XI: Serica & Romanum

Welcome to the main page of XI: Serica & Romanum.

This time-line explores what would have happened if the Song Dynasty  of China (aka Serica) and the Roman Empire(aka Romanum) of the West met and how would the phrase "world war" would have be coined centuries before the Mongol Conquests or the First World War took place.

China
In the late 900s, the Chinese civilization was once again at one of its Golden Ages after nearly half a century of turmoil. Emperor Taizu of Song had just unified the country and established the Song Dynasty. He created a strong, central government and promoted the Civil Service Examinations. Under the Song, cartographers made detailed maps of each province and city and the Chinese invented many things, such as gunpowder. However, different political fractions in the Imperial Court caused the government to weaken. In 1127, Jurchens (a tribe from the North) crushed the weak military and forced the Song to retreat south and establish the Southern Song Dynasty. There, the Southern Song continued to resist the Jurchens with its powerful navy until it was completely conquered by the Mongols in 1279

Roman Empire
In 161 AD, Marcus Aurelius became the emperor of the mighty Roman Empire. He was the last of the "Five Good Emperors". After his death in 180 the Empire plunged into the Crisis of the Third Century. Constantine the Great briefly united the empire for about 30 years but it split up again after his death. The Eastern Roman Empire survived unto it was conquered by a Turkish sultan in 1453, while the Western Roman Empire collapsed after barbarians invaded in 476.

Imperium Romanum/ Roman Empire
Instead of Marcus Annius Verus Caesar (Marcus Aurelius' son and first heir) dying of natural causes like in OTL, he survives and becomes the next emperor in 180, naming himself Verus. He frees all slaves throughout the Empire and makes them citizens. This causes the Senate to revolt, but the people of the empire side with Verus and the Senate withdraw. Later Verus gives back some rights to the Senate to cool tensions. Leading a gigantic army, Verus invades Northern Europe and pacifies the "barbarians". By 203, Rome was in control of all of Europe except Russia, Iceland, Scotland, and Ireland. After Verus' death in 204, Pertinax becomes Emperor and decides to turn his attention to Roman territories in Africa. With the unanimous approval and support of the Senate, he and his successors led the Roman army as it swept through Africa, conquering most of East Africa (including Ethopia, Somali, and Sudan) and the rest of OTL Algeria.

However, starting from the late 4th Century, the Romans had to deal with the Huns from Asia and were too busy to conquer new territories in Africa. The Huns swept through Europe and sacked Rome twice. When Attila the Hun died in 453, the Romans, led by Emperor Avitus managed to regain lost territories in Northern and Eastern Europe. By the beginning of 6th Century, all the European territories were recovered.

Due to the Roman army stationed in Africa not being trained and unable to adapt to fighting in hot deserts, they lost most of their new African provinces to the locals. Needing a new source of gold and riches, the Romans gave up trying to conquer all of Africa.

After Avitus, the empire began to break up as several Generals proclaimed themselves Emperors and fought among each other. A period of chaos erupted, and the Romans lost several provinces in Africa and Europe. Meanwhile, Christianity began to rise. In 1055, the empire was reunited by Emperor Isaac, a Christian, who moved the capital to Byzantium. After he died in 1061, his son Isaac II succeeded him and reclaimed the lost provinces of Aegyptus (OTL: Egypt) and Germania (OTL: Germany). In the early 13th Century, Emperor Timothy III's army invaded Iraq, Azerbaijan, and southern Iran.

Great Song Empire of Serica/China
Instead of allowing the court to be divided like in OTL, Emperor Shenzong backs Chancellor Wang Anshi's reforms and the government strengthens. This is the POD. The Song army quickly crushed Jurchens with its advanced organization and technology and resisted the Mongols. As a result, the Mongols were only able to conquer most of OTL Russia and Middle East. Hungry for land and power, Shenzong's successors launched violent campaigns to subdue the "barbarians" of the North and West. The Imperial army invaded Tibet in 1242. They captured all the Buddhist monks but did not harm them. Instead, the government installs Sakya Pandita as Imperial Viceroy of Tubo and the High Priest of the Way of the Buddha. The Buddhist message of mercy and peace reaches many of Serica's people but that does not stop the Emperors from continuing their conquest of the known world. Buddhism became one of the state religions under Gongdi.

In an effort to enslave the so-called "barbarians", the Chinese army began the invasion of the Mongol Empire in 1276. They invaded all of OTL Manchuria, all of Mongolia, southern Siberia, all of Kazakhstan, all of Turkmenistan, northern Iran, and all of Afghanistan. The Mongols are left with a small part of Western Russia. As the Chinese conquer more and more peoples, they learn of their customs and traditions and discrimination against the barbarians weaken, therefore the Chinese conquerors were kind to the locals.

Asia 亜洲

 * Song Empire of Serica 大中華宋帝国
 * Jepang 日本
 * Mongol Federation

Europa 歐洲

 * Roman Empire Imperium Romanum

Middle East 中東

 * United Muslim Arabia

Americas 美洲

 * Iroquois Republic

UNDER CONSTRUCTION