Hey there all. It's me back with another Byzantine thread.

Unlike last time however, I'm shooting for more realistic aims using the ever popular "Basil II has a competent heir" POD. The idea of this thread is that I will write the initial POD, basically detailing the first two Emperors who come after Basil II, and then I will leave it up to you to construct your own scenario from that point onwards.
The goal is to make the Byzantine Empire prosper and grow even more powerful. After the initial expansion that takes place during my POD, I'll leave where the Empire goes up to you. Whether the Empire attempts to conquer all of the Levant or Egypt, or turns its attention somewhere else, is in your hands. You can write a timeline going as far ahead from my POD as you wish.
Alright, so here goes:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Map_Byzantine_Empire_1025-de.svg
Byzantine Empire at the end of Basil II's reign.
Historically, as I'm sure most of you know, Basil had no son. This was probably the only really major mistake of his reign. ITT he has a son named Alexandros. He personally grooms him from birth, and gives him a very strict upbringing, not allowing him to become lethargic or complacent. Upon Basil's death in 1025, Alexandros is crowned as Alexandros II.
Alexandros II is a capable military commander, but his real gift is for administration. He continues with his fathers goal of retaking Sicily from the Arabs, successfully driving them from island by 1033. Though as previously stated, he is a capable leader on the battlefield, he has no desire for further conquest. Rather, the majority of his reign is spent reforming the Empire's bureaucracy and consolidating the gains made by his father.
He also was able to defeat the Norman invasions of the Catepanate of Italy, defeating the last of their incursions in the 1040s. With the Norman invasions completely failing, there is no East-West Schism between the Churches in 1054, though tensions between Rome and Constantinople still remain over issues such as the Filioque clause and Papal primacy.
He was successful in suppressing court intrigue and defeating those who would conspire against him. He also kept the army strong, disciplined and well lead, not allowing it to deteriorate as it did OTL. He would enjoy a long reign, from 1025 to 1071, dieing at the ripe old age of 77. At his death, the Empire was politically stable, its bureaucracy was streamline and efficient (for Byzantium) and his heir's legitimacy and position unquestioned.
Succeeding him is his son, Ioannes(John) II. He inherits a full treasury, a powerful army and navy, and a stable Empire. Ioannes is also a competent ruler, raised in the same disciplinary style that Basil had raised his father Alexandros. He is more aggressive than his father however, and sets his sights on conquering parts of northern Syria and Iraq. This of course brings him into conflict with the Seljuk Turks, who despite REALLY not wanting to fight the Empire, are forced into the conflict by the Emperor.
After some minor battles in Armenia and Syria, the two Empires meet in a decisive battle at Manzikert (just for the sake of convenience

) and the Seljuks suffer a catastrophic defeat, in which a large portion of their army is destroyed, Alp Arslan himself being captured and taken back to Constantinople where he was exhibited in the streets of Constantinople for the cheering masses before being killed.
The war with the Seljuks continued for a period as Malik Shah took over after Arslan's death, and resulted in the Empire's conquest of Mosul in Northern Iraq, Tilfis in the North, and the cities of Martyropolis, Amida, Edessa and Haran in northern Syria. Ioannes would also conquer the cities of Aleppo, Emesa and Triopli following the death of Malik Shah and the splintering of his Empire.
By 1100, Ioannes II had tired of conquest, and retired to Constantinople to consolidate his new gains and peacefully govern the Empire. By the end of his reign in 1113, the Empire was at it's height. Extending through Armenia and modern Georgia in the north, and into northern Iraq and much of Syria in the south, it is at its territorial height since the emergence of Islam.
It's army is strong and it's navy the largest and most advanced in the Mediterranean Sea. The treasury is busting at the seams and Ioannes II's reign closes on a stable political scene. His heir, whose name and nature I shall leave to you, has inherited a very rich and powerful Empire. Now, the question I pose to you is where do this heir and his heirs go from here? What are their goals, their ambitions and beliefs? Does the Empire continue to expand to the south, eventually reconquering the Levant and possibly even Egypt? Can it do so without becoming exhaustively overextended? Or does it turn west, possibly to try and take out it's potential Mediterranean rivals in Venice and the other Italian states, which could bring it into conflict with the HRE.
The future of the Empire is up to you. Though I should first point out a few differences in this timeline caused by the successful Empire.
1# No Crusades, so the Fatimids still control Jerusalem and most of the Levant south of the Empire. Europe is likely still fighting amongst itself as are the Muslims, having nothing to unite them against a common foe. Whether there is a future Crusade or not is up to you, though I do have to wonder what effects this will have on the Spanish reconquista.
2# No great schism. The Churches, for all their differences, are still officially one. Whether this will remain the case or not is in your hands. With their ever increasing differences, can the two permanently remain united?
3# No civil wars in Byzantium in the 11th century, so the legitimacy of the current heir is not in question, at least at the beginning of his reign. He would have to screw up pretty badly to completely destabilize the Empire in his lifetime. Can the Macedonian Dynasty keep it's position on the throne permanently secure and stand the test of time?
4# The Imperial Navy is still strong and is the dominant power in the Mediterranean, therefore the Empire is no dependent on the Italian City states for trade and power projection. The 'Free Cities' are ambitious however, so the Empire can't get lazy on maintaining it's fleet.
And with those four points, I leave you to decide where the Empire goes from here. I eagerly await you responses.
