Weirdest plausible European migrations?

[NKVD]

For example (I'm not asking for the plausibility of these; I'm just giving examples), Turks migrating into continental Europe and Christianizing, or Germanic peoples migrating to Asia Minor and setting up a state there, or the Slavs taking over Western Europe.

What are some weird/interesting migrations that could have occurred in continental Europe?

Use whatever definition of weird/interesting you'd like; the migrating ethnic group can be from anywhere, but...

1) They must settle in continental Europe, ideally in a part of Europe that's part of the modern-day European Union.

2) They must be concentrated, and form an independent nation-state at some point. Can be an independent state from the beginning like France, sporadically independent like Slovakia or Poland, or independent only in the modern era like...I don't know, Slovenia? Minorities split off from the nation-state, like the Hungarians in Romania, are fine.

3) Any ethnic group will do, but you get extra points the further you get from Indo-European. Points will also be awarded for long-distance migrations.

4) It's not required, but it'd be nice if the resulting nation-state were significant to European politics and history.

5) Nothing before, say, around the time that that Jesus fellow got crucified.

6) Something like the Visigoths in Spain or the Franks in Britain doesn't count.

 

[Brightflame]

Perhaps a lot more Norse settlement across Europe. It would be fun to see them in Asia Minor, Morocco or Egypt.

 

[Qhapaq Inka]

It'd be cool to see more Uralic-speaking peoples migrate into Europe. Say, the Komi people migrate into Europe under Mongol pressure in the 13th and 14th centuries, and end up settling somewhere in the Danube valley, say Bavaria or Austria?

In "Agent of Byzantium", Turtledove has the Tungusic-speaking Jurchens raid into the Ukrainian steppe and lower Danube during the early 14th century.

 

[MarshalBraginsky]

If we're talking about weirdest European migrations, what about the Magyars ending up in what is now OTL Belarus and raiding (plus integrating) the Baltic tribes?

 

[Zorqal]

A Steppe group moves into central/west Europe, christianizes, and centralizes.

Finno-Ugric beat out the Norse and proto-Russians in the north, becoming a force there.

Pechenegs move to the upper Danube and become Christian Orthodox.

Indo-Europeans as a group move into North Africa, the middle-easterners move into West Europe, and arabs in eastern europe. Far easterners move into India and Persia is split by asians and indo-europeans.

 

[Thanksforallthefish]

While I'm addmitely not an expert on the period, I find it quite strange that the Huns conquered most of Europe, threatened both Roman Empires, and then just... vanished in Europe.

Could they remain as a distinct ethnic group? Like, say, the Kalmykians in Russia.

 

[Sevarics]

Vikings conquer the northwestern portion of the Iberian peninsula and form the Kingdom of Normandia and eventually unite the entire peninsula under their rule after converting to Catholicism, conquering the remaining Catholic localities, and pushing the taifas out of Iberia.

 

[Brightflame]

While I'm addmitely not an expert on the period, I find it quite strange that the Huns conquered most of Europe, threatened both Roman Empires, and then just... vanished in Europe.

Could they remain as a distinct ethnic group? Like, say, the Kalmykians in Russia.

I thought the Huns were largely a confederation of subject peoples?

Also, the Magyars claim to be the descendents of Attila.

 

[Jonathan Edelstein]

Maybe the Celtic invasions of the Balkans and Macedon could become the front for a large-scale folk migration, leading to a permanent Celtic presence in Greece and possibly to Hellenized Celts.

 

[SlyDessertFox]

While I'm addmitely not an expert on the period, I find it quite strange that the Huns conquered most of Europe, threatened both Roman Empires, and then just... vanished in Europe.

Could they remain as a distinct ethnic group? Like, say, the Kalmykians in Russia.

Well they didn't just vanish per say. IIRC, there were Huns still fighting for the Roman Empire in the 6th and 7th centuries. The thing was, their empire by the time of Atilla's death relied on a powerful leader(s) and army to keep their subject people's under their control. After Atilla's death, the initial rebellions were successful in defeating the Hun armies, causing a snowball effect I guess. Some of the Huns sought and received refuge in the empire, others (I'm assuming),assimilated

 

[Hollis Hurlbut]

The Kalmyks are pretty weird, being a nation of Mongol Buddhists in Europe. Imagine a people like the Kalmyks who continue northwest, settle in the Polish-Lithuanian lands, and later achieve independence as a small Buddhist kingdom on the border of Belarus and Ukraine.

 

[ramones1986]

Vikings conquer the northwestern portion of the Iberian peninsula and form the Kingdom of Normandia and eventually unite the entire peninsula under their rule after converting to Catholicism, conquering the remaining Catholic localities, and pushing the taifas out of Iberia.

Are they became Romanized?

 

[Thande]

I presume you're aware of Thermopylae's famous timeline which is based on taking this idea and running with it?

 

[ramones1986]

I'm thinking of one ethnic group: the Cumans.

a Turkic people who participated in the invasions of Central and Eastern Europe in the early medieval times, they eventually settled permanently in:

Scenario #1: OTL Moldova, Odessa Oblast and the historical Ukrainian region of Nadchornomoria. They adapted the Eastern Orthodox religion, adopted a version of Cyrillic script, and paid their allegiance to the Byzantine Emperor.

Scenario #2: OTL Slovakia. They adapted the Roman Catholic faith, adapted the Latin alphabet, made their Khagan a counterpart of a typical European monarch.

 

[mlp]

actually, OTL Europe is pretty interesting enough.
do you want to know why?
look at mainland china. do you see any diversity?....

 

[fhaessig]

Less migration toward Europe 25 milenia ago.

Neanderthalian remain a major component of western europe ethnicity

 

[Henriksson]

actually, OTL Europe is pretty interesting enough.
do you want to know why?
look at mainland china. do you see any diversity?....

China is basically a plain with little geographical obstacles (at least not between population areas) to speak of, connected by a few major rivers. Europe has a vastly different geographical situation.

 

[Emperor Julian]

actually, OTL Europe is pretty interesting enough.
do you want to know why?
look at mainland china. do you see any diversity?....

I see quite a lot.

And this map doesn't even show the various different language groups which divide the big "Chinese" block.

 

[katchen]

I thought the Huns were largely a confederation of subject peoples?

Also, the Magyars claim to be the descendents of Attila.

Actually, it's the Szekley who claim to be descendants of the Huns

 

[katchen]

The Kalmyks are pretty weird, being a nation of Mongol Buddhists in Europe. Imagine a people like the Kalmyks who continue northwest, settle in the Polish-Lithuanian lands, and later achieve independence as a small Buddhist kingdom on the border of Belarus and Ukraine.

The Kalmyks are descendants of the Dzungar; an Oirat Mongol group that was otherwise wiped out by the Q'ing in the mid 18th Century. Their settlement in Russia is VERY recent indeed.
So we would want maybe Buddhist Oirats riding with Batu and Subodai to set up the Golden Horde instead of Tengriist Khalka who later converted to Islam.