Byzantine victory at Myriokephalon

Somehow, I have a hard time believing that Manuel just let his forces get ambushed that pass without doing proper scouting first. After all, he seemed to have been at least a somewhat competent commander. Sure the Turks were harassing him, but he should have expected that. Let's just say that Manuel managed to draw out Kilij Arslan II and defeat him without losing his siege train. What would happen next? Would Konya have been retaken? And if Konya was retaken, what would happen to the Turks in Anatolia?

Myriokephalon

Manuel would definitely have reigned longer. A major victory in Asia Minor would have greatly enhanced his prestige. I do think that more of western and central Anatolia would have been recovered by the Byzantines, but I'm not sure about the far eastern provinces and Armenia.

Myriokephalon was not a particuarly heavy defeat for the Romans, the problem was that Manuel believed it was, which led to a near total collapse in morale throughout the Empire. If it had ended in a not particuarly major victory, you might see the empire not only regaining Iconium and other areas, but also staying together much more healthily after Manuel's death.

Any more thoughts?

Myriokephalon

See the excellent work by Speros Vryonis: The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor.