Islamic Bulgaria?

[Rainbow Sparkle]

Inspired by a game of EU3 as Hungary, where after liberating Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire they were an Islamic Sultanate, are there any possible POD that would allow for an Islamic Bulgarian state to come into existence before 1900?

[Anaxagoras]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Sparkle

Inspired by a game

I stopped reading there.

[Bavarian Raven]

I stopped reading there.

><

filler filler

[B_Munro]

Don't be jerks, folks. The fact that the question was inspired by a game is irrelevant to its value as AH.

Early fall of Constantinople to the Arabs, mayhaps? But that might give you Muslims all the way to the HRE...

Bruce

[Plumber]

The land that would become Bulgaria was majority Muslim and Turkish even in the 19th Century. Macedonia is where Bulgarians where in the clear majority.

[Æsir]

Originally Posted by Plumber

The land that would become Bulgaria was majority Muslim and Turkish even in the 19th Century. Macedonia is where Bulgarians where in the clear majority.

The way I interpreted the question at least the challenge was to get the ethnic Bulgarians to convert and for eventually a majority (Or at least plurality) ethnic Bulgarian Muslim state to form.

[Ridwan Asher]

Your latest chance would be before the restoration of Patriarch by the Ottomans.

[The Kiat]

Wouldn't a Bulgarstan make it easier for Islam to spread into Eastern Europe?

[Hrvatskiwi]

Originally Posted by Plumber

The land that would become Bulgaria was majority Muslim and Turkish even in the 19th Century. Macedonia is where Bulgarians where in the clear majority.

Actually, that's not necessarily true. Back then what is modern-day Bulgaria was actually two provinces, Rumelia and Bulgaria. Rumelia was the Southern half, which I believe was more populous. Bulgaria was the Northern part, which was poorer and more sparsely populated. Now, IIRC, Bulgaria (Northern part) had a significant Turkish minority and more conversions to Islam. At some point the Muslims were expelled. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Simreeve]

Originally Posted by B_Munro

Early fall of Constantinople to the Arabs, mayhaps?

I've read a published AH story (in an AH collection) in which that happened & had this result. Think that it might have been one of Turtledove's...

[Rainbow Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Æsir

The way I interpreted the question at least the challenge was to get the ethnic Bulgarians to convert and for eventually a majority (Or at least plurality) ethnic Bulgarian Muslim state to form.

This was basically it. An ethnic Bulgarian Muslim state, rather than say a Bulgaria ruled by Turkish muslims that is independent of the Ottoman Empire or something like that.

[Cuāuhtemōc]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Sparkle

This was basically it. An ethnic Bulgarian Muslim state, rather than say a Bulgaria ruled by Turkish muslims that is independent of the Ottoman Empire or something like that.

Kill Mehmed sometime before 1453. Whoever succeeds him won't aspire to try and emulate the Roman Emperors of old and thus leaves the Patriarchate to die after Constantinople is conquered, thus faciliating the conversion of Eastern Christians to Islam. Given that Bulgaria was heavily Muslim in OTL (populated by a mix of Turkish settlers and Bulgarian Muslims), then it could work.

[Rainbow Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Cuāuhtemōc

Kill Mehmed sometime before 1453. Whoever succeeds him won't aspire to try and emulate the Roman Emperors of old and thus leaves the Patriarchate to die after Constantinople is conquered, thus faciliating the conversion of Eastern Christians to Islam. Given that Bulgaria was heavily Muslim in OTL (populated by a mix of Turkish settlers and Bulgarian Muslims), then it could work.

I may have to look into this.

[Faeelin]

You guys are going about this all wrong. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volga_Bulgaria

[B_Munro]

Originally Posted by Faeelin

You guys are going about this all wrong. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volga_Bulgaria

None of your sophist tricks, now.

Bruce

[azander12]

Originally Posted by Simreeve

I've read a published AH story (in an AH collection) in which that happened & had this result. Think that it might have been one of Turtledove's...

Read that story too, it was very interesting. It was called "Islands in the Sea" or something like that...

[Dementor]

Originally Posted by Plumber

The land that would become Bulgaria was majority Muslim and Turkish even in the 19th Century. Macedonia is where Bulgarians where in the clear majority.

No, it wasn't. There are some claims that the Danube province had almost as many as many Muslims as non-Muslims, but the Danube province also included areas that are not part of Bulgaria and the cited estimates underestimated the non-Muslim population by as much as 50%. Meanwhile, the area south of the Balkan mountains certainly had a non-Muslim majority.
There is also the fact that most of the claims of Bulgaria being majority Muslim are made by authors who are, to put it mildly, biased. More neutral authors estimate the Muslims population to be about 30-33%.
And "even" is more misleading, considering that in the 19th century the Muslim proportion of the population was increasing due to immigration of foreign Muslims and the emigration of Christians.

Originally Posted by Hrvatskiwi

Actually, that's not necessarily true. Back then what is modern-day Bulgaria was actually two provinces, Rumelia and Bulgaria. Rumelia was the Southern half, which I believe was more populous. Bulgaria was the Northern part, which was poorer and more sparsely populated. Now, IIRC, Bulgaria (Northern part) had a significant Turkish minority and more conversions to Islam. At some point the Muslims were expelled. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Not exactly. Northern Bulgaria had about twice the population of what became Eastern Rumelia in 1878. Both had about the same proportion of Muslims. And indeed Northeastern Bulgaria was majority Muslims but the larger western part was predominantly Bulgarian.
And the Muslims were not expelled, they are still more than 10% of the total population.

[Dementor]

Originally Posted by Cuāuhtemōc

Kill Mehmed sometime before 1453. Whoever succeeds him won't aspire to try and emulate the Roman Emperors of old and thus leaves the Patriarchate to die after Constantinople is conquered, thus faciliating the conversion of Eastern Christians to Islam. Given that Bulgaria was heavily Muslim in OTL (populated by a mix of Turkish settlers and Bulgarian Muslims), then it could work.

Why wouldn't they restore the Patriarchate? It was a very convenient tool for controling the Christian population of the Empire (which was probably in the majority at the time).
Also, if the Christians would be that willing to convert as you describe them, there would be few Christians left in the Balkans today. When you consider that the Patriarchate often was an additional burden on many Christians, it may be argued that the Balkans remained mostly Christian not because, but despite the Patriarchate.

[ingemann]

A solution could be greater Austrian success in Bosnia and Albania in the 18th century, the the expulsed population may end up being settled in Bulgaria And Thrace to an large degree.

[Dementor]

Originally Posted by ingemann

A solution could be greater Austrian success in Bosnia and Albania in the 18th century, the the expulsed population may end up being settled in Bulgaria And Thrace to an large degree.

Why would the Austrians expel the Muslims?