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So it's occurred to me that Byzantium and Al-Andalus had a strangely similar dilemma. Manzikert meant the Byzantine hold on Anatolia was essentially finished; loss of the central plateau, after all, made their entire coast line vulnerable.

Compare this to the Moors (I'll use the shorthand to take into account the Almovarids and Almohads, as well as taifa states). The loss of Toledo meant the central plateau would remain in Christian hands, and demography probably favored the more militarized Christian society.

Thoughts?
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