AHC: Surviving Emirate of Sicily

Inspired by Thande and Glenn Beck

So is there anyway for the Emirate of Sicily or some sort of similar successor state to plausibly survive the Norman conquest of southern Italy? With a POD no earlier than when it was founded in 965 CE.
 

Thande

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Inspired by Thande and Glenn Beck
I have to wonder how many threads could possibly bear that label.

Anyway, I think avoiding the Norman conquest is relatively easy - the hard part is preventing subsequent conquests by other groups.
 

Vitruvius

Donor
Anyway, I think avoiding the Norman conquest is relatively easy - the hard part is preventing subsequent conquests by other groups.

Agreed. Without out the Normans I think the Byzantines and the Lombards would probably remain deadlocked on the mainland. Even if the Byzantines prevailed I doubt they'd have the momentum to go after Sicily certainly. Maybe they could but its easy enough to keep them out.

The problem comes if we still have Crusades. Sicily would lie right on the major supply lines to the Levant so I doubt the Christian powers would leave it in Muslim hands. Though I suppose I could see a Crusader Kingdom of Sicily with Venice and Genova in control of strategic ports. Thus the state would be week enough that it soon collapses and an Emirate is restored by the Alomhads or more likely the Hafsids. As part of a state that links Sicily with Tunisia rather than southern Italy I could see it holding off Aragon, at least if it can make it into the 15th century it seems home free.
 

Orry

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Monthly Donor
How does that effect Malta?

If it is not held by the Knights is there a stronger attack launched against Christian Europe through the Balkans etc?

More raids on Italy etc than occured in OTL? Muslim domination of the Med leading to an earlier fall of Constantinople?
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
How does that effect Malta?

If it is not held by the Knights is there a stronger attack launched against Christian Europe through the Balkans etc?

More raids on Italy etc than occured in OTL? Muslim domination of the Med leading to an earlier fall of Constantinople?
If Sicily is Muslim, so is Malta. There would probably be butterflies. A PoD in the 900s or 1000s will change a lot of things for the upcoming centuries. Heck, the crusades will most likely be butterflied away.
 
If Sicily is Muslim, so is Malta. There would probably be butterflies. A PoD in the 900s or 1000s will change a lot of things for the upcoming centuries. Heck, the crusades will most likely be butterflied away.
Yes but in the 1000s I think you run the risk of other groups going for Sicily. If Byzantium doesn't hold it and the Normans don't get there, it's still a very tempting target near Christian lands and you're still going to have a lot of "idle" knights in the later 11th century and depending on the PoD, Christian Holy War concepts are probably going to evolve in some way.
 
Who was in charge of Tunis at the time? I'm thinking on something similar to what happened in Iberia, have the Sicilians make a call for help in North Africa, then an Atlas army stomps the invaders... and retains the place for themselves. It's not exactly what the OP asks for, but it will make Muslim power last longer in the island.
 
Sicily

It was not likely to survive. The Byzantines nearly reconquered it. But the Byzantine general revolted against and was defeated. Whatever power controlled southern Italy would soon gain possession of Sicily.
 
Who was in charge of Tunis at the time? I'm thinking on something similar to what happened in Iberia, have the Sicilians make a call for help in North Africa, then an Atlas army stomps the invaders... and retains the place for themselves. It's not exactly what the OP asks for, but it will make Muslim power last longer in the island.
965? The Fatimids nominally. Actually? The Zirids.
 
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