Notice: This timeline is meant to focus on the survival of Rome itself, based only on the events included here. While it does run largely parallel to our own history, its key divergences shape the world of A World of Roma and set the stage for the story ahead.

  Point of Divergence: In our timeline, the Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 A.D., while the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire endured until 1453. The record that follows traces the key events leading up to Volume I.

  

  
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    476 A.D. → The Western Roman Empire faces internal struggles that threaten collapse, but to avoid complete ruin, the Empire consolidates its power and retreats to the Italian Peninsula to regroup. Anchored by the authority of the Church, sustained by localized trade, and upheld by Roman law, the Western Roman Empire survives and endures as a diminished and unbroken state.
  
    


  
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    493 A.D. → In response to the mounting barbarian invasions and internal weakness, the imperial court makes a decision to reform its identity, by adopting the name Res Publica Italica (“The Italian Republic”). Though it is now reduced to Italy and its heartlands, the state itself strives to preserve Roman institutions, law, and culture, viewed as the heir of the Caesars.
  
    


  
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    500–1000 A.D.→ The Res Publica Italica survives as a small but resilient state, struggling to balance its authority with the Papacy while relying on trade with neighboring kingdoms to stay afloat. Repeated invasions from the north test and strain its defenses. Its influence fades beyond Italy, yet it endures as the custodian of Roman heritage. Diplomacy keeps it alive, and while it serves as a cultural bridge between East and West, its attempts to reclaim southern Italy and coastal holdings never last, leaving further expansion out of reach.
  
    


  
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    1100–1400 A.D. → The state works to balance the Papal influence with its own Imperial rule, while also maintaining the fragile but enduring identity. Though reduced in size, its administrative systems and Roman law remain intact. This gives it a continuity that is still unmatched anywhere else in Europe or the known world. But, militarily, the renewed campaign to expand northward ends in failure, underscoring the limits of its diminished strength.
  
    


  

  

  
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    1453 → With the fall of their eastern cousin to the Ottomans, the Res Publica Italica declares itself the sole heir of ancient Rome. Seeking renewed legitimacy, the imperial court reforms its identity once again, adopting the name Imperium Romanum Italicum (“The Italian Roman Empire”) to assert its continuity with the Caesars.
  
    


  
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    1492 → Spain and Portugal dominate overseas expansion and trade, while the Italian Roman Empire focuses inward on stability and Church politics, avoiding major colonization efforts. Instead, it reinforces its role as a cultural and religious center.
  
    


  
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    1500-1600 → The city of Rome remains a central hub of Catholic authority and Renaissance culture, but its limited resources prevent serious growth. It becomes known more for its art, scholarship, and diplomacy than for its military or expansionist power.
  
    


  
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    1600–1700 → While the newer empires such as Britain, France, and the Netherlands begin to build their global empires, Rome itself continues to fall further behind militarily and economically. Its armies modernize slowly, and as wars become less frequent, the state grows increasingly dependent on alliances and diplomacy. Internally, the Papal and Imperial authority start to clash, keeping Rome divided and fragile.
  
    


  

  

  
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    1700–1800 → The Age of Enlightenment is in full swing as it sweeps across continental Europe, which in turn is weakening Rome’s ideological grip. Many calls for reform stir unrest, while Roman intellectuals secretly debate how reason and tradition might coexist. Within the city, Papal and Imperial factions clash over censorship, while beyond Italy, Rome becomes less known for its legions and more for its philosophers.
  
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    1797–1815 → The French Emperor Napoleon begins his campaign to reshape Europe in his image. Rome seizes a rare chance to reassert itself, and for the first time in centuries, Roman legions march beyond Italy to meet Napoleon’s forces, attempting to reclaim lost ground. After three years of bitter fighting, Napoleon and Rome agree to a white peace, ending the conflict without a clear victor. Rome’s survival against Europe’s strongest power sparks a new wave of nationalism — not a mere imitation of Europe’s revolutions, but a rebirth of identity that lays the foundation for a renewed empire in the century to come.
  
    


  

  

  
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    1815 → Europe’s military victory over Napoleon leaves most of the continent shaken, but in Rome, their recent war against the French—despite ending in a stalemate, reignites a new wave of nationalism. Surviving Napoleon is seen as proof that the Roman legacy still mattered. In response, Rome’s leaders embrace industrial reforms and push forward with military modernization, determined to never again to be overshadowed or outmatched by foreign powers.
  
    


  
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    1816-1900 → Rome reclaims its image as the ‘Eternal Empire.’ New factories and railways fuel a new economy, while the legions are reorganized with steel, artillery, and modern tactics. Though still balancing Papal influence and political divisions, the Empire rises once more, determined to reclaim its rightful place on the world stage.
  
    


  

  

  
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    1910 → A sudden pandemic sweeps across the world, killing a quarter of the population and severely destabilizing economies. Nations reel under unrest, famine, and the looming risk of financial collapse and war.
  
    


  
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    1918–1938 → Amid the ruins of the pandemic, a war unlike anything the world has ever seen erupts. Unlike our World War I, this conflict spreads unevenly, with colonial uprisings, border clashes, and shifting alliances plunging Europe, Africa, and Asia into chaos. By 1938, half of the world’s major powers are consumed by civil war. The United States remains out of foreign conflicts, fearful of its own internal instability and political unrest.
  
    


  
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    1940 → Rome suffers through the pandemic and decades of economic turmoil, but through state reforms and nationalist fervor it recovers faster than its rivals. Industry and the legions are rebuilt stronger than ever, and the Empire prepares for war, determined to seize the moment while others remain divided and weak.
  
    


  
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    1943 → The War of Restoration begins. Rome seizes the chance to strike in the aftermath of the pandemic and global economic collapse. Its legions march into foreign lands to reclaim territory once held centuries ago. Within a year, most of Europe and parts of Russia fall under Roman control. Yet, many great powers, including the United States, mobilize against the Romans, and a brutal total war follows, lasting nearly a decade, resulting in a Roman victory.
  
    


  

  

  
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    1950–1960 →After the conclusion of the War of Restoration, there are several new powers that emerge from the ashes. Notably in the East, the Serican Empire rises from the lands of China and Japan, carving out a new Pacific empire that encompasses much of Asia. Meanwhile, the Mongols in the North attempt to revive their old legacy of Genghis Khan by annexing territory from China and Siberia. The United States, broken by defeat and humiliation, collapses into a civil war that would rage on for decades.
  
    


  
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    1960–1980 → With America fractured and rivals distracted, Rome spends the following decades expanding its influence across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Exploiting Cold War rivalries, the Empire steadily strengthens its global position while consolidating its conquered lands.
  
    


  
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    1989 → Taking advantage of America’s decline from civil war and economic stagnation, Rome launches a full-scale invasion across the Atlantic. After five years of bloody conflict against fierce guerrilla forces, the northern territories of the American continent are brought under Roman control and subjugated.
  
    


  
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    2000s → With America subdued, Rome surpasses all rivals and becomes the world’s first mega-superpower. South America remains the last territory untouched by Rome — a wild frontier the Empire intends to conquer in time.
  
    


  
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    2010–2030 → As Rome turns its attention inward, it struggles to suppress the constant uprisings and rebellions that drain its resources and manpower. Although Rome does hold vast territories across the globe, unrest still simmers throughout the conquered provinces. Meanwhile in Asia, Mongolia and Serica steadily rise and build up their nations and military, becoming the only states capable of rivaling Rome’s might on the world stage.
  
    


  
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    2032 → The events of Solar Replay, the first book in A World of Roma, begins.