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So yeah, if the Ottomans don't take control of the Balkans, and the area instead manages to achieve some level of internal balance while retaining independance (in the sence of not having too much interference from Turks, Russians, or Western Europeans), what does it look like? For our purposes, assume the map stays as close to the way it was in 1300 as possible, with a rump Byzantine Empire in Greece and European Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia, and Bulgaria independant, Hungary at its larger size with Transylvania and Croatia, and Wallachia and Moldavia free as well. Do as you wish with the Greek Crusader states, the Venetian Empire, Epirus, and Albania, since none of them are overlikely to be cutting big swathes out of the Balkans or launching particularly destructive wars.

Under these conditions, and assuming a relatively consistent status quo, with larger nations keeping the balance because of other problems and smaller nations being generally foiled in their attempts to conquer eachother, how does the area look? By this I mostly mean, how prosperous and populous can the region become without being incorporated into the Ottoman empire (who most would agree mismanaged the area considerably) and later becoming one of Europe's preferred battlegrounds? Also, does Constantinople become huge without being the capital of a huge empire, and what other cities become important? With a 1300 PoD Tarnovo is the capital of Bulgaria, Tirana hasn't been founded yet, Thessalonica is most likely the largest city in the Balkans (pop. roughly 100,000), and Athens, while notable for its excellent port, is vurtually insignificant.

So, short version, how well can the Balkans do if they are divided but relatively peaceful?
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