After Palma: Vikings of the Balearics

Introduction

In 1110 the Norwegian crusaders, some 60 galleys, were received warmly by the young Count Roger of Sicily. Setting off for the Holy Land, they were troubled by adverse winds and found themselves back on Sicilian soil. Troubled by reports of Almoravid stirring and resurgent piracy from Iberia and the western Mediterranean, the Pope Paschal II beseeched King Sigurd of Norway to attack the independent taifa kingdom of Majorca and forestall Almoravid-sponsored use of the Balearics (so recently "liberated", or pillaged, by Sigurd) as a base against Christian shipping lines. The Republic of Pisa, who had been granted the Baleares as a Papal fief back in 1085, was to assist in the enterprise and be placed in power thereafter with Viking aid.

At the head of a combined Viking and Pisan fleet, Sigurd swiftly hacked his way through the Saracens and Africans of Majorca. The chief port and capital Palma was captured in a spectacular show of Viking brutality and dexterity.

Thereafter disputes over booty escalated quickly; there was violence between the Norwegians and Pisans, resulting in some bloodshed, imprisonment, and the seizure of Pisan ships. Finding the islands a suitable place to winter, Sigurd's reluctance to accommodate Pisan requests was validated by stirrings from North Africa - more precisely, a Murâbit army come to displace the Crusaders and annex the islands to the North African empire.

The defeat of the Murâbit force was accomplished with the aid of Count Ramon Berenguer III, in whose company Sigurd raided Valencia and Tortosa. After two years the Pope brokered an entente between the Vikings and Pisans, confirming Sigurd's possession of the Baleares but safeguarding Pisan privileges in all his ports and binding him by oath to lead a crusade into North Africa, with the expressed intent of seizing a number of ports desired by the Pisans as compensation.

Eager to strengthen his ties with the mainland, Sigurd profited from the death of her husband and quickly annexed his friend Ramon's daughter María, the comely granddaughter of El Cid Campeador. Maximilla, the Sicilian wife he had picked up previously, was repudiated and imprisoned. Sigurd's resurgent dispute with Pisa was fueled by the fury of Count Roger - demanding Papal intervention, Sicily and the Republic aligned themselves against the nascent Christian Balearics.​
 
I was glad that you decided to pick up this idea. Heh. It's a great start Velasco and I'm hoping that we get the next update as soon as possible. :D
 
I don't know his AH username but I hope he doesn't mind me developing such a fantastic POD. I posted the above just to test the waters, see if there would be interest and what problems the idea might have.
 
I don't know his AH username but I hope he doesn't mind me developing such a fantastic POD. I posted the above just to test the waters, see if there would be interest and what problems the idea might have.

His handle here is Errnge. I don't think he'll mind too much.
 
Vikings

After Palma: Vikings of the Balearic's,

I have to admit the title caught my eye but once i read I was slightly disappointed, your idea is good but by
1110 due too Christianize the Norwegian were no longer called vikings by then.
 
After Palma: Vikings of the Balearic's,

I have to admit the title caught my eye but once i read I was slightly disappointed, your idea is good but by
1110 due too Christianize the Norwegian were no longer called vikings by then.

"The Vikings (from Old Norse víkingr) were seafaring north Germanic people who raided, traded, explored, and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia, and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th centuries."

The idea is actually Errnge's ;)
 
Chapter I:

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By the time of his bigamous marriage to Maria of Barcelona (1113), King Sigurd was at the head of a far-reaching piratical organization. From Majorca and Ibiza his ships set out to raid, rape, burn and pillage along the Iberian and North African coasts. The Christian slaves Sigurd liberated were replaced with enslaved Moslems in the thousands. The ranks of the 5,000 men he had brought with him were bolstered by frequent recruits - primarily Frankish and Normans seeking adventure, with odd Greeks, Arabs and Catalans thirsty for gold.

Papal displeasure was expressed in an interdict. The Pope commanded him to put away Maria of Barcelona, to relinquish the Balearics to the Republic of Pisa and to continue on his way to Jerusalem. He was also to free Maximilla and hand her over to her brother, the Count of Sicily. On his return from crusade he was to reconcile with Maximilla and return with her home to Norway.

In the face of almost universal opposition, the Crusader King moved quickly. At his heels snapped the fury of the Almoravid King, Ali ibn Yusuf; Sigurd was forced to abandon Valencia (recently stormed in his new wife's name) and agree to a truce. His pregnant wife and children he sent to the court of Count Ramon. Sailing east he captured Pantelleria, an important shipping station and lying just south-west of Sicily. Possession of this strategic island brought him into closer contact with the Zirids of Tunisia - giving him a hefty tribute the Emir Yahya accepted his protectorate and offered what limited aid he could spare against Sicily and Pisa.

What trade embargoes and extra hands the Zirids afforded him did not suffice to break the united front of the Papacy, Pisa and Sicily. No help was to be expected from the hitherto friendly Byzantine Emperor, himself eager to reconcile with the Papacy. Likewise the Franks and Count Ramon were unwilling to engage against the Holy Father. The Holy Roman Emperor Henry V was a potential ally given the ongoing Investiture Controversy and the Pope's lingering threats of excommunication, but in actuality too distant to be of any effective aid.

Numerically depleted by disease and adversity, Sigurd pressed on to Sicily. Landing in the south of the island, he set fire to the countryside and holed himself up in Agrigento. Expected aid from Duke William of Apulia never materialized; Count Roger's cousin and erstwhile rival was cowed by Papal threats and fell back. Sigurd retaliated by claiming all of Sicily in his son's name and fortifying Agrigento. The Pope threatened excommunication and demanded Sigurd do public penance in Rome itself. News came of the Murâbit capture of Ibiza and Majorca; Sicilian gold fired treachery in Sigurd's camp and the resulting executions shook the resolve of even the most loyal chiefs at his side.

