Third Rome in Britannia

''I originally intended this article to be about the Empire of Britannia nation itself. But it looks more like a summary, so that's what I'm going to call it. This summary may change, and I may or may not delete the things I've already written. So, just letting anyone know, who's following this page. If your still interested, check out the timeline I'm writing for this alternate world. It's addressed as ''Timeline (Third Rome in Britannia)

The Last of The Romans
The POD begins in the year 475 when the Western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos is deposed by his own general, Flavius Orestes, and flees with his followers to the island of Britannia. (Very similar to OTL, but Nepos goes to Britannia instead of his home in Dalmatia.) Although the island had already been abandoned by Rome in 410, Nepos is able to rally the native Romano-British people and drive the Saxons almost completely off the island. After the capital of Ravenna is sacked by Odoacer, and Nepos' successor, Romulus Augustus is deposed, Nepos declares the seat of government of the Western Roman Empire to be in Britannia. Backed by the Eastern Roman Empire, Nepos reigns over the traditional Roman half of the island until his death in 496 AD. During that time, he began a program of tolerance and assimilation for the native Celtic people of the island, in order to broaden his popular support base; the Roman settlers are ordered to treat the natives civilly, and slavery is abolished on the island. Although at first, the native Celts are reluctant to trust the Roman's word, they slowly begin to take greater part in the ever increasing Roman society in Britannia. Incoming Roman settlers from Italy and Gaul start a policy of intermarrying with the native Britons; a policy that will continue for centuries to come.

After the death of Julius Nepos, a charismatic Romano-British supporter of Nepos named, Ambrosius Aurelianus takes the mantle of Western Roman Emperor and officially establishes his capital at Londinium. In the summer of 500 AD, the Saxons return to the island and launch an invasion from the northeast. After securing the loyalty of the native Celtic Britons, Aurelianus organizes an army and meets the Saxons on the field; the confrontation would later be known as the Battle of Badon Hill. Although most accounts about the battle's specifics are lost, the one undisputed fact is that Aurelianus defeated the Saxons and completely drove them out of the Britannian isles. This moment was a crucial point in history for Britannia, as it forever ended the threat of Saxon invasions, and insured the survival of this "reborn" Western Roman Empire in this small island outpost.

After he utterly destroyed the Saxons, Aurelianus set his sights on the northern lands of Caledonia. The inhabitants of these northern lands, the Picts, had never been successfully conquered by the original Imperium Romanum. They had also been the indirect cause of the Saxons coming to Britannia in the first place. When Rome first withdrew from the far-flung island, the Picts raided and plundered the Romano-British settlements, forcing them to call the Saxons to the islands as mercenaries to fight the Picts. Aurelianus wanted to eliminate this Barbarian threat, and in 503 AD he crossed the old Hadrian's Wall with an army of 60,000 men, comprising of Roman immigrants, native Celts, and even some Anglo-Saxons who pledged their loyalty to the Empire, and invaded Caledonia. After a bloody (and often called a merciless campaign by modern Non-Britannian historians), The Western Roman Emperor and his Romano-British army subjugated the Picts and annexed all of Caledonia, something the Romans had never accomplished before. After the six year conquest of the "Northern Barbarians", Aurelianus started the ever growing policy of Christianizing the islands of Britannia. Although Christianity had already taken root in the Britannian Isles, it had been slow to spread among the Celtic Britons. But the Emperor changed that by peacefully sending missionaries to convert the Britons, and adopted some of their customs into the Religion. Historians believe this is how the Sun-Cross or Celtic Cross came into existence, and it is considered both a Religious and National symbol by modern Britannians.

