Well, from the Byzantine perspective at the time, the British Isles were merged with Scandinavia as "Thule", the remote northern edge of the oecumene, tormented by Arctic winds and a source of angry barbarian warriors. The voyage to England would be seen as virtually a death sentence for any Greeks participating.
However perhaps Alexios I could use the expedition as a way to get rid of armed factions in the Byzantine Empire that are too ambitious for the Emperor's liking. This could be any number of defeated enemies or suspected but not confirmed mutinous factions. For example the Normans left in Asia Minor, ironically, or Cuman auxiliaries, Crusaders, Pechenegs, Seljuk Turks, Greek nobles who had aligned themselves with plotting factions without being the leaders of those plots, bandits, etc.
It starts off as basically a banishment but then a mutual agreement is mediated by the Varangians. In 1084, Alexios faced a conspiracy against him by the senate and officers of the army, but to conceal the plot's importance, merely banished the leaders and confiscated their estates. Maybe some join the departing English. That would also bring into question the loyalty of the Varangian Guard, though.
However perhaps Alexios I could use the expedition as a way to get rid of armed factions in the Byzantine Empire that are too ambitious for the Emperor's liking. This could be any number of defeated enemies or suspected but not confirmed mutinous factions. For example the Normans left in Asia Minor, ironically, or Cuman auxiliaries, Crusaders, Pechenegs, Seljuk Turks, Greek nobles who had aligned themselves with plotting factions without being the leaders of those plots, bandits, etc.
It starts off as basically a banishment but then a mutual agreement is mediated by the Varangians. In 1084, Alexios faced a conspiracy against him by the senate and officers of the army, but to conceal the plot's importance, merely banished the leaders and confiscated their estates. Maybe some join the departing English. That would also bring into question the loyalty of the Varangian Guard, though.
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