Manifestations of Good-Neighbourliness and Politico- Military Cooperation between Komnenos’ Byzantium and Seljuq Sultanate

The battle of Mantsikert, the summer of 1071, marks a watershed in the history of the Byzantine Empire. The Empire loses its primordial territories that were conquered by the Seljuq Turks. This, naturally, energized the relations between the Empire and the invaders with a lot of pressure. Often, however, the politico-military circumstances and realities lead the two countries to cooperate and maintain good-neighbourly relations. For the first time they occur at the time of the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who partnered successfully with Ebu’l Kasim, and later with Kaladzh Arslan II – the heir of the founder of the Rum Sultanate of Suleyman Shah against the expansionist intentions of the Great Seljuqs and the Emir of Smyrna, who longs for the Crown of Byzantine Basileuses. Good relations receive new impetus at the time of the Emperor Manuel I Komnenos and Sultan Arslan Kaladzh II. The Sultan seeks the Emperor’s friendship to tear the enemy States circle, which choke the Sultanate. This work aims to analyze the causes that led to manifestations of goodneighbourliness and politico-military cooperation between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuq “Rum” Sultanate