Aldarion
Neoreactionary Monarchist
Byzantine Empire lost Anatolia in late 11th century for several reasons. Main trigger however was the demobilization of the "Iberian Army" by Constantine IX. This was a group of themes which covered Iberia and Mesopotamia, and numbered a total of 50 000 highly skilled troops. Said themes had formed the backbone of the Imperial army, and also provided a number of emperors. By contrast, many interior themes had been effectively demobilized during the Macedonian resurgence, with soldiers asked to pay taxes in lieu of military service. This money was then used to expand the Imperial tagmata as well as hire mercenaries. As a result, the army of Western Anatolia was basically dissolved even though soldiers remained on the rolls. End result: the Empire had no effective soldiers in themes, and after tagmata was destroyed at Manzikert and in the following civil war, Anatolia was left defenseless.
What would have changed if, say, Constantine IX was not such a fool, and Iberian Army was not demobilized? Would have that, on its own, been enough to prevent the collapse of the Anatolian frontier under Seljuk expansion, and thus the loss of Anatolia?
What would have changed if, say, Constantine IX was not such a fool, and Iberian Army was not demobilized? Would have that, on its own, been enough to prevent the collapse of the Anatolian frontier under Seljuk expansion, and thus the loss of Anatolia?