Very unlikely bordering on impossible. Even with a fleet taking the city is very hard. The city was taken twice in history, and the second time only by cannon.
Could they have actually taken it, in the chaotic years following Manzikert? Despite lack of fleet?
On the other hand, one of those times it was taking by starving barbarians led by a blind octogenarian.
that's a myth what really s crewed the byzantines was the scaling of the sea walls. The crusader fleet ha dsuperiority at sea so they managed to breach the sea walls before the ere could put up its chains and though Alexius V lead an attack it failed. Had his attack on the beachhead succeeded the 4th crusade would have for the most part failed if the crusaders were unable to breach the sea walls.On the other hand, one of those times it was taking by starving barbarians led by a blind octogenarian.
that's a myth what really s crewed the byzantines was the scaling of the sea walls. The crusader fleet ha dsuperiority at sea so they managed to breach the sea walls before the ere could put up its chains and though Alexius V lead an attack it failed. Had his attack on the beachhead succeeded the 4th crusade would have for the most part failed if the crusaders were unable to breach the sea walls.
No. They have no fleet.
im just saying 4th crusade counts but it was done due to the naval component. Without that overwelhming naval superiority and byzantine incomppetance at the beach the crusade would have failed. That's allI don't understand how it's a "myth." It sounds like you're agreeing Constantinople was sacked, but trying to say the 4th Crusade didn't count because it was sacked by people with naval superiority.
im just saying 4th crusade counts but it was done due to the naval component. Without that overwelhming naval superiority and byzantine incomppetance at the beach the crusade would have failed. That's all
So here's a rough, probably implausible outline of something that came to mind.
No Manzikert, just periodic Turkic raids and some deals between Byzantine emperors and Seljuk Sultans. At some point an emperor uses a band of Christianized turks as his personal guard. Following the emperor's death, a power struggle ensues in the city, and you end up with the Turkish guard briefly in control of Constantinople with a puppet emperor. They are soon defeated however as another claimant storms in and usurps the throne, massacring the guard.
That's about as close as you can really get.
Yes and in this case it proved devastatingly fatal to them unlike earlier. The turks lack this naval component. Consequently Turks cant take the city unless what slydesertfox says comes true.Byzantine history after 1000 or so is replete with incompetence, though.
On the other hand, one of those times it was taking by starving barbarians led by a blind octogenarian.