No Sack of Constantinople- Can the Romans bounce back?

The title says it all really. If, for whatever reason, the crusaders had never sacked Constantinople in 1204, would the Roman Empire have been able to bounce back from the dead, as it had done so many times before? Or is collapse inevitable by this time, and the temporary moving of the capital to Nicaea the only real way to keep the Empire alive for the next 250 years?
Discuss...
 
You might need a political genius on the level of Augustus and the military genius on the level of Julius Caesar.

It is possible, but history isn't kind to the romans.
 
The problem is stopping the sack. The pope really wanted a united Christian religion. Constantinople was standing in his way. Plus, Venice was backing this plan because the Byzantine capital was a chief trading rival. And with the Crusades in full swing, the city was ripe for the picking.

Solution: Get a less radical pope.

Oh, and the Eastern Roman Empire is breathing its last at the moment. So, you'd need like Rommel to save them.
 
Before the sack, the Byzantines weren't as bad off as everybody seems to think. The Komnenos dynasty was dying after over 100 years, and there was of course serious political instability as a result, but nothing worse than anything that happened before, with the ends of other dynasties. Without the 4th crusade, the Byzantines would probably go through a few decades of weakness until a competent general took the throne and restored Imperial power.
 
If the 1204 sack doesn't happen, then I think the Byzantines would be able to bounce back. Greece and the Anatolian coasts (Black Sea, Aegean, and Med) was some pretty good real estate. The problem was leadership, which would have to go to someone other than the Angelos. I think that with the way the Empire was heading, the overthrow of the Alexios III was probably going to happen whether or not the Fourth Crusade did the deed.

The Empire, under new management, bounces back under a competent military leader. The Second Bulgarian Empire is brought back under Byzantine control, and the east is strengthened against further attacks. The new Emperor is going to have to deal with a much stronger local nobility, but with the wealth of Constantinople and the annexation of the Second Bulgarian Empire, I think he would be able to reduce their power to more manageable levels.

The Empire's new management probably starts sometime in the early 13th century. If the Mongols arrive on time, this Dynasty might be able to take advantage of the reordered power structure in the East and permanently retake the interior of Anatolia.

The Crusader States' continued difficulties could end up being a boon for the Byzantine Empire. With the fall of the final Crusader cities, the Byzantines could recruit the now city-less population for resettlement on the Anatolian frontier. The Eastern Franks were very easternized, and would probably fit in relatively well to the Byzantine power structure. Re-settle them in some newly conquered areas of Anatolia, where their pretensions to independence will be of good use. These Franks have generations of ruling over Muslim populations under their belts, along with raiding and familiarity with seige warfare. They will end up being important marcher lords for the Byzantines.
 
Yeah, a Roman Empire encompassing modern day;
Greece
Bulgaria
Dobrudja and the Donau delta
Kosovo
Albania
Turkey minus the Kurdish parts
Southern Crimea

Could be possible, methinks.
 
The less radical pope might butterfly away the Crusades for a few decades.

But meanwhile the Byzantines were recruiting Western European knights to get more soldiers. Maybe the commander (still a Greek) of these Mercanaries throws over the Komnenos dynansty and leads the empire in a new age of restoration and imperial power.
 

yourworstnightmare

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Yeah, a Roman Empire encompassing modern day;
Greece
Bulgaria
Dobrudja and the Donau delta
Kosovo
Albania
Turkey minus the Kurdish parts
Southern Crimea

Could be possible, methinks.

Even a little smaller one could be possible, if the sack doesn't happen East Rome would probably survive and even expand a little. I am little bit skeptic about them crushing Serbs and Bulgars, but I think they could have expanded a little in Anatolia (not as much as suggested though, we'd still have surviving Turkish states).
 
If Byzantium bounces back in the 13th and 14th centuries it could take advantage of the Mongol Invaisons to retake Anatolia. Also if Byzantium survives it could result in an earlier Renaissance with Constantinople in the lead not Italian cities.
 
If Byzantium bounces back in the 13th and 14th centuries it could take advantage of the Mongol Invaisons to retake Anatolia. Also if Byzantium survives it could result in an earlier Renaissance with Constantinople in the lead not Italian cities.
If not for the Turks the Mongols may treat the Byzantines as enemy.
 
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