If I ever get around to finishing 'The Right Man for the Job', I might do another Byzantine-oriented ATL. Read below and decide which emperor/imperial claimant would interest you the most:
Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus - grandson of Manuel I's surviving older brother, also named Isaac. Broke away during the reign of Andronikos I and ruled Cyprus like a tyrant (apparently worse than Andronikos) until Richard the Lionheart overthrew him in 1191. When consulting a fortune-teller, when the letter iota appeared, Andronikos worried it would be a sign that Isaac would become the next emperor...
Isaac II Angelos - During his reign, the empire lost Bulgaria, Serbia, Cilicia and Cyprus forever. Unlike his brother and son, however, Isaac tried to be a somewhat competent emperor and remedy these problems. Perhaps with a bit more luck and skill, Isaac II and his dynasty would have been remembered differently.
Alexios Branas - A noble and general who successfully defeated the Sicilian Normans at the Battle of Demetritzes in 1185. Two years later, he rebelled against Isaac II during the Vlach-Bulgarian rebellion but was killed by Conrad of Montferrat. His son, Theodore, also a military leader, became the lover and, eventually, husband of Agnes of France, younger sister of Philip II Augustus, fiancé of Alexios II and child bride of Andronikos I.
Alexios V Doukas Mourtzouphlos - The emperor who overthrew and killed Alexios IV and gets unfairly lumped in with the Angelos dynasty. We're it not for the wind changing direction, he might haved saved Constantinople from the crusaders.
Alexios & David Komnenos of Trebizond - Both men had a claim to the imperial throne via their grandfather, Andronikos I. David was the soldier and Alexios the administrator. OTL, they were defeated by Theodore Laskaris and Trebizond was knocked out of the race.
Michael I Komnenos Doukas - Founder of the Despotate of Epirus, campaigned viciously against the crusaders and Venetians. He was assassinated in 1215 and while his brother Theodore came close to capturing Constantinople, he got on the wrong side of the Bulgarians and Epirus never recovered. What if Michael I hadn't been assassinated or Theodore had attacked Constantinople instead of the Bulgarians?
Please comment and share your opinions.
Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus - grandson of Manuel I's surviving older brother, also named Isaac. Broke away during the reign of Andronikos I and ruled Cyprus like a tyrant (apparently worse than Andronikos) until Richard the Lionheart overthrew him in 1191. When consulting a fortune-teller, when the letter iota appeared, Andronikos worried it would be a sign that Isaac would become the next emperor...
Isaac II Angelos - During his reign, the empire lost Bulgaria, Serbia, Cilicia and Cyprus forever. Unlike his brother and son, however, Isaac tried to be a somewhat competent emperor and remedy these problems. Perhaps with a bit more luck and skill, Isaac II and his dynasty would have been remembered differently.
Alexios Branas - A noble and general who successfully defeated the Sicilian Normans at the Battle of Demetritzes in 1185. Two years later, he rebelled against Isaac II during the Vlach-Bulgarian rebellion but was killed by Conrad of Montferrat. His son, Theodore, also a military leader, became the lover and, eventually, husband of Agnes of France, younger sister of Philip II Augustus, fiancé of Alexios II and child bride of Andronikos I.
Alexios V Doukas Mourtzouphlos - The emperor who overthrew and killed Alexios IV and gets unfairly lumped in with the Angelos dynasty. We're it not for the wind changing direction, he might haved saved Constantinople from the crusaders.
Alexios & David Komnenos of Trebizond - Both men had a claim to the imperial throne via their grandfather, Andronikos I. David was the soldier and Alexios the administrator. OTL, they were defeated by Theodore Laskaris and Trebizond was knocked out of the race.
Michael I Komnenos Doukas - Founder of the Despotate of Epirus, campaigned viciously against the crusaders and Venetians. He was assassinated in 1215 and while his brother Theodore came close to capturing Constantinople, he got on the wrong side of the Bulgarians and Epirus never recovered. What if Michael I hadn't been assassinated or Theodore had attacked Constantinople instead of the Bulgarians?
Please comment and share your opinions.
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