Aurelianus reigned in peace for twelve years before setting his sights on further conquest. When Julius Nepos fled to Britannia, some parts of Northern Gaul remained loyal to him, but had been recently conquered by the Franks; who had started to consolidate their new home in Gaul. Aurelianus wanted to fulfill Nepos' dream of returning to mainland Europa, march through Gaul and Italy, and retake Rome. So in 521 AD, he organized another army, and crossed the body of water that would later be named "The Britannian Channel" and landed in northern Gaul. The locals, whom many were still ethnically Roman, joined Aurelianus and his army, and in less than a year conquered the area that are now separately known as Normandy and Brittany. However when he tried to invade the rest of Gaul, he met heavy resistance from the Franks and other Barbarians, so in 523 AD, Aurelianus signed a treaty with them, recognizing their control over most of Gaul, but the North and Northwest belonged to the "reborn" Western Roman Empire. After his Gallic venture, the noble Emperor Ambrosius Aurelianus returned to Londinium, where he took on the tasks of strengthening the Romano-British administration and economy. He built Britannia's own aqueducts, repaired, and built several more baths, and continued converting the Britons to the true Christian faith.

The Romano-British Emperor of the Western Empire, Ambrosius Aurelianus, died in his sleep in 534 AD. Although records of his date of birth are lost, he is believed to have lived to the age of 70; possibly being the oldest man in Britannia at that time. His reign is associated with saving the reestablished Roman rule in Britannia from the Saxons, while expanding the Empire to include old and new provinces. Survival and Conquest. It is believed by scholars that these two aspects of Aurelianus' reign, inspired the modern National Motto of the Empire of Britannia.

Gratia Dei salva nos, Per voluntatem Dei vincimus.

The False Empire
Aurelianus was succeeded by one of his Generals, a pure-blooded Roman named Flavius Novellus. He had been a veteran of the campaigns in Caledonia and Gaul, and was at one point Consul of the Western Empire from 527 - 530. He was a perfect candidate for Emperor, and Aurelianus had adopted him as a son and heir. Like his predecessor, the new Emperor wanted more conquests to fill the Western Empire's treasury, and to eliminate any possible enemies. After just two years on the throne, he set his sights to Britannia's neighboring island, known to the Romans as Hibernia.

So in 536, he organized an army and made landings in the Eastern points of the island. (Known to the locals as Ire.) As he predicted, the local Barbarians put up stiff resistance, but Novellus used superior strategy, and superior discipline to subjugate them. By late 537, most of the island was now Roman. But the Celtics had managed to hold on to a small piece of land in the Northwest corner of the island; it wouldn't be until 540, that the Barbarian enclave was crushed, and the whole of Hibernia secured. After his military victories, Emperor Novellus immediately sent missionaries to the Island, along with Roman settlers to "assimilate" the locals into the Empire.

While this war was going on in the Britannian Isles, in mainland Europe, the Eastern-Romans had successfully re-conquered North Africa and were waging a war in Italy against the Ostrogoths. Novellus believed that the Eastern Emperor Justinian, was conquering Western-Roman lands for him; all he had to do now was successfully invade the rest of Gaul and take it from the Franks. But Novellus soon realized that he was wrong about his "supposed" Eastern-Roman ally, when he sent a message to Justinian, offering to abandon his campaign in Hibernia and instead march through Gaul and link up with the Eastern-Roman armies in Italy. Justinian, after reading this message sent a proclamation to Novellus, and to his own Empire starting in Constantinople. The proclamation declared that the Western-Roman Empire had ceased to exit when Julius Nepos abandoned Italy and fled to a faraway island for safety. He also said that the state governing Britannia was a "false empire" and did not deserve to call itself Roman. This event in history would later be known as "The Betrayal of Justinian" and it put the two Empires at odds with each other. Emperor Novellus was shocked by the proclamation, and continued his conquest of Hibernia, realizing that Justinian wanted Italy and Rome for himself.

With the Betrayal of Justinian, Romans from Italy and even as faraway as the Eastern Empire stopped coming to Britannia. The Roman citizens living in the Britannian Isles were unsure of themselves. If they weren't Roman as Justinian said, then what were they? But Flavius Novellus wasn't giving up on his dream of liberating Rome; a dream he inherited from his predecessors along with his title. In 540, the same year Hibernia had been pacified, the Eastern-Roman Empire was once again at war with the Sassanid Persians. Novellus felt an opportunity approaching him, if Justinian pulled enough troops out of Italy to fight the Persians, he could defeat what forces were left in Italy, and the people would surely welcome the Western-Romans with open arms. However there was an obstacle blocking the way between Britannia and Italy; Gaul. Still controlled by the Franks, Gaul was fast becoming the Barbarians' new homeland, and they had even driven other groups out of the area, like the Saxons, the Visigoths, and the Alamanni. But with fierce determination to take back his own homeland, the Western-Emperor Flavius Novellus ordered an invasion of Frankish Gaul in order to take back Italy away from their Eastern-Roman cousins.

