Board Thread:Timeline Discussions/@comment-25205072-20150422083509/@comment-25205072-20150712072457

The Umayyad reconquest

Basileus Basil IV became emperor in 1419, began reconstruction of most of the empire as well as consolidating power within Anatolia. With the kingdom of Georgia almost destroyed, Konstantine I, brother-in-law to Basil IV, swore fealty to the Byzantine empire in return he would become Despotes of Georgia. Much of Georgia had been conquered by Michael IX, destroying the relations between georgia and the byzantines. Although Andronikos IV offered his daughter in marriage to the Konstantine I, it did little to mend relations. Constantine I, with most of his kingdom on the brink of collapse and facing possible invasion from hostile tribes in the north, swore fealty to Basil IV in 1421.

With the rise of the Byzantines, it also saw a rival power grow south of them. The ottomans took the advantage of a weakened duchy of edessa and Emirate of Aleppo began to seize lands neighbouring them. Although the Ottomans failed to completely destroy the two nations, they managed to dislodge the nations, preventing them from being a threat. However Mehmed I died in the failed siege of Edessa. With the death of their sultan, it only seemed likely that the Ottoman throne would be up for grabs. However, his son Murad II, managed to seize the throne before civil war would erupt. Murad II respecting byzantine power, avoided them and instead went on an ambitious plan to capture Seljuk lands. Using Byzantine Mercenaries, the invasion began with raiders capturing key forts along the Seljuk border. With the Seljuks battling the Timurs, Seljuks lands seemed ripe for the taking. He managed to capture immedietly south of him. However the Seljuks managed to muster an army to challenge the Ottomans. This would be Murad II's greatest challenge. However he had the advantage of hired Byzantine heavy cavalry and infantry. He first used his horse archers to harass seljuk infatry and cavalry. To his expectation he led the cavalry away from the protection of the infantry. Soon the Mercenaries cut down the light and weak Seljuk Cavalry showing that byzantine technology far outmatched Seljuk. After the massacre of the Cavalry he sent his light infantry and archers to advance on the flanks while the Byzantine heavy infantry held the centre. He positioned his heavy Cataphracts in the hills while his horse archers harassed the Seljuk infantry. As soon as the Seljuk army tried to counter attack, the cataphracts charged into the rear of the Seljuk army crushing the rest of the Cavalry and cutting off retreat. The battle was decisive victory and the Seljuk's sued for peace the following year in 1425 effectively ending Seljuk dominance in the middle east.

Basil IV seeing the power of the ottomans used this to his advantage. While striking a favourable trade deal for both Byzantium and the Ottoman Sultanate, he secretly funded the ottomans to strike against the coastal crusader states, while the Byzantines would send mercenaries to raid and pillage the remaining crusader states. By 1429 in the last year of Basil IV's successful reign, both Murad II and Basil IV successfully reduced the crusader states to small enclaves with the exception of county of Tripoli. With the death of Basil IV, he ruled for just 10 years but he managed to consolidate Byzantium into a regional power. For the next few years, Byzantium achieve a renaissance under the rules of Konstantios XII, Basil V, Michael X, Manuel VIII, Manuel IX and Konstantios XIII. Under these emperors, they helped the Ottomans conquer more territory against the Seljuks and helped capture Edessa in 1430, Aleppo in 1446, Jerusalem in 1453, the duchy of Tyre in 1460 and the County of Tripoli in 1461. The greek renaissance ended in 1520 at the death of Konstantios XIII, and his successor Manuel X "the great" began the colonisation of Kouva and Pouerto Riko (Cuba and Puerto Rico, note they were discovered by Castillian explorer Christopher Columbus in a brief Iberian union before disintergrating in 1550)