The Byzantine Empire had survived throughout the centuries and was one of Europe’s strongest powers. The rise of colonialism however weakened the Empire’s position on the world stage. With western European powers having easy access to the New World, the Byzantines was locked in the old world, focusing more on colonial holdings in Africa.
It still remained the strongest power in eastern Europe, all the way into the 1800s. The Byzantine Empire had over the centuries crushed the Holy Roman Empire and kept a lot of central Europe under continued chaos. Germany is just a divided region with kings, duchys and city states, and whenever someone tries to unify anything the leader either dies of mysterious reasons or the Byzantines themselvesinvades. This leads to a weak Germany, that never truly industrializes, with a far smaller population than in our timeline. Instead, it is the Byzantines that leads Europe’s industrialization, with early technological creations like the Spinning Octavia and the famous Basileus Steam Engines.
The weapons race between the major powers continues rapidly in the 1800s thanks to the industrialization. The Byzantine Empire with its eyes fixed on the massive colonial belongings of the Frenc and British Empires a war was almost certain and only a tiny fire could light the entire tree.
In 1910 World War 1 begins with the assassination of the Byzantine Emperor Octavian X. The Byzantine Empire immediately points their fingers against the Entente, an alliance of France, The British Empire, Russia and several smaller European countries tired of the Byzantines. The war lasts for 5 years and is the most destructive war the world hadseen. The Byzantine Empire, strongest, and the most populous country, yet even with their territories of eastern Europe, Italy and parts of the Middle East and North Africa, they had to fight on too many fronts, and this led to their demise.
The Marseille’s Treaty forced them to cede Sudan and Egypt to UK. Parts of the Caucasus and Crimea to Russia. The Italian territories was formed into a democratic nation, and it was given territories in Eritrea and Somalia as buffer zones against the Byzantines. Austria, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina was also created as independent democratic nations.
The Russian Civil War begins in 1915 just before the end of the war, as a massive communist coup leads to a divided nation. During this crisis, the Byzantine Empire sends troops into the Caucasus in 1917 and forms the Armenian puppet state, while the communists and monarchists in Russia still fights a bloody brother war.
This intervention however leads to the final blow to the Byzantines economy. Already burdened by the massive loans after the peace treaty, the economy collapses and the most brutal financial crisis the world has seen begins.
The economy in Europe is in shatters. This leads to several fascist movements in the newly formed countries, all pointing against the western countries and their brutal peace treaty after WW1. Fascist leaders are elected in Italy and Serbia. Mussolini in Italy, dreams of a new Western Roman Empire, in a close friendship with the Eastern Roman Empire. Serbia, a small and weak nation, but with a massive Byzantine population, becomes a puppet of the Byzantine Empire. Croatia elects communists, and joins the USSR.
With the financial crisis soon to be over, will the world see peace or war?
If you want to see how this went in Hearts of Iron 4, you can watch the timelapse here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS\_d8h8ClR0
by historyfanatic1720