Rome Unconquered, 1599

by Darren S Catallo

It is 1599, and the Roman Empire is still a force to be reckoned with. Surrounded by enemies, the Romans survive and thrive by cunning statecraft, military skill, technical power, and an ear in every court. The Fourth Italian Legion, Legio IIII Italica, is one of the pillars of the Empire. Can the legion stop an excursion from the Bavarian army, the feared landsknechts, into the neutral territory separate from both Rome and Bavaria? Within all empires and states, there are the soldiers and people who have to live their lives as best as they can in the sweep of events beyond their control. This is the story of Leonardo Titianus, a young Roman centurion who's better suited to be an artist. There is Caius Manteuffel, the driven regimental commander of German landsknechts. Lukas Drusus is a chameleon-like Roman spy. And finally, there's Justinius Desiderius Mannheim, the local village idiot. As armies maneuver and clash around the small neutral Alpine village of Lenggries, officers and soldiers march and fight tedium, while farmers and shopkeepers struggle to protect their village and freedom from the landsknechts. Townspeople and soldiers, Romans and Bavarians, spies and traders, see how they survive, thrive, or die in a dangerous, fascinating, and humorous version of the sixteenth century!

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 2025

Reviews

[isral]

This is book is loaded with details about how armies travelled, operated, and fought in history because the author imagines an alternate history where the Roman Empire continued on until 1599. But the Roman is challenged by an upstart German empire in his book. But if it sounds like an “action” only story with tales of fighting and courage, well it’s more than that. It’s got wild, exaggerated characters like the self-important German commander whose uniform is a clue about his self-grandeur, the Roman art student turned badass warrior, the Bavarian farmer who you don’t want to mess with, and a Roman officer who would probably slit your throat to further his own career. Truth is there’s so many characters i had to keep referring to the notes. But the best characters are the insane pet dogs of the jester-type character. The book is actually a humorous book so it’s enjoyable on a few different levels.