Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality.

The city of Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River. Its history spans over two and a half thousand years. It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, which was a major political and cultural influence in the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea for over seven hundred years from the 1st Century BC until the 7th Century AD. Since the 2nd Century AD Rome has been the seat of the Papacy and, after the end of Byzantine domination, in the 8th century it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870. In 1871 Rome became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and in 1946 that of the Italian Republic. Since 1929, it has been the site of the Vatican, an independent city-state presided over by the Pope.

Rome in Agent of Byzantium

In the mid 7th century, Roman Emperor Constans II succeeded in regaining Rome from the Lombards and putting his own puppet ruler on the Papal throne.

While Constantinopolitans called themselves Romans, they looked down upon the Empire's first capital as a backward land of country bumpkins.

Rome in "But It Does Move"

In 1633, Galileo Galilei was summoned to Rome by Pope Urban VIII to face accusations of heresy. After being interviewed by ten different cardinals of the Roman Inquisition, Galilei was finally analyzed by Cardinal Sigismondo Gioioso.

Rome in "Coming Across"

Rome was one of the human cities visited by Lingol in the 13th century, his last visit to Earth until 1979.

Rome in Crosstime Traffic

Rome in The Gladiator

Crosstime Traffic maintained a novelty shop called The Conductor's Cap in Rome, Italian People's Republic, which sold Rails across Europe and other subversive board games. It was raided by the Security Police, but the staff managed to escape back to the home timeline.

Rome in Gunpowder Empire

In an alternate known as Agrippan Rome, the city of Rome remained the capital of a great Empire at the close of the 21st century.

Rome in In High Places

In an alternate Crosstime Traffic operated, the Great Black Deaths occurred during the years when the Papacy was stationed in Avignon. While Europe was weakened by this disaster, Muslim invaders occupied all of Italy, including Rome, crushing the hopes of the Papacy to someday return there. This was one more step in Christianity's shift from Catholicism to the New Revelation.

In another alternate, unknown to Crosstime Traffic until the slavery scandal forced it to their attention, Rome was the center of an insignificant Republic which was nipped in the bud during the Samnite Wars and did not have any significant influence on European history.

Rome in Give Me Back My Legions!

By AD 9, Rome was a thoroughly cosmopolitan city. Immigrants from all over the Empire had come there hoping to strike it rich. Such immigrants were generally not to be found in the Palatine neighborhood where the seat of government lay.

Emperor Augustus was at home in Rome when he received the news of Publius Q. Varus' catastrophic defeat in Germany, and began to beat his head against the wall, shouting "Varus, give me back my legions!"

Rome in "Islands in the Sea"

Rome, seat of the Papacy, was the center of the dwindling Christian world. In 769, Pope Constantine II sent a delegation from Rome to the court of the Bulgars, a tribe teetering on the choice between adopting Christianity or Islam.

Rome in Joe Steele

When US President Joe Steele threatened to intervene in the Chinese Civil War with atomic bombs, Soviet Ambassador Andrei Gromyko suggested that the USSR would retaliate with bombs dropped on European cities such as Paris and Rome.

Rome in Ruled Britannia

In the first century, Rome was the seat of the Roman Empire, which oppressed the natives of Britannia. In the late 16th century, Rome was the seat of the Catholic Church, which oppressed England once again through the puppet regime of Queen Isabella. Jack Hungerford, a tireman for the London Theatre, observed that this was one more parallel between the setting of William Shakespeare's Boudicca and the present day.

Rome in Southern Victory

Rome was one of the first cities affected by the stock market crash of 1929.

Rome in Through Darkest Europe

Rome was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Italy, and the seat of the papacy.

Rome in Worldwar

Rome was occupied by The Race's Conquest Fleet shortly after their invasion in 1942. As it was an important center of Race power on Earth, Rome was destroyed by a German atomic bomb in January 1944. Pope Pius XII was killed in the explosion.

Moishe Russie witnessed the explosion aboard the freighter Naxos bound for Palestine.

See also

• City of Elabon, an analog of Rome in the Elabon Series.
• Skopentzana, a partial analog of Rome in the Videssos Series.