Year: 800 AD

Political situation of the Roman Empire: Two Separate States.

Dynasties of the Empire:  
🟪Heraclian   
🟥Tiberian.

Emperors:

🟪- Basileus & Augustus Ioustinianos III  
🟪- Augusta Prokopia  
🟪- Augustus Herakleios Ioustinianos (b. 788)

🟥- Augustus Tiberius IV Faber Lignarius  
🟥- Augusta Euphrosyna  
🟥- Caesar Hadrianus  
🟥- Caesar Stephanus

Capitals of the Empire:  
🟪- Constantinople  
🟥- Rome

Summary of this alternative history:  
*In the year 800 of our Lord, on Easter Day,* ***Carolus Magnus****, King of the Franks, is crowned by* ***Pope Leo III*** *as "****Emperor of Francia, Lombardia and Germania****", the first time a man other than a Roman was bestowed the title of* ***Emperor****.*

*Beginning with Eastern Rome, The Empire in the East sat in a precautious position, on one hand, they had just won a remarkable victory in Taurica, expanding the Roman frontier beyond the Heraclian Wall in Taurica, on the other hand, not too long ago, they had lost 2 "Tagmas" to the Bulgars, with Moesia and most of Thracia being lost, to make matters worse,* ***Emperor Valentinus IV*** *was forced to submit to Khagan Telerig, and bestow him the prestigious title of* ***Caesar****. Upon this humiliation, in 776, he was deposed by his brother-in-law,* ***Ioustinos Alexandros,*** *cutting his tongue and blinding him, and sending him to a monastery in Western Anatolia, he then quickly raised his son,* ***Ioustinianos,*** *to the Imperial throne, acting as Regent for his under-age son.* *Regent Ioustinos quickly dealt with the raiding arab parties in Anatolia, and secured his own- his son's rule throughout the Empire.*

*In the Middle East, The Abbasids began slowly entering their Golden Age, winning the 1st Abbasid-Aghlabid War, and began to slowly rebuild or reinforce infrastructre in Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia. The Caliph also issued new tax reforms and laws which strengthed the state from within.*

*In Francia, Thanks to the efforts of* ***Carolus Magnus*** *and his younger brother,* **Karlmann,** Germania and Pannonia were secured. Forts, roads, towns and churches were build all around the de facto Empire of the Franks. The Frankish language and culture spread across Western and Central Europe, and everyone in Europe heard the tales of Carolus, son of Pepin, and his military and diplomatic achievements. In 783, Emperor Heraclius IV launched a massive campaign into what remained of the Lombard state, and after consecutive wins, it looked like the Romans would finally destroy the Kingdom and bring glory back to their Empire, Carolus understood that having a strong Rome in his south was not ideal for his plans, so he quickly invaded the Lombards from Mediolanum, capturing several villages and cities until reaching the Roman Comitatenses who were marching from Parma upon siezing it. The Armies stared each other down until envoys were sent and each army retreated back.  
Carolus proposed a deal to Emperor Heraclius IV, he would retreat from the occupied territories, and in exchange, Venice, the roman client kingdom would gain full independence and shall annex the territories north of the Po river. The Romans ultimately accepted, this was one of the pitoval moments in which Carolus asserted his hegemony over Europe.

*In Pannonia, The Avar Khaganate was no more, being squeezed in between the Franks and Bulgarians, the last Avar ruler, Bayan IV was last seen fleeing the battlefield against the Bulgar Khagan Telerig. most of Avaria was incorporated into the Bulgar Khanate, while the rest was made into a puppet Panonian state Carolus. By 796, Khagan Krum ascended to the Bulgar throne, de jure, he is the First Bulgarian ruler to refer to himself as "Tsar of all Bulgarians", and was a great military leader as well as reformer, bringing the Bulgar Khaganate out of it's nomadic traditions and implementing several Roman, Slavic or Greek elements into his state, reforming it, and beginning the Bulgarian Golden Age.* 

*As for Hispania, the Visigothic Kingdom, once a formidable foe, began to crack after the death of Reccared III "The Great" , and the ascension of his weak inexperienced son, Petrus "The Roman", the nobility raised several candidates to the throne, who started fighting one another, sparking the 11-year Visigothic Civil War.*

*In Africa, The Ummayad Emirate, while seemingly weak and in a hopeless situation, managed to fend off Abbasid raids into their territories, and their newly built navy managed to win several engagements with the Abbasid navy. Securing a truce with the Caliphate, the Emirate looked west, eyeing up Visigothic Africa, sending an expedition in 772, it ended in a disaster, with 2/3 of the army being decimated by a numerical advantaged one, the Emirate had to opt for a truce, in which it allowed their enemy to expand their influence more in the region.*

*In Western Rome, Emperor Heraclius IV died in 791, having fathered only a daughter, he was succeeded by his son-in-law, Tiberius Bonitus. Tiberius IV was known due to his father's position of being the Emperor's personal carpenter, thus, the epithet. He was loved by the people of Rome, and he was usually seen hanging out with the soldiers in their headquarters, drilling and learning new tactics. Emperor Tiberius also finally recognised the legitimacy of Ioustinianos III in the East, both Emperors serving as Consul for the year 797. the Roman Dromon was famously upgraded and expanded during his reign, as the Imperial Fleet patrolled  the Western Mediterranian, hunting the Muslim pirates and showing it's superiority. Sardinia and Sicily's Tax base was increased in favor of lowering prices and importing several goods to the islands. When Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish King Carolus as "Emperor" , he also was present, showing face and acting amicably, but both knew the tension that was in the air, both felt a sense of rivalry between them, or so Tiberius thought in his biography he wrote in his later years.* 

*By 800, the Roman Empire was barely one anymore, both halves recognizing the other as independent and separate states, the Senates in Rome and New Rome issued a degree, formally splitting the Empire into 2 Romes, East and West, thus, de jure, the Roman Empire ceased to exist, now in it's place, 2 heirs of the mantle of Rome. Both Empires recognized each other's legitimacy, however it would need to be seen if that will stay the case. How would the Two Romes fare going into the 9th century? Can we even predict what might happen next? Who knows, but what we do know is that this chapter ends here, for now...*

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**Note: Thank you so much for the support given to this series so far. I really appreciate the feedback this is getting. I believe this is a good opportunity to pause for a bit, let the story sink in, more people check it out, and maybe in a week or two continue it if it gets enough support. I WANT to continue it, but I also don't know for how long would I continue it for, and how to end it, so I need to be sure. Anyways, thank you again, you can always ask questions down below about the lore, I will make sure to answer all of your questions. With that being said, I wish you a Happy Easter.**

What if Constans II split the Empire between his sons. Part V