The empire was deep in decline when he came to power, and threatened from all sides: by the Seljuk Turks in the East, the Normans in the West, and Scythian raiders to the north.
Kekaisaran Romawi mengalami kemunduran di bawah kekuasaan Alexios dan terancam dari segala arah: bangsa Turki Seljuk di Timur, bangsa Normandia di Barat, dan perompak Skithia di Utara.