Rolf or rollo in otl was a pagan Viking warlord who seized the mouth of the seine from France, converted to Christianity and established a relatively well-organized polity in Normandy whose "spin-offs" went on to conquer England Ireland southern Italy Sicily and to be a major founding force in eastern Mediterranean crusader states
Could pagan Viking warlords have successfully established themselves further south, in Muslim ruled territories, and converted to Islam, possibly imparting a vigorous new influence? Candidate territories coming to mind include portugal around the mouths of rivers where oporto and Lisbon lie, elsewhere in Spain, especially the far south, morocco. If they on the other hand, come down the eastern route, the Varangian trail, they might perhaps establish an emirate in Muslim ruled caspian littoral, Cyprus, Lebanon, northwest Syria, Palestine or Crete.
Could this be accomplished and could it in turn lead to follow on expansions like occurred from Normandy, leading to norman emirates conducting successful jihad against christian ruled portions of the mediterranean, or takeovers from local dynasties in Egypt Arabia algeria or Persia?
Could pagan Viking warlords have successfully established themselves further south, in Muslim ruled territories, and converted to Islam, possibly imparting a vigorous new influence? Candidate territories coming to mind include portugal around the mouths of rivers where oporto and Lisbon lie, elsewhere in Spain, especially the far south, morocco. If they on the other hand, come down the eastern route, the Varangian trail, they might perhaps establish an emirate in Muslim ruled caspian littoral, Cyprus, Lebanon, northwest Syria, Palestine or Crete.
Could this be accomplished and could it in turn lead to follow on expansions like occurred from Normandy, leading to norman emirates conducting successful jihad against christian ruled portions of the mediterranean, or takeovers from local dynasties in Egypt Arabia algeria or Persia?