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Does it? The big issue was the growing domination of land routes to the east by a single power, OTL the Ottomans. Here basically the same applies but its Orthodox Byzantium rather than Muslim Ottomans. They would have a similar monopoly on access to eastern spices. Also if there is a...

That was the dynasty I was thinking of but too lazy to check further. Considering he was in charge of Carthage before he challenged for the purple that shows how diverse the dark age/medieval world could be. ;)

I have seen some suggestions that George_Maniakes, the famous general of the early 11thC was of at least partly Turkish stock - although this was before the main invasion under the Seljuks and he made a bid for the throne, albeit ultimately unsuccessful. Think at least one other dynasty have had...

Very true about the Mongols and religion, at least in the early decades. That is actually quite possible, although a fanatical Muslim like Tamerlain would be a different matter. There is some suggestion that Sartaq, the son of Batu the founder of the Golden Horde, may have favoured...

Plenty of options for Byzantium to avoid the initial Turkish onslaught or recover from it. The former might butterfly or drastically change the crusades as there's no call from the eastern emperor for aid from Rome and the west. In that case does the internal drivers for crusades in the...