WI : Anglo-Saxon/English Ceuta/Majorca/Minorca

A little known bit of history is the exodus of a large number of Englishmen (Well, Anglosaxons) to the Roman Empire. Part of this tale is the capture and sacking of Ceuta, as well as the conquest of Majorca and Minorca.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_(medieval)

Later in the account they go on to New England in the Black Sea, but I'm curious. What if the English stayed in all three of these locations - and invited in the Romans as lords/protectors? What would a Medieval Mediterranean with seafaring Anglosaxon Romans look like?

EDIT : Amusingly, since this seems to be around 1075 - We could legit see a timeline with English Earls of the Balearics, and El Cid in Valencia. Hehehhee
 
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A little known bit of history is the exodus of a large number of Englishmen (Well, Anglosaxons) to the Roman Empire. Part of this tale is the capture and sacking of Ceuta, as well as the conquest of Majorca and Minorca.
It's little known, probably because it's legendary, with some mentions in early english sources (largely including fantastic events) and apparently none locally.

What might have happened, and then largely romanced, might "simply" be an exile of AS nobles and warriors in Byzantine Empires as mercenaries (which was common enough to include Anglo-Saxons), which is more or less what Oderic Vital seems to accounts for (I don't find the complete text, he's just mentioned with some other names).

It's more plausible than "Franks were actually Trojans" (to take an extreme and obvious exemple), but as legendary.

(edited for politness and necessary caution)
 
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Pretty sure this is wildly ahistorical.

Majorca and Minorca are known to have been a taifa around this time, and in fact until the early 12th century, when the Almoravids showed up.
 
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It's little known, probably because it's legendary, with some mentions in early english sources (largely including fantastic events) and apparently none locally.

What might have happened, and then largely romanced, might "simply" be an exile of AS nobles and warriors in Byzantine Empires as mercenaries (which was common enough to include Anglo-Saxons), which is more or less what Oderic Vital seems to accounts for (I don't find the complete text, he's just mentioned with some other names).

It's more plausible than "Franks were actually Trojans" (to take an extreme and obvious exemple), but as legendary.

(edited for politness and necessary caution)

Pretty sure this is wildly ahistorical.

Majorca and Minorca are known to have been a taifa around this time, and in fact until the early 12th century, when the Almoravids showed up.

I think that analysis of what the legend may be based off of (if anything) is pretty likely - so I'm happy to work off of that assumption. (In retrospect, I should have thrown in words like 'allegedly', etc, ah well), that there were migrants was explictly true. However, even as a legend, it is surprisingly unknown.

So perhaps making a change to a PoD where the Ceuta, Minorca and Majorca events do happen, with Anglo-Saxon mercs/rebels sailing off to the Med, capturing and holding these territories, and those known migrants to the Roman Empire instead settle these islands. The potential results (other than the "in a few years they die off" scenario) would likely be interesting, no?
 
So perhaps making a change to a PoD where the Ceuta, Minorca and Majorca events do happen, with Anglo-Saxon mercs/rebels sailing off to the Med, capturing and holding these territories, and those known migrants to the Roman Empire instead settle these islands. The potential results (other than the "in a few years they die off" scenario) would likely be interesting, no?
I'm not sure how a bunch of Anglo-Saxons in exile are supposed to take over a taifa that was so specialized in seafare and piracy that it litteraly asked a whole coalition to take it down for a very short while.
At the very best, it ends up as the Norwegian raids in Ibiza (Norwegian crusaders took great care to avoid Majorica itself) as in quick grabbing and going elsewhere. More likely, if they attempted that and attacking Majorca, they would probably end up killed or sold as slaves.
 
It's more plausible than "Franks were actually Trojans" (to take an extreme and obvious exemple), but as legendary.
IIRC there was also the legend of the Holy Grail been miraculously brought to England by Joseph of Arimathea.

Pretty sure this is wildly ahistorical.

Majorca and Minorca are known to have been a taifa around this time, and in fact until the early 12th century, when the Almoravids showed up.

A Pisan fleet (supported by Marseille and other cities but not by Genoa) briefly conquered the Balearic archipelago in 1115.
 
A Pisan fleet (supported by Marseille and other cities but not by Genoa) briefly conquered the Balearic archipelago in 1115.
...For about five minutes before the Almoravids took it off their hands.

"Well Pisa conquered it for a few months" isn't the same as magic Anglo-Saxons founding New England there in the 1070s.
 
...For about five minutes before the Almoravids took it off their hands.

"Well Pisa conquered it for a few months" isn't the same as magic Anglo-Saxons founding New England there in the 1070s.
Didn't I say "briefly"? Evidently there were not the conditions for taking and keeping them: let me call it "a raid on steroids".

If magic is the defining value, let's go for magic Leprechauns then ;)
 

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I thought you were talking about Anglo-Saxon exiles taking over the Azores, not the Balearics. .
 
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