THE POSSIBILITY

LATE 11TH CENTURY THE FALL OF BYZANTIUM’S EASTERN PROVINCES

This would have changed the nature and culture of the empire completely. The threat to their faith, trade, society and influence was already stretched to the limit. But if overwhelmed by the marauding Seljuk Turks the very fabric of the empire would have been decimated, with consequences not only for the Byzantine world, but also for Western Europe which would be denied its

‘buffer zone’ with Islam.

1099 THE UNION OF THE WESTERN AND EASTERN CHURCHES

Although at the time of the First Crusade relations between the Western and Eastern Christian Churches were a little cold, there was still the possibility of a stronger union on the cards. But, with the relative success of the First Crusade, the papacy saw its influence rise dramatically and so any possible strengthening of the Christian world through closer ties of East and West was derailed by the papacy’s new sense of its own powers and independent ambitions.

12TH CENTURY THE ANCHORING OF THE SELJUK STATE

The development and expansion of the Turk’s territorial and cultural ambition would have come far sooner than it did. By establishing a solid foundation around Baghdad, they would have been able to look confidently both towards the West, more deeply into Europe (as they eventually did), as well as to the East and India. In addition to their eventual spread around the southern Mediterranean and North Africa this would have become a formidable Islamic empire much sooner than the West expected or was prepared for.