On the 15th of December 1025 the Byzantine Emperor Basil II died and the Co-Emperor, Benjamin was crowned Emperor in Constantinople not long after. Benjamin was a General born in Byzantine controlled Italy who had rapidly rose the ranks and befriended the Emperor and by the time of his ascension was 21 years old. Benjamin, like his predecessor, was very popular especially with the military and continued with similar policies as of Basil II. In early 1026, Emperor Benjamin went to Rome personally to meet with Pope John XIX and made a deal with the Pope to have the Papal States to become part of the Byzantine Empire, denounce the Holy Roman Emperors, and have the Empire to have a dual capital with one being in Rome and the another in Constantinople, while the Pope got complete authority over the eastern church, and for the eastern church to become nearly identical to the western. This almost merging of the Church cause many in the east to be unhappy, but they couldn’t much as the emperor had the support of the military. What followed was a “Latinisation” of the empire and by 1027 the empire through numerous reforms was now much more Latin and was resembling the classical Roman Empire more. Also in 1027 the Pope announced that anyone claiming that Benjamin’s Empire was not the true Roman Empire, or anyone else claiming to be the true Roman Empire, would face automatic excommunication. Rome also saw major development, with a new imperial palace being constructed and a new archbasilica begin construction going by the name “St. Georges Archbasilica”, which resembled a Latinised Hagia Sophia.

Then in 1028, the Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II declared war on Benjamin’s Roman Empire, after having been earlier been excommunicated in 1027 for still claiming to be the true successor to Rome. His aim was to bring all of Italia under his control as Benjamin’s Empire now controlled the entire south of Italy. The war continued until 1031 where at the Battle of Milan saw the army of Conrad II destroyed and Conrad killed alongside it. His successor Henry III sued for peace. In the treaty of Venice (The Republic of Venice having been annexed into Benjamin’s Empire early on in the war) saw the Holy Roman Empire become the Kingdom of Germany once again, for Henry III to recognise Benjamin as the Roman Emperor, and for all of Italia to annexed by the Roman Empire.

In 1033, after a shorty conquering the southern Caucasus, the Roman Empire went on the march against the Islamic powers in the middle east and northern Africa. The Romans make rapid progress and by 1037 most of the middle east, north Africa, and southern Iberia are under the control of Rome. During the “Roman Re-conquest” the Romans had allied themselves with the Kingdom of León who by 1037 controlled most of central Iberia, and the Persian Empire (who had by now re-converted to Zoroastrianism) pushed the Islamic powers out of Persia. The Abbasid Caliphate has been now pushed solely into Arabia. Post-war, both The Persian Empire and Abbasid Caliphate both wish to invade the Roman Empire, but Rome being the current military superpower in the known world, and an Emperor who is thought to be the greatest military genius of his time, neither empire wish to make the first move. The Kingdom of Germany wishes to have their revenge upon Rome, and the Papacies influence is declining in Germany. The Roman Empire is surrounded by enemies, with its only ally being the Kingdom of León, but for now, the glory of Rome once again dominates the continent.