I think the problem is things in western europe were a bit too messed up at the time.  There was no real control over large mass of land/population, a few rulers here and there etc.

There was much (relative always) stability and empires/kingdoms and wars and progress in the former/then eastern Roman Empire and its neighbours, that could work, but I doubt most companies would like to try that since their focus is the english speaking world first of all then the rest.

Rome total war barbarian invasion is set during that period and it is TBS with real time battles. The Romano-British faction are not playable, but there are mods that change this.

If you like fantasy, King Arthur the role-playing wargame is also set in this era and is similiar in gameplay.

another one to try is- Aurora.  It is a 4X game that uses a sub-pulse method of game advancement. Sub-pulses are pretty much "micro turns", that is, you give your orders, and then hit a particular sub-pulse interval. That interval then passes within the game, and you can now give new orders.

Downside- needs a minimum 1280x1024 resolution (workaround lower down; 1280x960 CAN be done though it isn't recommended, see the forums for sys requirement of the game), and you need to join the forums to be able to download it.

Upside- its on v4.7, and is completely free. To be precise, v4.2 can be downloaded without joining the forums, but to obtain the 4.7 patch (or use a later clean installer, like v4.6 or such), you do need to join. The install requires only 100 MB install space (database file may grow over time though).

The workaround to the high resolution requirement- get this freeware program, 360Desktop. It is a "scrolling desktop" utility application, and comes with 2 panoramic backgrounds. Many others can be downloaded from the site (using IE or Firefox) or directly from with "360 Manager" component of the application. This utility will allow one to "scroll" around the desktop to reach the different windows Aurora uses.

360 Desktop has 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions. The program is Windows-only.

I haven't had a chance to spend much time with AI War, but I quite like it. The demo really lets you get in to the game and see if it's something you'll like. I can't speak to the differences as I don't have Sins.

AI War is a whole different beast compared to Sins. First, there is only single and cooperative play against the AI in AI War so you can't play against your friends but you can play with them. Second, the scale in AI War is generally much larger than Sins. Fleets commonly number in the thousands mid to end game and you can set up maps with up to 80 stars (nodes on the map) to fight over. Overall, its a very different game and I'd recommend you try out the demo from the developer's main site. It lets you play through all of the tutorials and you can play the main campaign as many times as you want with a 1 hour time limit. If you do buy the game, any copy you purchase can be activated on Steam as well. So if you buy it on Impulse or off of the developers website, you also can register the game on Steam.

LINK

Strength & Honour 2

Looks very promising, but also quite similar to the Total War games, but then with lower graphics. How does it compare?

@Wirespeed91: Thanks for your explanation. Is there any diplomacy in this game? Or is it only fighting?

The overall concept is similar, you manage your cities and your armies, engage in diplomatic actions and so forth. The biggest difference is the extensive use of individuals at all levels. In an army with 10 divisions, you'll have 1 marshall and 9 generals...each influences it's troops, learns and may die. There are a very large number of qualities for each individual. They'll also have a big impact as governors, diplomats, members of political parties. Generally, each individual will have it's own agenda. You don't have to go that deep but you can. I like the fact that i can play the Huns or the Mauryas too. And the AI is top imho.

Cheers