If You Can Go Back in Time, What Events That You Would Like to Change?

[Rex Romanum]

Inspired by thread with same title in AHD: after 1900, so...

As I'm a huge fan of Roman Empire, I would:
1.Go back to 9 AD and tell Augustus to not let Varus command the three legions at Teutoburg Forest, and choose Tiberius or Germanicus instead
2.Go back to 117 AD and tell Hadrian to keep Mesopotamia and Armenia, and move the eastern frontier to Zagros Mountains
3.Go back to 180 AD and tell Marcus Aurelius to not let his son, Commodus, to succeed him
4.Go back to 395 AD and tell Theodosius that both of his son, Arcadius and Honorius, will become a VERY bad emperors, and he better choose other candidates
5.Go back to 468 AD and tell Leo to not let Basiliscus to command the expedition against Vandals
6.Go back to 540 AD and tell both Justinian and Belisarius about the upcoming plague, Gothic rebellion, and Lombards
7.Go back to 591 AD and tell both Maurice and Khosrau II about what will happen to their empires 50 years later

 

[Eurofed]

Inspired by thread with same title in AHD: after 1900, so...

As I'm a huge fan of Roman Empire, I would:
1.Go back to 9 AD and tell Augustus to not let Varus command the three legions at Teutoburg Forest, and choose Tiberius or Germanicus instead
2.Go back to 117 AD and tell Hadrian to keep Mesopotamia and Armenia, and move the eastern frontier to Zagros Mountains
3.Go back to 180 AD and tell Marcus Aurelius to not let his son, Commodus, to succeed him

These three. No more, no less. Their combination almost surely butterflies away the 3rd century and 5th century crises and ensures Rome suffers no permanent downfall, amking the rest unnecessary and butterflied out. Although lf Roman consitution is not reformed for greater stability, it is bound to suffer further political instability, it would only be enough to determine a China-like dynastic cycle, maybe a permanent division of WRE and ERE. In the third stop, I would at the least persuade Marcus Aurelius to establish a succession law by which the Emperor nominates the most promishing candidate among his own sons and top officers. In addition to Commodus, this would remove some more bad apples from the succession tree down the road, hence remove some triggers for coups and civil wars.

Edit: by the way, in the first stop, I would show Augustus a map of Europe, tell him to move the border to the Vistula-Dniester line, and give him an heavy plow.

 

[Janprimus]

These three. No more, no less. Their combination almost surely butterflies away the 3rd century and 5th century crises and ensures Rome suffers no permanent downfall, amking the rest unnecessary and butterflied out. Although lf Roman consitution is not reformed for greater stability, it is bound to suffer further political instability, it would only be enough to determine a China-like dynastic cycle, maybe a permanent division of WRE and ERE. In the third stop, I would at the least persuade Marcus Aurelius to establish a succession law by which the Emperor nominates the most promishing candidate among his own sons and top officers. In addition to Commodus, this would remove some more bad apples from the succession tree down the road, hence remove some triggers for coups and civil wars.

Even with such a succession law this IMHO won't prevent ''the really bad apples'' to stage a coup and/or start a civil war. They will be less legitimate, but if they are 'bad enough' they might consider doing just that...

To answer the original question: option 1 and 2. But I can also think about some events regarding Brabant, (Burgundian) Netherlands etc.

 

[sandinmyears]

I wouldn't change anything (except a few things in my personal life). One change would cause too many other changes. The butterfly effect that Eurofed pointed out.

 

[The Doctor]

I think it would be nice to find some way to keep my hometown as the invention capital of the world. Dayton is a great city.

 

[Eurofed]

Even with such a succession law this IMHO won't prevent ''the really bad apples'' to stage a coup and/or start a civil war. They will be less legitimate, but if they are 'bad enough' they might consider doing just that

They would. But this change would reduce the following, legitimacy, and determination of at least some of them. This reform alone won't cure Roman political instability entirely, but it shall prevent or downsize at least some of the coups and civil wars. It is generally rather less disruptive for a monarchy to defend the talented legitimate successor against the bid for power of a pretender bad apple, than to pull a coup or civil war to remove a screwed-up legitimate successor that got the mantle because of hereditary succession. For one, the latter inevitably gives ideas to other ambitious members of the elite and creates a precedent.

 

[The Red]

- Have Labour win the 1979 General Election.

- Prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union.

- Have Britain join the Euro.

 

[el t]

Events.

1. Have the Byzantines win at Manzikert. 2. Have the Muslims win at Las Navas de la Tolsa (I hope I spelled it correctly!). 3. Have the Byzantines successfully resist the 4th Crusade.

 

[Don Grey]

I would change a couple of things in ottoman history.

1. Tell osman the first to put emphasis on convertion and a simple common langauge to be taught to all and make sure he makes this the 2 main pillers of ottoman governance and rule. I dont care if he picks greek, japanese or laten aslong as he picks a one makes its monolithic and teaches it to everyone. Purpose of the two pillers are so the ottomans dont have to face the pop size problams it did and to integrate minorites that will become troublesome in the future.If this is accomplished but the ottomans the empire wont be as mutlicutural as it was but will have a comon identiy and be much more cohesive.

