Is Byzantium's fall Basil II's fault? Seems like most

>>593662
No. A bigger reason would be the Fourth Crusade.

>>593704
Pretty much, though even after the 4th crusade if they had made a concerted effort to kick the turks out of anatolia they could have recovered. After they unified it was useless

>>593709
I suppose, if you consider that the Byzantines were left alone to retake Anatolia, which wasn't the case. Michael VII wasn't just concerned about the Turks, but a repeat of an attack from the West by the same forces that sacked Constantinople.

>>593763
After the fourth crusade those events had a lot of turmoil, after Constantinople was reclaimed there was ample opportunity for advances into Anatolia. Most of the tribes were dysfunctional, independent and weak. Perhaps nothing grand but there were plenty of opportunities not taken by the Palaiologos.

>>593763
>Michael VII
Michael VIII*

>>593775
Like I said, they were more concerned about another possible attack from the West, and this began to materialize with pope Clement IV/Martin IV and Charles of Anjou. Diplomacy and a revolt temporarily helped in that circumstance.

There is little use trying to subdue muslims in Anatolia when your greatest defeat came from forces still in your own backyard and with machinations for another raid on Constantinople.

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>>593662
Forget it, now there is the 3rd Rome ...

>>593824
You have some good points, i just think that there was something they could have done in the east.

>>593849
There is an approximate 5 year window between when the Popes began sanctioning another attack on Constantinople, and when Michael VIII had recently reclaimed the Byzantine Empire, in its comparably diminished form (less than 5 million people), and without complete control of the Aegian, Greece, the Balkans, or Western Anatolia.

The Sultunate of Rum to their East was in disarray after the Mongols came through, but I'm not sure it could be characterized as fractured, weak, or a series of independent tribes.

The situation can best be summarized as a narrow window where Michael VIII assumes his recent victory will receive no backlash, and his forces wouldn't be stretched by trying to recapture parts of Anatolia with an existential threat from the West.

Whether or not that constitutes an easy opportunity for expansion is debatable, to say the least.

>>593895
The books i read have suggested the turks were extremely weak at the time, again however i concede to your points it would have been extremely risky, however by not doing anything they all but solidified their doom.