Eparkhos
Well-known member
I cooked up the following scenario for the campaign season of 451:
In March 451, the King of Suebian Gallaecia, Rechiarius, had a falling out with his Visigothic wife, Goisuintha, that left him convinced that his father-in-law, Theodoric II, is plotting against him. Rechiarius decides that his best option is to beat Theodoric to the punch, and so after packing Goisuintha off to a convent he gathers his armies and strikes eastward. His aim is to conquer Tarraconensis, the last remnant of Roman rule in the region, and thus consolidate all of Hispania beneath his rule so that he can face down the (in his mind) impending Gothic invasion without worrying about being attacked from the rear. With Roman forces in the region weakened, Rechiarius uses his bacaudae[1] auxiliaries to infiltrate the city, seize a gatehouse and allow his army to flood in. With Hispania secured, he then moves northward along the coastal plains, massing forces to meet Theodoric’s expected host.
Theodoric, meanwhile, is focussed on the looming Hunnic invasion from the north. The sudden appearance at his southern border of Rechiarius and a sizable army, not currently aggressive but with the potential to be, changes his calculations. With this new threat in his rear, he does not ally with the Romans against the Huns but instead decides to remain in his own lands and defend them if Attila decides to attack him specifically, as he nearly did OTL. Aetius and Alan-Roman forces in northern Gaul are defeated by Attila at Aurelianum, and the Huns then turn southward to defeat Theodoric and the Visigoths at Cadurcorum (Cahors). The Huns then pillage across Gaul unopposed, carrying off immense amounts of loot. Rechiarius, with Theodoric no longer a factor, decides that surrender is his best option and is vassalized by the Huns. Attila retreats back across the Rhine for the winter, leaving the Roman world waiting anxiously in anticipation of his return…
What happens next?
I imagine that Attila will still invade Italy as OTL, with the chief difference being that there is no Roman army instead of there not being one strong enough to fight them off. The big differences would be, I think, that the Visigoths will have ceased to be a major force, the Huns will hold hegemony over the entirety of Gaul, and Marcian will begin his attack across the Danube sometime earlier, and possibly with less effect as there will be more Huns to go around and possibly more to defend the eastern part of the Empire. In the long term, the circumstances that led to Attila's death likely won't come to arise, so he will be around for a while more.
Thoughts?
In March 451, the King of Suebian Gallaecia, Rechiarius, had a falling out with his Visigothic wife, Goisuintha, that left him convinced that his father-in-law, Theodoric II, is plotting against him. Rechiarius decides that his best option is to beat Theodoric to the punch, and so after packing Goisuintha off to a convent he gathers his armies and strikes eastward. His aim is to conquer Tarraconensis, the last remnant of Roman rule in the region, and thus consolidate all of Hispania beneath his rule so that he can face down the (in his mind) impending Gothic invasion without worrying about being attacked from the rear. With Roman forces in the region weakened, Rechiarius uses his bacaudae[1] auxiliaries to infiltrate the city, seize a gatehouse and allow his army to flood in. With Hispania secured, he then moves northward along the coastal plains, massing forces to meet Theodoric’s expected host.
Theodoric, meanwhile, is focussed on the looming Hunnic invasion from the north. The sudden appearance at his southern border of Rechiarius and a sizable army, not currently aggressive but with the potential to be, changes his calculations. With this new threat in his rear, he does not ally with the Romans against the Huns but instead decides to remain in his own lands and defend them if Attila decides to attack him specifically, as he nearly did OTL. Aetius and Alan-Roman forces in northern Gaul are defeated by Attila at Aurelianum, and the Huns then turn southward to defeat Theodoric and the Visigoths at Cadurcorum (Cahors). The Huns then pillage across Gaul unopposed, carrying off immense amounts of loot. Rechiarius, with Theodoric no longer a factor, decides that surrender is his best option and is vassalized by the Huns. Attila retreats back across the Rhine for the winter, leaving the Roman world waiting anxiously in anticipation of his return…
What happens next?
I imagine that Attila will still invade Italy as OTL, with the chief difference being that there is no Roman army instead of there not being one strong enough to fight them off. The big differences would be, I think, that the Visigoths will have ceased to be a major force, the Huns will hold hegemony over the entirety of Gaul, and Marcian will begin his attack across the Danube sometime earlier, and possibly with less effect as there will be more Huns to go around and possibly more to defend the eastern part of the Empire. In the long term, the circumstances that led to Attila's death likely won't come to arise, so he will be around for a while more.
Thoughts?