The storm before the calm.

The death of the la gran Contessa, Margravine Matilda of Tuscany, left her vast domains disputed between the Papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor, giving renewed urgency to the ongoing Investiture Controversy. Promising great liberties and gifts, the Emperor readily rallied northern Italy to his banner. The frightened Pope withdrew from Rome and offered Sigurd amnesty if he would lead a force against the Emperor. The timely death of Maximilla at the hands of the Arabs eased tensions with Count Roger and freed Sigurd of the charge of bigamy. The Count reluctantly let Sigurd and his Vikings pass, providing him with provisions and reinforcements.

Absolved of prior oaths to crusade on behalf of Pìsa and Jerusalem, Sigurd was named Vexillifer Ecclesiae ("Standard-bearer of the Church") and given a blanket pardon for all actions undertaken in name of the Church. Landing on the mainland, he and his men were joined by what allies the Pontificate could muster. Duke William was summoned for a parlay; having handed over command of his forces to Sigurd, he was executed for treachery (ostensibly with the Emperor). Maria and her infant son had already been summoned from Barcelona; by good fortune primogeniture placed her father right after the deceased William in succession. Shifting blame for William's execution onto the Pontiff, Sigurd spent the next year rallying the Norman and Lombard lords to his banner and strengthening his hold on Apulia and Calabria; already bound to him by oath, many heeded the Pope's calls and made their submission.

Maria brought with her Sigurd's little half-brother King Olaf, who had followed in his footsteps and brought with him a fresh Viking force. Olaf was eager to proceed to the Holy Land but Sigurd had no interest in doing so; Olaf and his men were needed elsewhere. Marching on Rome, Sigurd was named patrician, senator, duke and consul; the death of the Roman prefect saw him take that office too. Unwilling to fight the Emperor, he brokered a peace between the latter and the ailing Pontiff. Heartbroken, Paschal II died shortly afterward.

Reluctantly acknowledging that the Roman populace would not accept the worldly and superstitious Olaf as the new Pontiff, Sigurd arranged the latter's marriage to the Emperor's natural daughter Bertha and accepted the Emperor's nominee, Mauritius Burdinus, as Paschal's successor. When the Romans revolted and the clergy objected, Sigurd cut them down with Imperial aid and executed the anti-pope they had rallied behind.

The Emperor's right of investiture reasserted, Sigurd was finally able to send home many of his Viking warriors, who traveled by land under Imperial protection - up through Germany to the Baltic. His forces were replenished by Olaf's companions, some 2,000 men, and Norman and Lombard conscripts. The adolescent Olaf set out against the Genoans and Pisans, with Imperial blessing as the new viceroy of Liguria. Sigurd marched south, fighting back Count Roger, forcing him to pay tribute and name Sigurd's son his heir.

1117 saw Sigurd recapture Ibiza and Majorca and Olaf make significant headway on Sardinian shores.

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So the Norwegians are attacking Italy and the Mediterranean Isles, creating a naval empire?

Awesome! Keep up the good work! :)
 
I've always liked powerful women like Matilda. Seeing her lands potentially form the core of a Viking/Italian state is awesome.

Also.... Aragon, poor Aragon, haha.
 
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katchen

Banned
Is Sigurd in a position to conquer any (or all ) of the Mahgreb cities? Tunis? Annaba(Hippo)? Algiers? Oran? Bizerte? Tripoli? Misurata?
 
Norman Sicily did occupy some of the coastal cities, like Sousse for a time, in Tunisia. I don't see why something similar couldn't occur here.
 
Interesting start, Velasco! Keep it up! The Middle Ages aren't my area of expertise, but definitely interested and subscribed. :)
 
So the Norwegians are attacking Italy and the Mediterranean Isles, creating a naval empire?

Awesome! Keep up the good work! :)

Yessir! And thank you, I'll do my best!

Sigurd has quite quickly established himself as the most powerful prince, pirate and slave trader in Italy right now. The limited number of fellow Vikings, his most powerful resource, is what holds him back the most. He runs a serious risk of becoming an anomaly quickly absorbed.

I've always liked powerful women like Matilda. Seeing her lands potentially form the core of a Viking/Italian state is awesome.

Also.... Aragon, poor Aragon, haha.

Me too - a shame both she and her daughter (Beatrice, if she did survive) narrowly escape this TL's time frame. A Viking Genoa, a Viking Pisa, a Viking Florence...there are many exciting possibilities which could radically impact the development of history.

Why poor Aragon?

Is Sigurd in a position to conquer any (or all ) of the Mahgreb cities? Tunis? Annaba(Hippo)? Algiers? Oran? Bizerte? Tripoli? Misurata?

Norman Sicily did occupy some of the coastal cities, like Sousse for a time, in Tunisia. I don't see why something similar couldn't occur here.

As MNP says, he definitely is. Whether he'll be able to hold onto the 'Kingdom of Africa' in any recognizably Norman OTL way remains to be seen.

Interesting start, Velasco! Keep it up! The Middle Ages aren't my area of expertise, but definitely interested and subscribed. :)

Thank you Drake, your support is always much appreciated! :D
 
Why poor Aragon?
To me, it appears you've butterflied away their future Mediterranean adventures.

Anyhow I have studied the Mediterranean middle ages some, I'm not sure if I can provide anything you don't already know but feel free to ask.
 

katchen

Banned
To hold onto the African cities, Sigurd will either have to find some way to convert them to Christianity or himself convert to Islam.
 
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