From Alternative History

This althist is under construction.

This althist is based on two events. If a more harsh govenor had taken Pontius Pilate's place, the disciples and other followers of Jesus may have been executed instead of imprisoned. And if Emperor Trajan had been killed while still a footsoldier, he never would have crippled the Parthian Empire.

[edit] POD to the Fall of Rome

As Paul did not spread Christianity throughout the Empire, it stayed concentrated in Judea. After a few generations, it died away. But by then the area had bigger problems.

The Parthian Empire, located in OTL Iran, had been threatening Roman borders for some time. As Trajan was not around to destroy it, it began to inch closer and closer into the Roman lands. By 120, they had taken the Roman-controlled Armenia, and were at war. By the time Rome had made any serious attempt to stop them, most of their easternmost territories had been lost. After years of fighting, the Romans left everything east of Cappadocia (OTL eastern Turkey) to the Parthians.

By 200, the provinces of Judea, Syria, and Arabia had been taken. The Parthian Empire spanned almost the whole of the Middle East. By now, the fighting was beginning to draw the Roman army away from the West. The newly captured realm of Dacia was lost, and chunks of Gaul were falling to barbarians.

Egypt was lost in 243, and Pontus was being raided continually. Parthia had spread down the Arabian Peninsula.

Libya, Tripolitania, and Pontus were taken by the Parthians by 300. By then, Rome was collapsing.

Rome ended in the year 374 as barbarians streamed through the capital. Parthia took Cyprus, Asia Minor and Greece from the wreck. This was the end of Antiquity and the start of the Dark Ages.

[edit] Middle Ages

Without the Christian empire of Charlemagne, Northern Europe stayed disunited. But Parthia slowly brought more states of Europe under its control. The Visigoth kingdom of Toulouse was the first to go. It lost Hispania, and fought for more land with the Franks, further destabilizing both kingdoms.

The small kingdom of Vasconia went to the Parthians by 550, as did the Cantabrian tribes who lived near it. Meanwhile, the Visigoths destroyed Aquitaine and took its land, but were severely weakened and lost land to the Parthians.