With an army of 47,000 men, Novellus attempts to invade the rest of Gaul starting with the kingdom ruled by Chlothar, a son of Clovis I. Although the invasion is initially successful, The other Frankish kingdoms unite to drive the Romano-British out of their lands. The armies of Novellus are driven back into Normandy, and the Franks start an invasion of his lands in Northern Gaul. In late 542, sensing weakness from Roman arms, the Celts in Hibernia rebel against the Western-Roman Empire; The rebellion spreads through half the island, and the Senate in Londinium pleaded for their Emperor to return to deal with the situation. After another series of defeats, and hearing of the Hibernian Revolt, Western-Emperor Flavius Novellus quickly makes peace with the Franks, and takes his army to Hibernia were they defeat the rebellion in less than a year. As a condition of the peace, the Western-Roman Empire cedes the modern land of Normandy to the Frankish Kingdom, and pays a tribute of 3,000 pounds of gold. But modern day Brittany remains a part of Novellus' dominion.

Defeated and humiliated, Novellus focuses on internal affairs to take his mind off the dream that he inherited, but will never fulfill. He continues to Christianize Hibernia or Ire, and to make sure the local people don't rebel again, he orders the construction of various forts and settlements with a majority of Roman inhabitants. One of these early settlements is a small village on the Eastern coast of the island named in its native Celtic tongue, Dubh Linn. The settlement later becomes a bustling center of Roman culture mixed with the native Celtic population. For the next 22 years, Flavius Novellus reigns in seclusion in his capital of Londinium. Although a defeated and humiliated man, he proved to be a capable administrator, and although a pure-blooded Roman, he gains popularity among the Britons by marrying a Celtic woman from Caledonia.

In the year of 564, Novellus dies after getting injured in a riding accident near the region of East Anglia. He is largely remembered by modern Britannians as a good monarch, but one who got unlucky during his reign. It is said that on his death bed, the Western-Emperor cursed the name of Eastern-Emperor Justinian; and a year later, said Emperor died himself. The Eastern Roman Empire's conquest of Italy and North Africa did not produce lasting results, as those newly required provinces are slowly lost over time. Legend has it that Novellus haunted Justinian during the last year of his reign and made the Tyrant go through a living Hell, and after the Eastern-Emperor's death, the Emperor Novellus was taken into Heaven by a guild of Angels, while Justinian was dragged into the real Hell by a mob of Devils.

The Age of Isolation
During the period known as the Early Middle ages, The Western Roman Empire entered a period of isolation from the rest of Europe. While mainland Europe became divided by new countries and kingdoms, such as France - formerly Gaul, The Holy Roman Empire in Germania, and the Muslims having invaded Iberia and conquered most of it from the Visigoths. The Britannian Isles however remained tied to an old dream of reclaiming Italy and reuniting the Roman Empire. This dream however was slowly dying, as it was only maintained by the Emperors and the Roman Aristocrats in the Senate. For hundreds of years, the Western-Romans went through several wars with France over the possession of Normandy; in some wars they would gain most of the territory, only to loose it to the Franks a decade later. Despite these constant wars, the Western Roman Empire was able to hold onto the peninsula later known as Brittany (or little Britain). Around the 9th century, most of the pure-blooded Romans had intermarried with the native Britons of Celtic descent. Although ethnically, most of the population remained Celtic, a large minority of people claimed ancestry from both Roman and Celtic lineage. This resulted in a cultural mixture of the two peoples; almost all the Celts in Hibernia and Caledonia had been Christianized, most people knew (at least some) Latin, and even their way of waging war had become mixture of cultures.

