Fourth Crusade

Here is another take on the 4th crusade. Constantinople is captured, as in OTL, but the crusade manages to conquer all of Greek western Asia minor. The empire of Nicea never comes into existence. Does this delay or hasten the Turkish conquest of Asia Minor? Or does the Latin empire last longer, as a result of gaining the Anatolian territories ?
 
Here is another take on the 4th crusade. Constantinople is captured, as in OTL, but the crusade manages to conquer all of Greek western Asia minor. The empire of Nicea never comes into existence. Does this delay or hasten the Turkish conquest of Asia Minor? Or does the Latin empire last longer, as a result of gaining the Anatolian territories ?

Hard to answer really.

How does Greek Anatolia get taken? Do we get vassal Kingdoms of Smyrna and Nicaea? Is Trebizond also taken? A lot depends on the relative strengths of the vassals.
And Epirus can now fully claim to be the (Eastern) Empire.
 
I think it's likely to hasten Turkish conquest. This would create a feudal stratum of Latin lords over a hostile Orthodox population directly exposed to Turkish polities. The Latin Empire was much more feeble than the Nicaean state and would be unlikely to put up a very spirited resistance.
 

wormyguy

Banned
I think it's likely to hasten Turkish conquest. This would create a feudal stratum of Latin lords over a hostile Orthodox population directly exposed to Turkish polities. The Latin Empire was much more feeble than the Nicaean state and would be unlikely to put up a very spirited resistance.
There's a good quote from one of the Nicaean emperors along the lines of how it would be better to have a Muslim crescent above the Hagia Sophia than a Latin crucifix.
 
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