Eastern Empire to focus more of its attention upon the Persian frontier and free up manpower. There are some problems though, that would need to be dealt with - Italy had largely been devestated by this point and would need time to recover (though the presence of a healthy and stable North Africa would no doubt help in this), if the East pulls it's soldiers back, the West is going to have to build an army piecemeal and fast. It's not a sure thing that, with different circumstances, the Lombards would choose to emigrate elsewhere (or do so in a different manner), but Italy is still surrounded by potential hazards and will need to be able to defend itself. Finally, there's the issue of if Justinian's successors would honor the arrangement - late classical Roman history was full of tales of Eastern and Western Emperors conspiring against one another and seeking to reunite the East and the West.
Having said that - a renewed Western Empire, with an Emperor ruling locally and able to quickly respond to threats, does seem to have a few things going for it that Italy did not have in OTL during this same period.
On paper, it actually looks like a good solution - it would allow the Eastern Empire to focus more of its attention upon the Persian frontier and free up manpower. There are some problems though, that would need to be dealt with - Italy had largely been devestated by this point and would need time to recover (though the presence of a healthy and stable North Africa would no doubt help in this), if the East pulls it's soldiers back, the West is going to have to build an army piecemeal and fast. It's not a sure thing that, with different circumstances, the Lombards would choose to emigrate elsewhere (or do so in a different manner), but Italy is still surrounded by potential hazards and will need to be able to defend itself. Finally, there's the issue of if Justinian's successors would honor the arrangement - late classical Roman history was full of tales of Eastern and Western Emperors conspiring against one another and seeking to reunite the East and the West.
Having said that - a renewed Western Empire, with an Emperor ruling locally and able to quickly respond to threats, does seem to have a few things going for it that Italy did not have in OTL during this same period.
I don’t think it would happen. Even if he had a competent son, handled North Africa better, and the war with the Ostrogoths was overly very quickly I don’t think he would actually split it. At most I’d say he’d make his son a Caesar and co emperor and it wouldn’t a long or major split .
Well, it might have happened, but not undr Justinian: he was most likely bent on one man rule, remembering how he managed to wrestle control of the empire during the late years of Justin I (his uncle and predecessor).
Perhaps you could achieve this if the wars in the West had been more successful (ie Africa and Italy are reclaimed with relative ease), leaving the empire in a stronger position in general and still willing to engage more actively in western affairs and then have Germanus, Justinian's cousin, become emperor: he could perhaps decide to appoint his son, Justin, as junior emperor to rule over the West, both as a way to prepare him for the time he would become emperor and to better protect Roman interests in the area.
Perhaps you could achieve this if the wars in the West had been more successful (ie Africa and Italy are reclaimed with relative ease), leaving the empire in a stronger position in general and still willing to engage more actively in western affairs and then have Germanus, Justinian's cousin, become emperor: he could perhaps decide to appoint his son, Justin, as junior emperor to rule over the West, both as a way to prepare him for the time he would become emperor and to better protect Roman interests in the area.
Had he not fallen ill and died in 550, Justinian's cousin Germanus would've been a more likely candidate than Belisarius in becoming the western Emperor.
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Justinian was just another palace emperor; and rather niggardly towards his armies. Hard fighting wasn't his wheelhouse; or his generals campaigns would have gone rather better.