User blog comment:CourageousLife/Ideas?/@comment-4940710-20120623174048

How about a timeline where Justinian I opts for the Byzantine Empire to expand gradually, rather than trying to completely restore the Roman Empire's old borders within his lifetime? Justinian could modestly expand the empire by conquering the Vandals, but refrain from trying to take Italy or Spain. He could also try to use diplomacy to lay the groundwork for the eventual integration of the Germanic kingdoms into the Byzantine Empire. In OTL, Justinian's campaigns in Italy and Spain wasted manpower and resources that could have been used to deal with Persia and Slavic invaders in the Balkans, devastated Italy, weakened the Byzantine economy, and were probably a factor in the Byzantine Empire's later decline.