Well as a break from my other tls due to writers block I have come up with a new TL. This is a realistic timeline that looks at a Byzantium that survives the fourth crusade intact. Please enjoy this tl.
1195
Alexius Angelus laughed as he saw Isaac II Angelus the emperor a prisoner before him by the guards. He then said to Isaac it is said " Oh how foolish Isaac I am now the emperor your time is over. You are weak and incompetent and due to you we have been defeated by the Bulgars in a series of battles. This is why I will put out your eyes. He soon took a knife and prepared to blind Isaac when suddenly he felt a sword thrust into his chest by one of his guards. Immediately the other guards came and killed this guard who it said proclaimed " I have done my duty the emperor shall remain and the usurper dead" Before being cut down.
Alexius stunned fell to the floor but then he took out a dagger and threw it at Isaac. Isaac stunned found the dagger lodged into his chest and he too fell down. Later that day both Alexius III Angelus the usurper and Isaac II Angelos the emperor were proclaimed dead due to injuries.
The three leaders of the plot against Isaac II: Theodore Branas, John Petraliphes, and Michael Kantakouzenos convened in a meeting to discuss what to do now that Isaac II Angelus and Alexius III Angelus were both dead. At this meeting michael Kantakouzenos declared that as he had ties to both the doukids and Komnenoi families he had a claim of his own to the imperial throne. To this Petraliphs declared that they should form a triarchy to oversee the empire. Michael however prepared beforehand for opposition against him and before Branas and Petraliphs could react, Michaels bodyguards slew both of them and killed Petraliph and Branas few bodyguards. Later that day Michael came out in front of the camp and with his guards proclaimed that since the Angelos emperors were dead and since he had ties to the imperial family, he would be the new emperor. The soldiers soon with no other leader declared as the emperor Michael VII Kantakouzenos.
Michael immediatly turned his attention to the bulgar revolt and soon lead the now weakend byzantine army that numbered some 12000 soldiers to a crushing victory against the bugarians at the second battle of Arcadiopolos. At this battle Ivan Asen himself was slain as he had decided to participate and see once and for all the death of the byzantines in Bulgaria. However once he died the bulgar army broke rank and soon was captured and was massacred at Arcadiopolos. From there Michael launched a successful campaign that lasted 5 months leading to the destruction of the now collapsing second bulgarian empire which had fallen into civil wat after Asen's death and on May 5th 1195 the Bulgarians were defeated and Sophia followed by Trnovo were retaken and the short lived second bulgar empire was no more. It also helped that many of Theodore Asens brothers generals defected to Michael who promised them pronoiars in the bulgarian lands for thier support against Theodore.
Michael smiled as he eturned from his successfull Bulgarian campaign which was possible due to the incompetants in the army being killed. He arrived at Constantinople and soon the gates were opened to him. The populace heard of his great victory over the Bulgars and they recognized him as the emperor. The angeloi wee no longer in power instead the Kantakouzenian dynasty would now rule.
1196: Michael turned to the deteriorating situation in Anatolia and soon put down several revolts by the generals their against his rule.
He had by this point earned the reputation as Michael the merciless for he would without mercy completely eliminate his enemies. In late 1196 the empire also beat back albeit barely turkish incursions. However Michael realized that the eastern frontier was in danger of being overrun by the turks and so moved quickly the rhoman forces and set up defenses and fortifications in eastern Anatolia to keep the turks at bay.
he also soon married his daughter to the newly crowned King Emeric of Hungary and in April during the revolt by Andrew II against Emeric, Michael and the rhoman forces intervened on the side of Emeric and Andrew II was defeat and soon imprisoned.Emeric was greatful for this help and soon promised to continue the Hungaro-Byzantine allaince since the time of Manuel but unlike before Hungary was not a Byzantine vassal. Michael simply told Emeric that all he wanted in return was that Emeric and Hungary would come to his aid when he needed it to which Emeric agreed. With the marriage of his daughter to Emeric a strong alliance was made in the west with the Kingdoms of Hungary.
At this same time the Pope of Rome had called a third crusade to liberate Jerusalum from the Saracens and Fredrick Barbarossa Barbarossa was marching overland across Constantinople with his massive crusading army.
Michael met with Fredrick in Constantinople and promised him access to go to Jerusalum through imperial territory in return for a non agression pact with the HRE and promise of help form the HRE if the Byzantines are in trouble and in return he would offer to support Fredrick's third crusade. With byzantine troops. To this Fredrick agreed and soon his armies accompanied by an auxiliary of 3000 byzantine soldiers marched for the holy land. Shortly afterword he married Fredricks daughter gisela who was renamed Anna due to his wife's own death due to illness a month earlier.
Michael was as one should know a very shrewd emperor. He knew the Rhoman position had deteriorated greatly since the Angelos and realized that it would be difficult to fix the empire. We will see how he used his cunning manipulative skill to regain eastern Anatolia from the turks and secure his western borders.