Could Byzantium Have Escaped its Fall? | Alternate History

This alternative history video tries to answer the question of what the Eastern Roman Empire had to do in order to survive untill today. Explore how great figures such as Emperor Basil II saved the empire from collapse but failed to leave any capable heirs.

[sibericusthefrosty]

What I love to imagine having the Eastern Roman Empire at the 20th century is what the Emperor's drip look like. Having dressed much differently compared to other European kings since the medieval era, I like to imagine having a suit for the emperor to have a bit of purple (just to show that they're better than them).

[TheLocalLt]

Had the Russian Empire not fallen, the Christian Constantinople would have been restored during WWI, likely either as an independent restored Greco-Roman Empire, or as a constituent part of the Russian Empire

[Ghost-viqm]

I think it's unlikely that Timur would have attacked the Byzantines the same way it did against the Ottomans. Timur's invasion of the Ottomans was almost personal mostly due to the arrogance and pride of Byazid who insulted him in letters.

[zadrogon]

Most underrated history youtuber easily ! Your videos are on par with people like oversimplified and geo history

[jovanvladetic]

I think Byzantium would be able to take over Macedonia and southern Bulgaria logically speaking, Russia would have immense respect for the Byzantines and let them remain. Egypt would most likely be a half coptic half muslim state. So secular basically.

[gtsep_the_mapper]

Fantastic job!
Your knowledge of history with your great mapping skills are the best combination
You never stop to amaze us. I really like how you talk about senarios that most alternate historians don't. I really think one day you'll have as much subs as the other big alternate historians you explain thinks Very well. You look not only on the important thinks but also on the small details.

[tokakvachantiradze]

you deserve more views and subs, great content.

[GanjaMasterBlaster]

This video gave me Kings and Generals, Armchair Historian and Invicta vibes
Also great video 👍

[nobledictator]

Dude, I love your videos. I hope you remember us when you get popular

[henrykkeszenowicz]

Nice detail, naming the nonexistent son of Basil II of the Macedonian dynasty as Alexander.

[mperorsimonthegreat]

Your content continues improving exponentially with every video

[Alfred_Leonhart]

If this modern Byzantine state kept the Varangian guard I would love to join that, I’d assume it would’ve reformed into something more akin to the French foreign legion, that’d be pretty cool to get Roman citizenship at the end of my service, but if it became courrupt like the Praetorians or the Janissaries, or fall to obscurity and become ceremonial like the Schola Palatina I doubt I’d be so eager to join.

[thefisherking]

Manzikert was a disaster because Byzantium was already rotting from inside. Making the alt time line about the individual decisions of generals and emperors misses that key fact. They had long ceased to raise armies from within, from citizens bred to believe dying for the empire was worthwhile. The empire wasn't destroyed by the Seljuks or anybody else. It simply lost its heart and its integrity and finally crumbled.

[General-History]

hey there, from a fellow youtuber i love your content

[michaelsilver]

Very cool to think of a form of continuity lasting from the Roman Empire to today (besides a couple tiny regions that only really count based on technicalities)

[ikengaspirit]

What if Civilization started at the height of the Ice age, so like Sundaland, Sahul, Doggerland, Green Sahara, Mega Chad, Cuvette Centrale Lake, Greater Caspian and Aral sea, Eurasian Mammoth Steppe maybe throw in closed gates of Hercules in there for good measure.

What if Tang continued their expansion into Central Asia after the Battle of Talas (None of the rebellions that followed after that crippled the dynasty)[Also the Sassanid dynasty had gone to Tang China and its prince was there at the frontlines of the Battles against the Caliphate, I imagine that if the Tang are relatively triumphant he would be made a vassal King or commandary on a Tang Iranian protectorate].

Medieval or Ancient Armenian, Georgian or Pontic Empire, especially a what if Tigranes the Great Conquered Persia and the Levant.

What if Sassanids conquered constantinople in the last great war of antiquity,


What if Viking expansion took them all the way to West Africa, establishing trade routes btw West Africa and Europe through the Atlantic by 1000 AD.

What if Portugal and Ethiopia allied to destroy Mecca.

What if Portugal conquered the Mamluks instead of the Ottomans.

