alternatehistory.com

My interest in the Laskarid dynasty began with the famous TL "An Age of Miracles: The Revival of Rhomaion" by Basileus444. While I was impressed by it at the time and do agree with the POD, no disrespect to Basileus444, I find that a post-4th crusade Byzantine state could not reach the height of power and territory as it does in the aforementioned TL due to reasons/limits of culture, money, logistics, etc.

IOTL, the Empire of Nicaea and the Palaiologoi empire was confined to western Anatolia, Thrace, Northern Greece, some of the nearby islands, the Pelopponese (gradually) and sometimes Epirus and modern-day Macedonia and Albania.

Assuming the following:

* Theodore II Laskaris doesn't die.
* A battle similar to Pelagonia still occurs and ends in a Nicaean victory.
* Constantinople is retaken in Theodore II's lifetime.
* His successor, John IV, is as good or better an emperor.

How much territory could this restored Byzantine empire plausibly retake? The way I see it, they could focus on Athens and Achaea like Michael VIII did or take advantage of its weak neighbours in Anatolia and retake Paphlagonia, the southwest coast up to Armenian Cilicia, the Black Sea coast up to Georgia at the most. If they wanted to avoid the longer borders which plagued the Komnenoi, they could maybe push into the Central Anatolia plateau but at the risk of sharing a border with the Ilkhanate.

I was originally going to ask about the possible lifespan of this restored empire, but I realised that we can never really predict such things. Too many variables.

Finally, there's the matter of family, marriages and alliances. Theodore II only had one son by his first wife, Elena of Bulgaria. I'm guessing he'd want to remarry at some point to father at least one spare. I've narrowed down the candidates to a daughter of either Daniel of Galicia or Hethum I of Cilicia. For John IV, I've narrowed it down to either Theodora Komnenos of Trebizond or Brnca/Brnjača, daughter of Uros I of Serbia. Finally, Constantine, the son of Theodore I Laskaris and Philippa of Armenia, either barred from the throne because of the circumstances of his parents marriage or sidelined by John III Vatatzes as a child and later made Doux of Thrakesion in 1249. I'd imagine he'd try and make at least one attempt to take the throne.

I'll stop now before I keep on rambling. Any thoughts?
Top