WI John Komnenos lived.

In 1143, hunting in Cicilia while preparing to besiege Anticoch John was wounded by an arrow. He didn't get the wound treated, got sick and died.

WI he got the wound treated and lived? I assume he would have taken Antioch. He would was planning to visit the Holy Land itself with his powerful army, perhaps he would have bought Jerusalem to heel as well. I also think his presence would have saved Edessa for the Christains, so the 2nd Crusade wouldn't have happened.

Any thoughts?
 
In 1143, hunting in Cicilia while preparing to besiege Anticoch John was wounded by an arrow. He didn't get the wound treated, got sick and died.

WI he got the wound treated and lived? I assume he would have taken Antioch. He would was planning to visit the Holy Land itself with his powerful army, perhaps he would have bought Jerusalem to heel as well. I also think his presence would have saved Edessa for the Christains, so the 2nd Crusade wouldn't have happened.

Any thoughts?

The Byzantines would probably re-take most of Asia Minor back from the nomadic Turks while probably leaving the rest as buffer states and protectorates. Antioch I can see being directly annexed though it wouldn't be wise to piss off the western Crusaders at this point so maybe they leave Antioch under a state of vassalage to the Byzantine empire with association to the imperial family via a political marriage. Jerusalem and Tripoli are going to end up becoming vassals.

 
John II is a much, much better bet than his son Manuel for reconquering Anatolia- Manuel was quite happy to merely vassalise the Sultan of Rum before wasting his time in various western adventures. John though had a plan to systematically sweep the Turks out of Anatolia- and he's exactly the man to do it, a millitary and diplomatic genius, and an all round good guy, even if a bit of a bore personally.

Now, John was fifty six when he died, so he's probably not going to reign for TOO much longer, he'd probably die early in the 1150s. In that time we'll probably see the reconquest of at least Rum, and possibly the Danishmenids too, if he's not distracted by the Crusaders' antics.
 
John Comnenos.

I remember vaguely an expedition led by John against Niksar (Neocaesarea) which ultimately failed. Did'nt a cousin of his (or other relative) go over the Turks and convert to Islam at this time? I see John having trouble with the hoards of crusaders who come through after the fall of Edessa. In the long run I don't see his living having that much of an effect..
 
I don't think Edessa would fall if John was in the neighbourhood, it fell the year after he died.

I think there may have been an underlying problem that Anatolia was depopulated, first by the great landowners and then by the Turks so it was a very different place in 1150 compared to 950 or 1000. I don't know if reconquering Anatolia would have revived the Empire.
 
I don't think Edessa would fall if John was in the neighbourhood, it fell the year after he died.

I think there may have been an underlying problem that Anatolia was depopulated, first by the great landowners and then by the Turks so it was a very different place in 1150 compared to 950 or 1000. I don't know if reconquering Anatolia would have revived the Empire.

Which is why you send military colonists to repopulate the area.
 
From where, was there any other part of the Empire overpopulated with Orthodox Christians? You can't have Franks because they're the worst, it'd be better to leave it in the hands of the Turks than settle Franks there.
 
From where, was there any other part of the Empire overpopulated with Orthodox Christians? You can't have Franks because they're the worst, it'd be better to leave it in the hands of the Turks than settle Franks there.

One could always send large populations of Slavic and Turkic Orthodox Christians to repopulate Anatolia. It's killing two birds with one stone.
 
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