I know right? I to found it insightful! Has been really helpful in understanding the geopolitics in the Neareast pre-crusades.
Things to consider when making an Alternate Emperor Alexios I Komnenos timeline
- Thread starter Ralph the Fanboy
- Start date
Wasn't there a Byzantine force that was with the crusaders in Antioch already?
@ImperialxWarlord so the next thing Alexios would need for better odds is gold and or coin right? Aside from Alien Space Bats I can't think of anything else.
Once again, not the guy to ask.
And I’m not sure about a Byzantine force with them in Antioch. First I’ve heard of it.
Probably referring to the army led by Tatikios. But I think the emperor was not there and never saw Antioch.
That's the one. And I wonder if the relieving army arrived would they have pushed to the Levant or would the emperor put his foot down?
He would probably make sure to get Antioch and surrounding (maybe even Edessa) from the Crusaders. But the emperor was there only to recover what the Doukas had lost, that was the whole point of the Crusade for him. He could still provide some ships and supplies to the Crusaders, but I think the emperor himself would just return back to Constantinople to secure his new gains against the Turks.
Would the crusaders fell less abandoned than in OTL?
Hard to say since amongst the Crusaders were the Normans who had fought against Alexios and would probably still try to portray the empire in a negative light. Sure if the emperor makes it to Antioch and before returning to Constantinople provides the Crusaders with the logistical support to proceed in their offensive, then it would be much harder for them to spread the word of the “treacherous deeds of the Romans” amongst Western Europeans. After all Alexios never committed himself to march to Jerusalem alongside the Latins. Probably the best that could happen however, would be for the Crusade to fail achieving anything after Antioch and the survivors be forced to join the empire and replenish the ranks of its armies, basically what Alexios really wanted from the Crusade.
What if after the fall of Antioch there's a big meeting with the crusaders and the romans. One wants to push to Jerusalem the other wants to go north and claim the rest of Anatolia. Alexios Then reinforced Tatikios' army and send him with the crusaders while he takes his smaller army and claim what he can.
The question is why, why would Alexios sacrifice more resources than needed to establish a (hopefully) friendly state in Jerusalem while Anatolia still holds far more importance for the empire. His plea for military help is now turning into a new drain of resources which could be better spent against the Turks or new threats from Europe (Normans). Seems like here the emperor is more interested in the success of the Crusaders instead of his own empire. With Antioch in his hands it would be even more important to secure a land route from Constantinople to Syria.
You do have a point, I guess there would be a huge argument who gets Antioch and there'd be bad blood them.