First Crusade - It works!

[Carlton Bach]

The Byzantines under godd leadership were able to control wesrtn units in their armies and use them.
The Crusaders appear at a time were the worst elents of the Byzantine society were in control and if the were backstabbing their own then they would have on qualms backstabbing the Crusaders.

Given the historical examples of Basilios Boioannes and Gergios Maniakes who controlled Western military formations and assuming that both Byzantine & Western leaders had forced the clergymen to shut up (Schism you know) all options are possible.

If you want to recreate an alternative IF: invent a bride for Basil II the Bulgarianslayer. Invent an earl of the same caliber as his terrible daddy and you have maintained the legislation that controlled Dynatoi and secured the Byzantine military back bone.

Have leader as such at the time of the Crusades and yes the world could be VERY differnt! But that is a big IF

Remember a good leader such as Herakleios has once saved the empire from extinction!. That mith 11th century there was no such leader.

Kind regards

I'm not sure whether the Byzantines, if ably led, would have needed the Crusaders. But controlling them might well prove too much even for a military genius simply because there are so *many* of them. Mercenary units are one thing, but armies numbering in their many tens of thousands are quite another.