The Ottomans had a very unstable government as well, though.
Yes, but their bureaucracy was pretty stable, right? I'm pretty sure the Byzantines' wasn't.
The Ottomans had a very unstable government as well, though.
they were always surrounded by nations that wanted to take territory or conquer them outright,
Not really. Here are periods where, 1) Other realms desired to conquer the Empire, and 2) had the ability to up to 1204:
1) 7th-8th centuries: Persians and Arabs (and perhaps the Bulgarians as well). For the Persians, before this period wars with the Romans were more or less limited to the border regions. For the Muslim Arabs, after this period the Arab Caliphate began a gradual decline and lost the ability to be an existential threat to the Empire. And of course the Bulgarians would Christianize during the 9th century.
2) 1071-1099 (1st Crusade)- The Turks and the Normans (and sure, the Pechenegs). This instance is easily avoided by butterflying away the Seljuk Turks reaching the Empire. If you do this you lower the threat the Normans are, by eliminating a major eastern threat. The Pechenegs never really were a major threat to the existence to the Empire. They only remained a problem due to military incompetence.
3) 1185-1204- The Latins. Nothing need to be said here that hasn't been said elsewhere and better, except FUCK THE ANGELOI SCUM!
As for governmental instability contributing to loss of territory? There are only 3 periods up to 1204 where governmental instability contributed to major loss of territory:
1) Early 7th Century and the overthrow of Maurice. Loss of Palestine, Syria, Egypt, North Africa, and Armenia.
2) 1042-81- Post-Basil II malaise. Loss of Southern Italy and Anatolia.
3) 1185-1204- The Angeloi Period. Loss of Serbia, Bulgaria, Constantinople, and Greece (assuming Nicaea represents the Empire proper in exile).
In between those periods were vast periods of time where the Government was either relatively stable or any instability did not result in major civil strife and loss of territory.
It stretches plausibility to me to say the least
An Age of Miracles!Frankly it shouldn't. If you get rid of the Seljuk Turks that basically gets rid of any real OTL threat to the Empire's Eastern Frontier. From there you're just one Warrior Emperor who's looking for a major prestige conquest away from a major reconquest and that's likely either aimed at Italy or the Levant into Egypt and frankly, depending on what happens, the Levant is likely to look squishier than Italy (which were likely the target of a number of minor campaigns prior to this). Now would the conquest be easy? Nope. But I think it's entirely possible.
And as for Post-1204 PoDs? We'll just have to agree to disagree on this. An Empire that does some reforms and reconquers Anatolia, is in my humble opinion, perfectly capable of conquering into Egypt over the course of 8 centuries. They'd be forced into learning how to integrate a Muslim population in Anatolia as a trial run for the Levant and Egypt.
Frankly it shouldn't. If you get rid of the Seljuk Turks that basically gets rid of any real OTL threat to the Empire's Eastern Frontier. From there you're just one Warrior Emperor who's looking for a major prestige conquest away from a major reconquest and that's likely either aimed at Italy or the Levant into Egypt and frankly, depending on what happens, the Levant is likely to look squishier than Italy (which were likely the target of a number of minor campaigns prior to this). Now would the conquest be easy? Nope. But I think it's entirely possible.
And as for Post-1204 PoDs? We'll just have to agree to disagree on this. An Empire that does some reforms and reconquers Anatolia, is in my humble opinion, perfectly capable of conquering into Egypt over the course of 8 centuries. They'd be forced into learning how to integrate a Muslim population in Anatolia as a trial run for the Levant and Egypt.
An Age of Miracles!
See, this is why Confederate victory proposals are pre-1900s Sealion; most of them are fairly unlikely or, often, historically myopic and they are usually a HUGE source of arguments and thread derailments.
Does the coming of the Anglo-Saxons to post-Roman Britain count as anything like an OTL Sealion?, although it took a long time to complete.