Although most Britannians claim that Knights were created during the reign of Aurelianus, most of Europe had adopted the warrior class, and had remade warfare to be for the elite only. In the Britannian Isles however, their armies were divided into three main groups. The Knights, who were made up of Nobles, and who usually rode horseback. The Legions, who were made up of the Peasants and urban workers, formed the backbone of the Western-Roman military. They had seen many reforms in military doctrine, armor, and tactics, in order to keep up with the progressing armies of Europe. And finally the Berserkers, who were made up of Celtic warriors mostly from Caledonia, they formed the shock-troops of the army and were usually accompanied by dismounted Knights.

This cultural mixup, also included the Language used by most Britannians. The Anglo-Saxons who were sparred by Emperor Aurelianus had settled in Anglia on the eastern edge of the main island. Although their own culture was slowly dying out do to absorption of Celtic and Roman cultures, they had a major impact on the people by introducing their native language known as Old-English. This language had been learned by Roman Nobles and had spread to the native peoples on the island. With later heavy Latin influence, and even Celtic influence in Hibernia, the Language evolved into modern English that is spoken by 90% of modern Britannians today. (Similar to OTL English, but with more Latin influence replacing the Norman influence and the Celtic replacing the Norse influence.)

Starting from the 8th century, conflict with the French (still referred to as Franks by Britannians), had been replaced by conflict with the Vikings who were constantly raiding their shores. To prevent the Viking Norse from actually invading the islands, and to minimize their random raids, the Western-Emperor Joannes II ordered the construction of several outposts along the coasts of the main island. If Viking ships were spotted off the coast, these outposts would signal military forts using signal lamps and fires. This would result in fast counterattacks by Legionaries against the Norse and would hopefully discourage them from attacking Britannia. This did prove to be a successful strategy, and within 20 years, Viking raids decreased to the point that there were barely any at all. However this made the Barbarian Norse turn their attentions elsewhere for plunder and conquest. In the 9th century, a Viking group called the Normans conquered and settled in Northern France. After successfully taking the area from the French, they named the land Normandy and spread their culture throughout the region. (In this Alt. timeline, the Normans settling in Normandy happens a century earlier than OTL, due to failed Viking raids in Britannia.) This was taken as an indirect insult by the Western-Roman Empire, since they regularly laid claim to that region, and it had remained culturally Roman for centuries.

These centuries were marked by cultural and economic decline in mainland Europe, while Britannia excelled in different cultures & traditions. And despite taking a isolationist stance with Europe, the Western-Empire was able to maintain its economy mostly through increased domestic business and farming. On the onset of the 10th century, the stage had been set for new wars, and had been set for a powerful new country to emerge off the edge of Europe that would never decline, and to this day remain the greatest superpower on Earth.

Another Failed Invasion and The Rise of a New Empire
In the year 1064 AD, a young man was elected to the throne of the Western Roman Empire by the Senate. Lucius Decimus Murchad was the son of an influential Senator of Celtic origin; he is believed to be the first pure-blooded Celt to be an Emperor of one of the Roman Empires. A distant cousin by marriage named William I of Normandy laid claim to the throne of the Western-Empire over young Murchad. William sent emissaries to the Senate demanding that they anoint him Caesar and declare the young Emperor an upstart. The Senate was outraged and refused his raving demands. After their refusal, William prepared his forces for war, with support from Flanders and the Kingdom of the Franks (France). However Murchad was not incompetent as he was young; he sent messages to the Pope asking him to condemn William for his unsupported claims. The Papal States and the Western Roman Empire had been on good terms with each other, and in late 1065, Pope Alexander II gave his support to Emperor Lucius Murchad and his followers. Despite this, William went ahead with his invasion plans after the urging of the French; and he would soon get his opportunity to conquer the Western-Roman Empire.

