AHC: Christian Persia

Have the Kings of either Adiabene or Osrhoene gobble up their neighbours and replace the Arsacids instead of the Sassanids.
 
The basis of any such conversion would have to come from the Assyrian Nestorians who were usually dominated by the Iranians.
 
I recall reading in The Great Arab Conquests by Hugh Kennedy on the section covering the conquest of Persia that zoroastrianism was mainly an aristocratic religion and that there was large support by the common people for christianity.
 
I recall reading in The Great Arab Conquests by Hugh Kennedy on the section covering the conquest of Persia that zoroastrianism was mainly an aristocratic religion and that there was large support by the common people for christianity.

Yup just butterfly Islam and Christianity has a very good shot.
 
I recall reading in The Great Arab Conquests by Hugh Kennedy on the section covering the conquest of Persia that zoroastrianism was mainly an aristocratic religion and that there was large support by the common people for christianity.

Not so much, according to the Cambridge History of Iran. Nestorianism was mainly prevalent amongst the Assyrian masses and was at times popular amongst all orders in the Caucasus region, even Armenia until politics got in the way and the Armenian dynasties sided with Constantinople. Even after the conquest of Iran, Iran faced several prominent popular revolts throughout the region against the Arab Muslims, especially considering the rampant racism the Arabs used.

The main issue during the period was that it was the Zoroastrian Church, the hierarchy attached to the State, that had become corrupt in the eyes of many people considering the period of opulence under CURSED Khosrau II.
 
Here's a question: could the Sassanids be prevented from coming into power in order to delay the collapse of the Parthian dynasty by say, one hundred to a hundred fifty years? Armenia adopted Christianity in 301 AD, but I'm not sure if they can become the dominant power that can take on the Persians. I do know this: the Armenians of the Arsacid era were definitely not nomadic, so they might resist the assimilation process into the dominant Persian society.
 
Probably by going the same way as Zoroastrian
Have one of the Sassanid shahs to get acquainted with christianity, and if he likes it, he might support them

Problem is that the people (especially the noblemen) might not like it, and it would merge the country in a civil war. And like always: if the shah with his new religion wins, then people might see that "God" wasn't on their side and convert one by one (or the shah would try "convert or die" policy like Charlemagne)

Zoroastrian was the state religion and played a part in the Persian identity. Missionaries will endanger their lives if they tried to convert the whole empire by approaching the "weak and unfortunate". They have to do it from the top, and they have to win.
 
I think we can have the Bagrationis usurp the Sassanid throne a hundred years before the Islamic conquest of Persia happened.
 
The problem with this is that the Bagrationis would not take power until the 800s. So best way to do this will be around the 300s to 500s.
 

Leo Caesius

Banned
I think we can have the Bagrationis usurp the Sassanid throne a hundred years before the Islamic conquest of Persia happened.
Or more likely the House of Suren, some members of which had converted to Christianity.

There was also a junior branch of the Arsacids reigning in Armenia until 428, which could be at the center of some kind of Arsacid restoration.
 
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