Explain why Emperor Alexius Comnenus appealed to the West for help in 1095.

Explain why Emperor Alexius Comnenus appealed to the West for help in 1095.

1. Alexius hoped to recover the territory lost after the battle of Manzikert in 1071

   • Alexius had seized the throne in 1081 and had won some victories but but he was seriously stretched in defence and lacked armed forces to make further progress

2. There was a long tradition of western soldiers serving as mercenaries for Byzantium, most noteably the Emperor's Varangian guard

3. Pope Gregory VII had tried to mend relations with Byzantium after the Great Schism of 1054, he had tried to organise military help in 1074

4. Relations between Alexius and Pope Urban II had been improving and both men saw advantages in the Emperor's plea; Alexius would gain trained, armed soldiers to drive the Seljuks from Anatolia, while Pope Urban would gain prestige and help pacify western society

5. Short-term issues

6. Long-term issues

7. This was a time of opportunity for Alexius because of divisions within the Muslim world:, including the divisions between Sunni and Shia Muslims and between the Seljuk Turks of Anatolia - Kilij Arslan the Sultan of Rum against his Danishmend neighbours.

   • Success was also a possibility because of the death of the Seljuk leader Malik-Shah in 1092, N.Syria was now a war-zone, riven by civil war