Advice on the Following Byz Story 1143 - 1200

trajen777

Banned
Was considering a Thread along the lines of a Focused East Manuel Kommenos where he has the brillance he showed but with perhaps a more focused followthrough: The basic will be
· Sicily was requesting a marriage alliance as was the Holy Roman Emperor – basically Manuel chose Germany – in this he chooses neutrality.
· Was very successful immediately against the Turks then became distracted – I this he stays focused on the East (Anatolia) in a 10 year campaign (adding Thematic troops at 3-5,000 per year) and Tagmatic at 1500 – 2000 per year
· Have to work out timelines but supports the 2nd Crusade – marries the King of Jerusalem’s daughter, inherits the kingdom.
· Continue to fortify the Eastern borders
· Invades Egypt (as in real life in 1167)
· Does not die in 1180 (no heart break at the Battle of Myriokephalon) and dies at 80 years old 1200</SPAN>
· Remarries Joan of Sicily (the lion hearts sister).
· Dies with a fully grown child to inherit the crown with Joan as Queen and Richard the Lionhearted as supporter with Egypt, Sicily, Byzantium, and the Crusader states as the Empire
·
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Manuelcomnenus.jpg
 
· Was very successful immediately against the Turks then became distracted – I this he stays focused on the East (Anatolia) in a 10 year campaign (adding Thematic troops at 3-5,000 per year) and Tagmatic at 1500 – 2000 per year

Those numbers sound higher than I suspect you think they are. That probably doubles the OTL army by the end of the campaign - I do not envy the poor.

· Have to work out timelines but supports the 2nd Crusade – marries the King of Jerusalem’s daughter, inherits the kingdom.

Which king's daughter? And keep in mind that they'd be distant kin - not impossibly so with a dispensation, but . . .

· Continue to fortify the Eastern borders
· Invades Egypt (as in real life in 1167)
· Does not die in 1180 (no heart break at the Battle of Myriokephalon) and dies at 80 years old 1200</SPAN>

Eighty? That's . . . pretty impressive.

· Remarries Joan of Sicily (the lion hearts sister).
· Dies with a fully grown child to inherit the crown with Joan as Queen and Richard the Lionhearted as supporter with Egypt, Sicily, Byzantium, and the Crusader states as the Empire
·

Why would Richard give a damn about *Alexius? And how has Manuel taken Egypt (and Sicily - if he's focused on the East, campaigning in Sicily on that scale is out by definition)?
 
Which king's daughter? And keep in mind that they'd be distant kin - not impossibly so with a dispensation, but . . .



Eighty? That's . . . pretty impressive.



Why would Richard give a damn about *Alexius? And how has Manuel taken Egypt (and Sicily - if he's focused on the East, campaigning in Sicily on that scale is out by definition)?

1. I assume he means the king of Jerusalem's daughter.

2. It is possible, but on whether he would have full use of his mental faculties. He could, but it is unlikely.

3. Maybe he got Alexandria, some of the other coastal towns. With the Crusaders getting the other parts of Egypt.
 
1. I assume he means the king of Jerusalem's daughter.

Let's see if I can respond to that without snarking.

Yes, which king of Jersualem?

2. It is possible, but on whether he would have full use of his mental faculties. He could, but it is unlikely.

Well, we have Manuel II reaching seventy-five and Andronicus II reaching about as old OTL. So I'm more worried about his body decaying than his brain.

3. Maybe he got Alexandria, some of the other coastal towns. With the Crusaders getting the other parts of Egypt.

Still pretty impressive.
 
Let's see if I can respond to that without snarking.

Yes, which king of Jersualem?



Well, we have Manuel II reaching seventy-five and Andronicus II reaching about as old OTL. So I'm more worried about his body decaying than his brain.



Still pretty impressive.

1. Lets say Amalric I of Jerusalem. I assume that is what the op meant.

2. I suppose he could send armies from the capital, without him leading them. Could be seen as a sign of weakness though.

3. Very impressive, but it depends if they can keep the territories. That is up in the air though.
 
Sounds like the Byzantines are currently a hot topic.

IIRC, in many ways the economy was better than even the height of the Macedonian era.
 
Does the Empire even have the troops to hold such an amout of provinces?

I have the feeling that may PODs in the Komnenian age are basing on an Emperor focusing on the East... why would they? The main domain of the Empire are the Balkan provinces. isn't it obvious to secure them by dealing with Hungary, Normans, Venice and HRE??? Only if there is everything allright an Emperor can start campagnin in the East or not?
 
Does the Empire even have the troops to hold such an amout of provinces?

I have the feeling that may PODs in the Komnenian age are basing on an Emperor focusing on the East... why would they? The main domain of the Empire are the Balkan provinces. isn't it obvious to secure them by dealing with Hungary, Normans, Venice and HRE??? Only if there is everything allright an Emperor can start campagnin in the East or not?

On the first question: I don't think so. Not in Manuel's lifetime.

On the second:
Because without resecuring Anatolia, the empire is in deep, deep trouble.

The main domain of the Empire is the Balkan provinces only because that's all that's left.
 
Does the Empire even have the troops to hold such an amout of provinces?

I have the feeling that may PODs in the Komnenian age are basing on an Emperor focusing on the East... why would they? The main domain of the Empire are the Balkan provinces. isn't it obvious to secure them by dealing with Hungary, Normans, Venice and HRE??? Only if there is everything allright an Emperor can start campagnin in the East or not?

Anatolia is the richest part of the empire, has the manpower and I believe that is where they got their horses and the capable horseman. May have had metal mines as well.
 
Anatolia is the richest part of the empire, has the manpower and I believe that is where they got their horses and the capable horseman. May have had metal mines as well.

Armenia has gold mines, Anatolia proper I'm not sure - to put in what I can add.
 
But didn't the civil war and the raids of the turkic tirbes do great damage to wealth of Anatolia? Somehow like the Byzantine-Ostrogothic War in Italy???

Furthermore wasn't the most important parts of Anatolia the coastlines? I mean there were the biggest cities, some minerals? and the most porductive fields? So the regions behind this are only important to secure the more wealthy cities at the coast? After the raids of the Turks they lost quiet some importance to the Empire.
 
But didn't the civil war and the raids of the turkic tirbes do great damage to wealth of Anatolia? Somehow like the Byzantine-Ostrogothic War in Italy???

Furthermore wasn't the most important parts of Anatolia the coastlines? I mean there were the biggest cities, some minerals? and the most porductive fields? So the regions behind this are only important to secure the more wealthy cities at the coast? After the raids of the Turks they lost quiet some importance to the Empire.

There's still good grazing land, and "only important to secure the more wealthy regions" is pretty damn important when the alternative is losing those wealthy regions.
 
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