In Spring 1066 AD, the Viking King of Norway Harald Hardrada attempted to invade Britannia and add the fledgling Roman domain to his Kingdom. However the string of watchtowers set up years ago spotted the Norse fleet and signaled to the local Legions. They in-turn, sent the message to Londinium and to the Imperial Fleet which was arguably the most powerful in Europe. Poor weather prevented Harald from landing his army and forced him to anchor his fleet off the coast. This bought the Western-Roman fleet enough time to organize and prepare for engagement at sea. As soon as the weather cleared the Norse spotted a large fleet of Roman warships heading their way. Despite being renowned seafarers, the Norwegians' fleet consisted of transport ships and could not fight effectively against the Western-Romans. After a day of fierce naval warfare, the Viking fleet was utterly destroyed; thousands of men drowned, including King Harald. While this was a great victory against the dreaded Vikings, to the south, their cousins had already set sail for Britannia.

Emperor Murchad had anticipated William's move, and he ordered almost the entire army, comprising of Legionaries, Knights, and Berserkers to march south where the Normans would most likely land. On 28 September, the Normans lead by William himself landed on the southern coat of Britannia. They had also brought Flemish and French mercenaries to fight alongside them, but the actual invasion force comprised of only 12,000 men. William had not heard of Harald's defeat at sea, and he assumed the Roman Legions were far north, still fighting against the Norse. However he could not have been more shocked when he started creating a fort around the town of Hastings, and the full might of the Western-Roman Empire came bearing down on him. William quickly took command of his army and ordered his archers to begin firing arrows into the ranks of the Legions.

In command of the Romano-British army was Emperor Lucius Murchad himself. Despite his farther's and the Senate's warnings, the young man rode out to battle to fight alongside his Legions, and to defend his Empire. With an army of 18,000 men, The Emperor of just 16 years of age, ordered his men to take the hill around the town of Hastings; thus giving the Western-Romans an advantage against the Normans. William's archers fired continuous volleys of arrows into the tight ranks of the Romans, but it had little effect due to the Legions' protective shield wall. William then ordered his infantry to charge the hill and brake the Romans while his heavy cavalry swept around to engage the Romano-British knights. However the Legionaries unleashed their javelins upon the approaching Normans, a reminiscent scene of the ancient Roman way of fighting, and Celtic archers began firing their own volleys against the vulnerable Norman infantrymen. It is believed by historians that during the fight on the hill around Hastings, Lucius Murchad entered the fray, and despite his small size, fought by his soldiers with impressive skill and vigor. He is reported to have cut down many "Barbarians", according to historical records. Meanwhile, the Norman heavy cavalry had engaged the Western-Roman knights, and were having a difficult time in beating them back. Apparently, the Romano-British had adopted many styles of mounted warfare, including those used by the Normans. In less than an hour, the Norman cavalry had been defeated and the knights of the Western-Empire remained on the field. After his cavalry defeat, William's Flemish and Frankish soldiers began to retreat after having failed to defeat the Legions. William then ordered a general retreat back to the town and expected a Roman charge, but the discipline of the Romano-British Legions made them stay in place. In a last ditch effort, William lead his remaining cavalry and infantry back up the hill; hoping to find and kill Emperor Murchad. However this proved to be the Normans' undoing, because after the second charge, Celtic Berserkers, and Roman Knights attacked the town of Hastings itself and cut William off from his supplies and means of escape. During all of this, the infantry battle had devolved into a bloody series of hand-to-hand duals with neither side gaining an advantage. William was still riding horseback when he spotted a dismounted Murchad and he charged toward the young Emperor hoping to break the Romano-British army with his death. But as William drew closer to the boy, an arrow pierced him in the eye, killing him instantly. Seeing their great leader dead, the rest of the Normans routed, only to find their retreat cut off by the Western-Romans.

After the battle, Emperor Murchad is believed to have shouted to his men "Britannia Victor!" rather than the old saying of Roma Victor. This would lead to a proclamation that would be renowned as the founding of the modern Britannian nation. The surviving Normans were swiftly executed, save for a few who were shipped back to Normandy. Duke William of Normandy was given the name William The Failure, and his body would later be dragged through the streets of Londinium during Lucius Murchad's Triumph. After entering the Senate chamber, the young 'warrior' Emperor made a speech that would change the course of history. He told the Senate that for years, the common people of Britannia have forgotten the dream of retaking Rome, but when their homes in Britannia were threatened, they united in order to stop the threat of Barbarian aggression. He went on to say that many people both commoner, and aristocrat call themselves not Roman, but Britannian. Since most of Europe refused to recognize them anyway, Murchad proposed changing the Western-Roman Empire into a new nation, a new people, a new Empire that would continue to survive and conquer all who challenge them. He soon proclaimed the Empire of Britannia among the uproar of the Senate. Some pure-blooded Roman Senators opposed the change, but most of both Celtic and Roman origin agreed with the Emperor. And on 1 November 1066 AD, the Western-Roman Empire was officially dissolved and was replaced by the Empire of Britannia. Its people neither Roman or Celtic, but Britannian!

