AHC: 1453 or Later- Pagan "Roman" Empire

Not going to happen. Christianity had been an integral part of Romanitas since the fourth century, and besides, any state claiming to be a restauration of Rome would only plausibly arise in Europe, where paganism had withered away hundreds of years previously, or somewhere settled by Europeans, who would have taken their Christian beliefs with them.
 
The Cult of Reason becomes big in Europe, and the Risorgimento gets run by anticlerical men who adhere to a Roman flavor of the cult and form a Roman Republic/Empire thing. Eventually, the cult merges with the romantic ideas of nation and folk religion, and so you have an earlier formation of neopaganism to which most people convert away from the enforced secularism of the old Cult of Reason. Or something. All this probably happens with a POD in the Enlightenment period. :p
 
Crazy suggestion, but what the hell.

So, France colonizes India, and resent against the French monarchy leads to many poor Frenchman fleeing to India. Further anger against the French monarchy leads to revolution in India, where ties to the homeland are broken off. To separate themselves further, the leader of the revolution decides to create his own strand of Bhakti Hinduism, which absorbs the concept of the Khalsa from Sikhism, leading to a very militaristic state. This religion also consists of worship of the Hindu gods, and as a result of a classicist fetish, also considers itself the Third Rome. So, a pagan "Roman Empire" - but just not the paganism you were looking for.
 
Crazy suggestion, but what the hell.

So, France colonizes India, and resent against the French monarchy leads to many poor Frenchman fleeing to India. Further anger against the French monarchy leads to revolution in India, where ties to the homeland are broken off. To separate themselves further, the leader of the revolution decides to create his own strand of Bhakti Hinduism, which absorbs the concept of the Khalsa from Sikhism, leading to a very militaristic state. This religion also consists of worship of the Hindu gods, and as a result of a classicist fetish, also considers itself the Third Rome. So, a pagan "Roman Empire" - but just not the paganism you were looking for.

I like it!

Mix in a bit of Proto-Indo-European studies, and we have even more weirdness! The revival of the worship of Indra! :p
 

Deleted member 97083

Other than Cult of Reason, the only other scenarios that would cause this, seem to be fascism or non-Marxist communism (e.g. Stalinist if Stalin was obsessed with Neptune).

Crazy suggestion, but what the hell.

So, France colonizes India, and resent against the French monarchy leads to many poor Frenchman fleeing to India. Further anger against the French monarchy leads to revolution in India, where ties to the homeland are broken off. To separate themselves further, the leader of the revolution decides to create his own strand of Bhakti Hinduism, which absorbs the concept of the Khalsa from Sikhism, leading to a very militaristic state. This religion also consists of worship of the Hindu gods, and as a result of a classicist fetish, also considers itself the Third Rome. So, a pagan "Roman Empire" - but just not the paganism you were looking for.
Why would they call themselves the Third Rome though?
 
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Sinicized Turks or other steppe people creating a pagan Ottoman Empire? Getting them to keep their religion would be difficult
 
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Make a neo-pagan state claiming to be Rome rise after 1453.

George Gemistos Plethon lives longer, and he (or one of his followers) leads a Neo-platonist revolution in Morea post the fall of Constantinople. Somehow he pulls it off (might be a low grade ASB) and creates a rump Basileia ton Romaion-but no prizes for guessing how long this lasts. The Osmanli will have rather low regard for a bunch of pagans in Morea.
 
Mussolini goes even more crazy and actually declares Italy as "Rome Restored," even going so far as to re-establish old titles and entities. He manages to weasel his way out of WWII/no Hitler from butterflies, and he manages to see his Rome grow a bit in Africa before he dies and passes on his "republic" to an "adopted son," seeing himself as the second coming of Caesar.

This individual is like Himmler and has an obsession with old paganism, but this time Roman rather than Germanic. His cronies soon become invested in it to gain good graces with him and there are rumors the Imperator has converted officially. By his death, the "Senate" is almost totally "pagan."

Italy is a pariah state by this point and becomes almost like a more developed N. Korea with its propaganda levels (after losing Africa of course.) After a few Imperators, eventually one converts officially to the growing State Religion of Glorious Rome and a small percentage of the populace do as well to gain favor in government positions. Internal and international Catholic outrage begins and this is the first step in Rome's collapse, but you have your scenario completed.


Wait, this is pre-1900. Crap.
 
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