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So I'm writing out an Age of Miracles-eque TL that involves Sicily under the Normans surviving longer, and I have the basic first bit done and written out, but I have only a few ideas, and I need more long-term, especially "cool" (I.E., out-of-the-ordinary, but interesting and plausible) ideas. After previous threads debating some ideas I've had, I've refined my basic idea, and here's what I have so far:

-Norman Sicily has a devastating rebellion/civil war (as in OTL), that causes their monarchs to look internally, and centralize their kingdom, rather than waste money in foreign wars (basically, have Roger II end the rebellions forever instead of William the Good slowly doing it).

-Important to that first idea is the Byzantine Emperor John the Beautiful lasting longer, and his son Alexios surviving to become emperor. A strong Eastern Roman state will keep the Normans from getting distracted with IMO idiotic dreams of plundering Greece. If there's alternative ideas, let me know.

-I was originally going to have the Fatimids in Egypt survive, or at the very least have some sort of charismatic Shia movement arise in Egypt and control it, but I've been told that that is ASB. I'd really like a strong Shia nation to arise in the Middle East after the fall of the Fatimids, but I don't have any ideas on how. Need some ideas on that.

-Stephen of Blois's dynasty survives and triumphs in England, defeating the Empress Matilda. This eventually leads to a Richard the Lionheart analogue named Godfrey popping up and going on Crusade, but actually competent. In OTL, Richard angered the Sicilians so much they actually almost killed him, but Godfrey here will strike up a friendship with the Sicilian people and monarchs, so much that Godfrey becomes a popular name in both countries, and various alliances are attempted between the English and the Sicilians.

-Early on, I have Roger II being forced back to the island of Sicily itself, and him gaining a friendship with Bela II "The Blind", along with a thousand or so Hungarian and Croat troops. These troops force back the baronial rebels fighting against Roger, and in return for their service, he allows them to settle in Southern Italy, becoming the "Magyari". I intend to feature them as major figures in Norman Sicilian politics, and possibly one of them eventually replacing the Norman monarchy. In Hungary itself, the monarchy is strengthen by the Norman-Hungarian alliance, and is able to centralize much easier.

-I'd like to have the Welfs becoming Holy Roman Emperors (and staying as such for centuries) instead of the Hohenstaufens, but I'm unsure of the ramifications of that. I want the Hohenstaufens to stay powerful regional nobles for a while, but not sure.

-The Hapsburgs die out, and the Zahringens survive, thus changing Swiss history. I think I want the House of Zahringen to head some sort of confederation of familal nobility in Switzerland (like the Bernese League in an Age of Miracles), but I don't know what to call it or how I should differ it from the aforementioned League.

-I'm not sure how to use Venice or the Kingdom of Jerusalem; Venice is an enemy to both the Byzantines and the Normans (Palermo is cutting into Venetian trade), so I don't know what the Venetians will do, and the history of the KoJ is unfamiliar to me, so I don't know what do to with them.

-I want some kind of interesting, long-lasting Hussite-esque heresy, possibly a strengthened Bogomilism, but I don't know to make it strong even that I can.

-Not sure on the rest of Europe, but I do know that I want the Mongols to have an even greater effect on Russian culture, intermarrying with some Russian princes and all that.

Any ideas?
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