Part 7/14:
By the 1080s, Anatolia had largely slipped from Byzantine control, and it was in this climate of desperation that Alexios Komnenos rose to power as a young general. He acknowledged the necessity of outside help and reached out to the West, particularly to Pope Urban II, seeking a few thousand troops to assist in reclaiming lost territories. However, he underestimated the dramatic consequences his plea would have in inciting a larger conflict across Europe.