Beware the Ides of March.

…Oddly enough, there is a surprising lack of alternate history novels and short stories that play with the consequences of Julius Caesar not being assassinated.  Probably because said assassination is widely deemed to have resulted in the eventual formation of the Roman Empire, and most people who do Roman-themed alternate history prefer to have the legions conquer the Mississippi valley or face off against the Chinese or whatnot. Not all, of course; but most.

I guess that the assumption is that the Republic would have lasted longer, at least under that name. Would Caesar’s successor have returned the government back to a state where the Senate had actual power? SM Stirling argued something similar in passing in one of his kinda-non-alternate history novels, but I’m not entirely certain.

Still: you see somebo… ah, that joke isn’t funny anymore.

2 thoughts on “Beware the Ides of March.”

  1. Seeing what’s going on in the Netherlands today, I rather hope Calpurnia had dreams of ominous portent.
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    I don’t think that Ceaser having more time to solidify power would have done less damage to the Republic than his being martyred by the Senate. But it would be a difficult case to make either way. And you’d have to educate the Heck out of your readers while trying to tell the story. Just considering the prospect caused a number of much easier storylines to come to mind.

  2. Kirk Mitchell’s Procurator and its sequels might fit the bill, with the additional breakpoints that Yeshua bar Joseph died an obscure prophet and Islamic imams apparently have some form of psychic ability.

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