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IOTL, King William II of Sicily and his representative, Archbishop Bertrand of Trani, tried to negotiate for the hand of a Byzantine princess, namely Maria Porphyrogenita, the only daughter of Emperor Manuel. IOTL, the negotiations fell through. William married Joan of England in 1177, while Maria married Ranier or Montferrat in 1179. Both were about the same age and older than their OTL spouses.

What if the negotiations hadn't fallen through, or had been renegotiated successfully before Manuel's death? Personally, I think such a marriage could be both better and worse for Constantinople after Manuel's death. Better because the Norman Kingdom of Sicily was a large thorn in the empire's side, and having them as allies would be beneficial. Worse, in some ways, because, if Alexios II is still overthrown, William would have a better casus belli to wage war on Andronikos, and a larger prize waiting for him and his wife.

Any thoughts?
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