2. Tell sultan mehmet that after he takes constantinople to abolish the eastern roman orthadox church or atleast not save it from its inevitable collaps and not make the patriarch more powerfull then ever. Make sure the Two piller (islamici converstion,one langauge) are emphasised in the balkans greece and the caucasus and anywhere else that isnt muslim already. And tell him to focuse on Italy easy target at the time with a window of oppertunity.

3.Tell Selim to focuse on persia and send proper reinforcement and siege equipment to the Russo-Turkish War (1568–1570) siege of astrakhan making sure to give the image to the russians that advances in the caucauses will be costly. Tell selim(or suleyman) to cross the caspian put up a base/outpost or position in transsaxonia somewhere around the arel sea or the eastern cost of the caspian so as to make contack with muslim turkic nomades so they can be incouraged to immigrate to the caucasues/balkans/greece bolstering the number of muslims in the region. And emphasis on the two pillers. Somehow pervent selim from getting the skin infection that killed him.

4.Tell Süleyman to finnish off persia if selim hasnt. Tell him to stop beating his head against the hapsburgs for the sake of france and vessalise hungary dont annex it. Tell him about the two idiot ottoman admirals competing for his favor by screwing each other over in the battle of lepanto turning an easy victory into a defeat. Also tell him to stop his idiot drunkard of a son selim the second from taking the throne and have mehmet take it.Kill roxalana her intrigues buggered up everthing.Thus to stop the sultanate of women(another era of senceless intrigue). Emphasis on the two pillers bring in muslim immigrants turkic,persian if you can and arabs to settle in the christian territories that arent prodominently muslim yet. Abolish the janissary corps before becoming a seriouse problam if a good alternative can be found.

5.Russo-Turkish War (1710–1711).Tell grand vezir baltacı mehmet pasha that after he surroundes and defeats the russian army at the battle stanileşti instead of letting them go (probably because of the bribe from catherine no other way of explaining it) he slaughters the army and killes peter the great then tell sultan ahmet the 3rd to make a harsh treaty instead of the slap on the rist that was the treaty of pruth.The subsequent Ottoman victories against Russia enabled the Ottoman Empire to advance to Moscow, had the Sultan wished but he didnt(idiot we sured payed for that mstake). The killing of peter the great and the destruction of his army will probably stop russia's rise to power giving the polish-luthuanian comonwealth a chance and give the swedes the breathing room they need.Thus allowing the sweds to attack russia on a later date weakening her even more.

6. I want to abolish the janissaries before 1622. They had become militarily useless and harmfull to the stability.They were a godsent at first thena cures But i cant find an alternative. Does anyone know a good alternative to the janissary where you have all the good parts but not of the bad?

 

[Don Grey]

1. Have the Byzantines win at Manzikert. 2. Have the Muslims win at Las Navas de la Tolsa (I hope I spelled it correctly!). 3. Have the Byzantines successfully resist the 4th Crusade.

The seljukes will just come again. You have to find out away to stop the festering corpes the byzantines were becoming. Changing one battle considering the state of the byzantine wont stop the inevitable. The byzantines are bound to lose agains the seljukes unless they shape up.

 

[Utgard96]

I would rig the Postiljon so that it does not catch fire at Viborg, and also force the Swedish to not bring back the Wladyslaw from Hogland, thus preventing the Plague to enter Karlskrona.

 

[Emperor Norton I]

Well the other thread was in After 1900 only because there's no "Both Sides" subforum and there is pre-1900 stuff in the other thread (as there is post 1900 stuff popping up here now*)...but, ok.

*See:

- Have Labour win the 1979 General Election.

- Prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union.

- Have Britain join the Euro.

1. Tell MLK that there is someone out to kill him.

 

[RaptorX]

1. Tell MLK that there is someone out to kill him.

2. Save the dinosaurs from extinction

3. Tell the Aztecs that Cotez is not thier god, and to kick spannish ass!

 

[Cuāuhtemōc]

Have history occur as it when in mines and John Parker's timeline Cortesia.

 

[The Kiat]

3. Tell the Aztecs that Cotez is not thier god, and to kick spannish ass!

You are aware of what the Aztecs would do to the Spainers, aren't you?

 

[Orko]

Give new worlders Metal weapons and innoculations against influenza, black death, smallpox and some antibiotics, too.

 

[RaptorX]

You are aware of what the Aztecs would do to the Spainers, aren't you?

Yeah, to an extent.

 

[The Kiat]

Yeah, to an extent.

Not that it would be a problem, since after you saved the dinosaurs, they would end up being the ones who destroy the Aztec's city, that I can say but have no idea how to spell.

 

[RaptorX]

Not that it would be a problem, since after you saved the dinosaurs, they would end up being the ones who destroy the Aztec's city, that I can say but have no idea how to spell.

You mean Tenochtitlan?

 

[Marqués de Alatriste]

I wouldn't change anything (except a few things in my personal life). One change would cause too many other changes. The butterfly effect that Eurofed pointed out.

I agree. We all have personal stuff that matters more to us than history. And if we go far back and change something to better suit our sensebilities than we cause unforseen butterflies that would probably cause us and our families and loved ones to never exist. I for one would change but two things that are recent (within the year) and thats it.