What if Japan and/or Spain conquered China. I am mostly getting this from the "Samuel Hawley" channel but both had designs on China and China was weaker than it seems at this time, having like a tenth of its actual claimed army, like even the army that defeated the Japanese on land in the Imjin war was smaller than the Japanese one and they were very slow to mobilize, like around a hundred pirates terrorized southern China for over a month ravaging large sections of land before the army came to stop them and it took similarly long to intervene in Korea. Now reaction time would be faster near the capital but the Japanese would in less than a Month have already gotten to a Beijing if not for Admiral Yi harassing their naval supplies, if he someone just dies, the Japanese would have occupied enough of Korea to create their supply lines to reach Beijing.

As for Spain, he also made a video on that and they planed to use like 15, 000 Spaniards and Ameridian Mexicans with like 25, 000 Filipino, Wokou and Japanese mercenaries to invade China from I think Fujin province. Now they tried in OTL to intervene in Cambodia and failed and the Spanish King refused the invasion of China but the Cambodian force was relatively small(like what they used to conquer the Aztecs and Inca) and we could always have a senerio where they and the Japanese collaborate and attack different parts of China, maybe the Spaniards go first in SOuth China and by the time an army is drawn up to attack them down south, the Japanese take down Korea and reach Beijing.

As for Japan, Hideoyohi wanted to reach all the way to Northern India so who knows.


What if the Ottomans conquered Rome.

What if the Rus converted to Islam(AKA more Turkic influences and the Ottomans gain an ally)

What if Ashoka's missionaries successfully spread Buddhism to the Greeks in in Persia, Anatolia and Greece/Thrace.

What if Carthage opened strong trade links with with West Africa(If they still end up conquered by Rome, let it be in a less genocidal and destructive manner that they can still keep such trade links open.)

What if Rome never conquered Britain.

What if the Caliphate collapsed earlier, like around the late 850s(or earlier), just like a decade before the Ethiopian Merchant Class were again engaged in a war over Islands of Hanish, Danakil, Farasan and Socotra Islands. Add in Bābak Khorramdin's Khurramīyah revolt and Zanj rebellion for good measure (if it collapses like 820s, 830s these would make more sense)

What if Samo's Empire didn't fall apart following his death.

What if the Kushite dynatsy was able to hold Egypt from the Assyrians(AKA Continuing the cultural and political unity between Nubia and Egypt for centuries more that was started by the Egyptian New Kingdom).

(for a more modern one) What if Biafran, Katangan and Papuan separatism worked out, what would be their effects on the cold war, ideology, the churches, liberation theology, pan-africanism and most importantly the view of the international community on separatism etc.

What if instead of joining the Axis, the Japanese kept up their built up image as the non-White great power and defender of coloured peoples by helping their ally of Ethiopia against the Italians. Jabzy had a recent video about how the Japanese were building up this image.

[ikengaspirit]

I wonder if instead of Marrying, Basil does an intensional copying of the five good emperors and selects someone had picked and does some like triumph in the capital to legitimize them, maybe we could have a Byzantine 5-7 good Emperors period with that Kind of precedence which would be further strengthened by the previous precedence of the two generals that ruled in Basil's name in his Youth.

And I think the Romans are more likely to support the Fatimids that they had been making alliances with before against the Seljuks than the other way around but I guess one way or the other matters more on very specific periodic stuff and general trends.

Let's just hope that Timur won't coincide with some decline in the competency and prioritization of the Roman elite because even with a competent Emperor we could still see a difficult reconquest of Anatolia but then again, maybe some Akritas from Anatolia would take over the Empire as the Anatolian provinces wouldn't have suffered the gradual and elite turkification of OTL, but then again maybe they will suffer Elite Turkification from Timur but the again, Sassanids and Arabs basically conquered much of Anatolia at some points but those were reverse in a few campaign seasons. So Timur most likely is reversed(I guess Turkic tribes migrating with him into Anatolia is the main question there and how long they would need to establish themselves in some mountains).

At least Armenians won't be genocided in this timeline but I wonder if nationalism would result in a Greater Armenian state.

[micahistory]

Interesting alternate history, it would be interesting to see what a modern Eastern Roman empire would look like

[AnnieGaming]

I'm so glad your channel is growing! I remember when i first subscibbed when i saw your comment on a video, congrats!

[rodrib]

I've never understand why he didn't do de Antionine dinasty tactic and, like Nerva, adopt someone who were reliable and a good leader intead of his brother