What would the Byzantine Empire have to do to survive?

[hoplite14gr]

Hmm... the converted the Bulgars, the Hungarians, the Alans and some of the Pecheneges.
But they still had their asiatic provinces and the Tagmata in Constandinopolis to aid them in their "conversion".
They made the mistake to think that the arabs would be content with ravaging the Persians so they gave the brathing space to grow strong.
In the late 13th century they had let their adminstration civil and military to collapse. Western Cristinity and Islam were strong and formidable and there was not a leader of Basil II caliber. So the empire was the prize. The westrners grubed it first and failed to do something with it. The Ottomans made a better combination of terror and diplomacy and succeeded taking it and then got the "imperial illnesses" and lost it too.

I belive that the "national" idea of the Lascarides failed because it was too advanced for its time.
An I still wonder of the options had William de Hauteville (the Good) came in person in 1187 and succeeded in becoming Rom,an emperos. After all Siculo-Normans dealt successully with catholics, orthodox amd muslims.

Kind regards