Board Thread:Timeline Discussions/@comment-4923787-20130202175501/@comment-4923787-20130505012621

Alexandria was destroyed in 115 CE during a Greco-Jewish War. The Emperor might have wanted to move the capital to a place safer from such ethnic strife. If the rebels took control of the palaces, the empire could be no more, or at least in pieces, no?

Could Odoacer have crowned himself Western Roman Empire? What about the Lombards?

But how could one make them go differently? When would the earliest possible divergence allow a surviving Byzantine Empire? In this scenario, could the Italians consolidate their own kingdom like France and England?

I've heard that not only were there two rebel states, but apparently around 30 people carved out regions for themselves, loyal to the Emperor in that region. Though, this was on Wiki's timeline of Roman history. Out of curiousity, could the Holy Roman Empire have been averted, say, East Francia transitioned into Germany and vassals instead?