Challenge: Vikings/Rus and Abbasids both take down the Byzantine Empire

Deleted member 97083

The 800s and 900s saw great fluctuations in Viking, Rus, Abbasid, Bulgarian, and Byzantine power. If all the factors manage to align--the Abbasids avoid or recover from the Anarchy at Samarra, while the Byzantines fall into an iconoclastic chaos--could the Byzantine Empire collapse due to invasions of Vikings, Abbasids, and Bulgarians some time in the 9th or 10th century?
 
I guess Abassids and Bulgarians are clear on how to expand into Byz, but what would the Rus take, aside from Crimea? An invasion of Asia Minor from the sea? Expanding into the Caucasus?
 

Deleted member 97083

I guess Abassids and Bulgarians are clear on how to expand into Byz, but what would the Rus take, aside from Crimea? An invasion of Asia Minor from the sea? Expanding into the Caucasus?
The Vikings/Rus wouldn't necessarily want territory from Byzantium. They'd want loot--gold, silver, captives, etc.

That said, the Pontus/Trabzon region seems like it could be settled by Varangians/Rus.
 
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