Byzantine-Western Relations during the Reign of Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus (1081-1118)

The main aim of this study is to examine the Byzantine-Western relations during the reign of Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, during which political, commercial and religious rivalry between Byzantium and Western world reached its peak. In this manner, in the last thirty-seven years from the Emperor's accession to the throne in 1081 until his death in 1118, it is sought to explain to what extent the prejudices, religious and cultural differences push the Byzantine and Western civilizations into a conflict. The West's attempts to sieze supremacy over Byzantium, which had a long-standing history and tradition, and influence of Eastern Christianity, reached its peak in this period with the Crusades. Facing the Seljuk Turks in the east and the Norman threat to the west, Emperor Alexius tried to keep the balances between the West and Byzantium in favor of the empire as much as possible with his political intelligence and military experience. However, the subsequent actions that Alexius took the empire under the financial burdens that was impossible to overcome in the future and the deteriorating relations with the Crusaders and the Crusader states would result in the establishment of a Latin state in Istanbul in 1204 by disintegrating the Byzantine Empire. Key Words: Byzantium, Crusades, Crusader States, Normans, Alexius I Comnenus.