Proposal for a Komnenian timeline:
The working name of my timeline is going to be “AIMA” (Greek for “blood”) in reference to a prophecy concerning the Komnenos dynasty of the Roman Empire. According to the tales of the day, the first names of 4 consecutive Komnenoi emperors were to start with an A, an I, a M and another A in that order from first to forth. The first three letters have thus far (in my timeline) been a huge success; Alexios I repulsed the Normans and Penchengs, re-established the imperial army and currency, and skillfully took advantage of the chaos surrounding the first crusade to recapture the former Opsikon and Thrakesion Themata from the Seljuqs of Rum. Ioannes II, who is perhaps my favourite Roman Emperor of all, built upon this foundation to strengthen the empire in the east…driving the Seljuqs further back and laying a Roman claim once more to Antioch and Cilicia. Sadly, Ioannes death after a hunting trip in Cilicia (followed by the deaths of his three eldest sons in mysterious circumstances) left the Empire at a crossroads. Manuel I, Ioannes’ surviving heir, has an opportunity to reunite much of the former “heartlands” of the Empire in Anatolia; that is if he can focus upon single goal at a time. Historically (and I know that many folks on this site know this already!) Manuel I was a very frustrating ruler due to his propensity to spread himself and his Empire too thin by pursuing numerous diplomatic, military and dynastic projects at once. Wheras his father had focused his military campaigning upon either an eastern or western theatre (Anatolia and the Balkans) at a given moment, Manuel often put the Romans in situations that entailed military operations further afield, such as in Italy and even Egypt. The amount of monetary expenditure on failed expeditions during his reign was staggering, and often served to overshadow some of the brilliant moments of his reign (1143-1180 AD) that included the decisive Roman victory over Hungary, the establishment of a Roman protectorate over the Crusader States and demographic/economic expansion in Anatolia.
In my timeline, the first POD will have Manuel pursuing a far less aggressive policy against the Norman Kingdom of Sicily (which means no invasion of Italy during the 1150s) and maintaining an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire as a means of limiting Norman expansion. Much of the wealth expended on this campaign, as well as that used on his expeditions against Egypt, will instead be focused upon a slow but steady expansion of Roman holdings in Anatolia at the expense of the increasingly weak Seljuqs of Rum. A second major POD will be a more cautious Roman campaign against the Turks leading to a treaty in 1176 instead of the indecisive battle of Myriokephalon. This will in turn work with the third POD I’ve been working on: Manuel having a son (an Alexios II) who is of age and prepared to rule at the time of Manuel’s demise in 1180. This last POD is borrowed heavily from Elfwine’s outside timeline The Eagle of the Bosphorus, which I suggest that everyone check out. The reign of Alexios II Komnenos will be a major focus of my timeline, and it will be during his reign that the Romans drive the Turks from many parts of central Anatolia and gradually re-establish Roman rule in the region. Since I wish that the Angeloi dynasty had simply never happened, many other changes will place in the late 12 and early 13th centuries including:
No massacres of the Latins in Constantinople, slightly more cordial relations between the Romans and the Italian merchant Republics…we want Alexios II to not face a crusader siege in 1204. The Empire, however, will slowly be influenced more and more by the Italian states and vice versa. Venetias, Pisans and Genoese will be an important part of the life of the Empire.
An increasingly degree of Turkish influence in the Empire’s eastern provinces due to renewed Roman rule over much of Anatolia and the absorption of parts of the Turkic population in a manner similar to the assimilation of the Balkan Slavs by Constantinople in centuries past. Turkish soldiery holding “Pronoia” in Anatolia will be a big part of this.
A reform of the imperial army that leads to an increasing focus upon infantry and siege warfare in the Tagmata, building upon the tactical focus on “slow” campaigning by Ioannes II. The Roman Army in this TL will slowly evolve field armies more akin to the old infantry-dominated Legions…albeit with different weapons such as the Turkic Composite Bow, Greek Fire siphons and “Axe Bearing” heavy infantry ala Varangians.
A rationalization of the aforementioned “Pronoia” system, my goal is for it to stabilize into a means of supporting and remunerating the field troops of the Legions (ha, likely I’ll call them Megala Allagia) . My goal for this might end up being something similar to the Ottoman “Timar” system.
Eventual Roman rule over Serbia, Ragusa and Antioch will occur during the long and very eventful reign of Alexios II…
…leading to the encounter between the Romans and the Mongols as the Empire is transitioning from the Komnenoi dynasty to that of the Paleologai in the mid to late 13th century.
If this all makes no sense, feel free to let me know, I appreciate the feedback and look forward to all opinions!