The High Middle Ages and The Crusades
Soon after proclaiming the Empire of Britannia, Emperor Murchad I gathered the rest of his forces and invaded Normandy with an army of 60,000 men. After William The Failure's death at the Battle of Hastings, the Normans entered a succession crisis, and soon broke out in civil war between William's children. However when the Britannians invaded, none of the warring factions were willing to come together in order to defend their land. Within a month after Murchad landed with his army, the Norman Nobles offered the title 'Duke of Normandy' to the Britannian Emperor in order to spare their country from death and destruction. But the young Murchad refused the title, and said that the only way to save the Norman people was to surrender all of Normandy to Britannia where it would become a province once more. The Nobles agreed, and by the next month, the Duchy of Normandy was no more.

But despite his warrior status, Lucius Murchad was also a merciful ruler. He allowed the Normans to remain in their homeland, but they would not become Britannian citizens. The new Britannia still looked into the past of Rome for guidelines to their government, architecture, and even citizenship. Many Senators argued that the reason the Western Empire was overrun by Barbarians and forced to relocate to the Britannian Isles, was that it granted citizenship to almost everyone within the Empire's borders. Therefore, people were no longer motivated to join the Roman Military in order to gain citizenship, and the Empire was forced to rely on Barbarian mercenaries to defend Rome. Emperor Murchad agreed with the Senators, and in the same year of proclaiming his new Empire, the Emperor passed into law that any people subjugated under Britannia would have to serve in the Imperial Military (specifically the Auxiliaries) in order to obtain citizenship. The people who did not join the Auxilia would be called Residents. They did not have the same rights as natural citizens, but neither were they slaves. The new province was to retain the name of its people, Normandy. And by the year 1068 AD, the sons of William The Failure, Robert & William III, were defeated and taken to Londinium to be executed. Thus began a new age in Europe; the Empire of Britannia was an emerging power, taking greater part in the affairs of Europe and moving away from its old isolationist stance. Lucius Murchad would die 25 years later; besides his great victory over the Normans, and creating an entire new country, he is mostly remembered simply as the first Emperor of Britannia. His Dynasty would continue to reign over the Empire until the year 1154 AD when the last Emperor of the Lucian Dynasty died childless.

During the High Middle Ages, the Empire of Britannia shed its isolationism and entered Medieval European politics. Now that Britannia no longer called itself the Roman Empire, it was able to enter into friendships and alliances with the Holy Roman Empire in Germany, the Spanish kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, and even there old cousins The Eastern Roman Empire. Trade sprung up during this time, and Britannia's coffers swelled with gold. However relations with France remained strained, ever since Murchad I conquered Normandy, the French tried time and again to take the land along with Brittany away from the Island nation. Several conflicts in the region occurred, with France making little gain against the Britannians. This was due to the fact that despite conquering their home, the Normans earned the trust of their new masters by serving as Auxiliaries in battle. Although not as heavily armed or trained as the Knights or Legions, the Auxilia proved its effectiveness on the battlefield, and many Norman veterans earned their citizenship.

For centuries, these petty wars and conflicts would continue on and on until the year 1095, when Pope Urban II called for all of Christendom to take up the sword and the cross to go on Crusade against the Muslims in the Levant. The Eastern Romans were being pushed back by the Turks, and Egypt had conquered Holy Jerusalem some time before. Many men and women answered the Pope's call, and began journeying across Europe to defend Christianity against the Muslim horde. The Emperor of Britannia at the time, Valens II, offered to give 20,000 men to the Crusading army, but he was convinced by the Imperial Senate to simply send 600 Knights and 3,000 Legionaries. This was due to many French Knights taking control of the grand Crusading army, and many Britannians were suspicious of France. Their suspicions were proven mostly correct, as the Britannian Crusading force was mostly kept out of the fighting, and many men of the XII Legion (The Britannian Legion sent on Crusade) were harassed by French Knights and Normans from Sicily, who were angry at the conquest of of their northern brethren. Despite this, The Britannians played a pivotal role in the Siege of Jerusalem, which resulted in a decisive Crusader victory, and resulted in the capture of the Holy Land. Like many Crusading men, the Britannians left Jerusalem after their victory and had no part in organizing the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This was because the French Crusading Knights had largely taken control of the Kingdom and started spreading their culture in the area. However when these men returned, they were given a hero's welcome from the people and their Emperor for their bravery and their service of Christianity.

Although conflicts continued in the Middle East between Christians and Muslims, Britannia paid little attention to them. In the year 1154 AD, the last Emperor of the Lucian Dynasty died without any children. The Imperial Senate decided to give the throne to a young man of Roman and Anglo-Saxon heritage, named Flavius Antonius Plantagenet. He took the Germanic name Henry and became Henry I of Britannia. (The real Henry Plantagenet was called Henry II; but the 1st Henry of England was a Norman. So that wouldn't happen for some time.) Although only 21, he was well educated, and many Senators at the time believed they could manipulate the young man, and become the power behind his throne. However these same Senators were quickly shaken of any schemes to take power by the young Emperor. Henry curled the power of the Nobles, and confiscated property belonging to anyone who could overthrow him. He also proved himself on the battlefield, by repulsing an invasion of Normandy by France in 1156. However he sent shockwaves throughout the Empire by marrying a Norman woman named Eleanor. Although she was a Noble herself, she was not legally considered a citizen until after her marriage to the Emperor. Henry would continue to agitate the Noble class of Britannia while introducing reforms that strengthened the legal system of the Empire; providing better rights to the commoners. But the just Emperor would soon face a challenger for his throne, in the form of his own son.

Marcus Constantius Richardus, or simply known as Richard, was an ideal man to rule over the Empire. He had the finest education available when he was a boy, he had a keen interest in strategy and tactics, and he was described as a cunning politician. Encouraged by his mother, Richard started to challenge his father's authority. He sought out allies from Germany and France, and he even fought amongst his own brothers. In 1183, Henry's eldest son, also named Henry died; leaving Richard as the eldest son, and heir to the throne. A few years later, in 1189 AD, Richard faced his father in battle and successfully defeated him. Henry, who had been ill for some time, realized his son was more worthy to rule than himself. So before his death in 1189, Henry I named his son Richardus as the next Emperor. He died on July 6, of that same year.

Richard was crowned in Londinium on July 20, 1189. Although the Nobles in the Senate were happy to see Henry out of the way, they despised Richard even more due to his Norman blood. Realizing this, Richard sought out allies throughout Britannia, including many prominent Jewish Britannians, who pledged their loyalty to the new Emperor in front of his entire court. Soon afterwards, Richard ordered the tolerance of all Jews throughout the Realm, earning him the respect of the Jewish scholar Jacob of Orleans. He also started creating tougher policies regarding the Nobles, whom he considered bigoted, and arrogant. He levied taxes on many of them, causing his popularity among the Senate (which was only comprised of Nobles at the time) to decrease considerably. However there was a reason besides distrust and hatred, for his heavy taxes on the nobility. Jerusalem had fallen to the Muslim Sultan Saladin in 1187, and the Pope had called for another Crusade to retake the Holy City from the powerful Islamic leader. Richard had pledged to go on Crusade even before he ascended the throne, and with his new Empire, he had a considerable amount of money to fund his Holy expedition. So in early 1190, Richard was able to organize and equip 16,000 Legionaries, 3,000 Knights, and 5,000 Norman Auxiliaries, and set out for the Holy Land. He had also coordinated with Philip II Augustus of France, in order to achieve a better united war front against the Muslims.