AHC: Eastern Orthodox nation in the Americas/Oceania

With a POD at 1492, make an independent nation that is either officially Eastern Orthodox as a religion or has a majority population as Eastern Orthodox.
Note: giving Russian Alyeska independence isn't gonna do it.
 
OK, since you won't give us Alaska, I'll take "California" There were Russian settlements and Russian interest in Northern California. Just accelerate settlement of these and find a way to slow down US Manifest Destiny to the Pacific and could have a substantial Russian-speaking Orthodox colony in California by the 1860's. Withe the discovery of gold in the 1840's, Russia won't sell to US or anybody.

Hawaii might be another option. Have Russian whalers and economic interests become dominant in the Kingdom. More Russian settlers. (Frankly, I'd skeptical either Britain or (if its still a Pacific power in the TL) the US would tolerate this.
 
going to be tricky for several reasons working together to make it unlikely

Orthodox nations didn't have the same ability to project themselves across oceans due to relatively few good harbours in waters with good access to larger Oceans (Norvograd might be the best one of those and they would have to push through the Danish and later Swedish superiority in the Baltics)

Orthodox nations would have to move around the Catholic/Protestant nations to get out into Atlantic Ocean, taking the most likely route (otherwise they'd have to push either to the Pacific or through the arabic states in Middle east to the Indian Ocean)

Most of the Orthodox nations focus were on defending themselves from attacks from land (Mongols or Ottomans cover all of eastern Europe), so they don't have the safety to retune their focus toward the new lands in the west.

Moscow pushing east earlier, and getting a strong infrastructure between their western and eastern parts (earlier railroads seem the only plausible one here) making a much stronger appearence in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, might well be the only possible way, if only having a PoD after the discovery, sure Courland had a few colonies (which failed), but they had the ability to focus (they were largely a naval based country, which leaned on Hansa and had a relatively big coastal area) and they were Protestant so they didn't have to jump the same loops that a Orthodox baltic nation would have to, to get out of the Baltic bathtub
 
A very strong Ethiopia conquers some pprt modernizes with Portuguese help in the 16th century. Later they want to trade with India and China and they colonized some Island in the Pacific like the Philippines.
 
A very strong Ethiopia conquers some pprt modernizes with Portuguese help in the 16th century. Later they want to trade with India and China and they colonized some Island in the Pacific like the Philippines.

To be pedantric, Ethiopia aren't Eastern Orthodox, but Coptic Orthodox (which in turn is part of the Oriental Orthodox 'family')... tiny but significant difference, hailing back to 451AD where they rejected the Council of Chalcedon, and an older schism than the one between the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches, although the first signs of disargeements between east and west started around here, with the interpetation of the council.
 
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but Imperial Russia was never really one for establishing overseas colonies...
On top of this, considering there is no other significant Eastern Orthodox country remaining by 1492 with the fall of the Byzantine Empire 39 years prior (who never had a chance for overseas colonization anyway given their geographical position even if they were strong), Russia is really the only existing chance for a significant overseas Orthodox population

As zoomar said, northern California or Hawaii might be potential options for significant overseas Orthodox settlement in the Americas or Oceania, if the Russians can be motivated to actually stay there long enough to establish any sort of lasting settlement. A gold rush or whaling would certainly be helpful in this regard. This colony can then either be given independence by Russia and made into a puppet state, or it can remain a Russian holding until 1917 when it potentially breaks away amidst the chaos. Hopefully America would be 'democratic' enough to actually leave it alone and not capitalise on its weakness and make it another state.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Imperial Russia was never really one for establishing overseas colonies...
On top of this, considering there is no other significant Eastern Orthodox country remaining by 1492 with the fall of the Byzantine Empire 39 years prior (who never had a chance for overseas colonization anyway given their geographical position even if they were strong), Russia is really the only existing chance for a significant overseas Orthodox population

As zoomar said, northern California or Hawaii might be potential options for significant overseas Orthodox settlement in the Americas or Oceania, if the Russians can be motivated to actually stay there long enough to establish any sort of lasting settlement. A gold rush or whaling would certainly be helpful in this regard. This colony can then either be given independence by Russia and made into a puppet state, or it can remain a Russian holding until 1917 when it potentially breaks away amidst the chaos. Hopefully America would be 'democratic' enough to actually leave it alone and not capitalise on its weakness and make it another state.

Of course if either California or Hawaii are Russian, there could be butterflies that might flutter away the Russian Revolution or any significant American presence in the Pacific (especially if the USA doesnt have a Pacific Coast). However, if there was anything at all like OTL Russian Revolution I could certainly see the US (and Britain/Canada) invading and occupying Russian California and Alaska to eliminate the potential for revolutionary communist regimes there...either to support their eventual independence as non-communist states or absorb them.
 
Of course if either California or Hawaii are Russian, there could be butterflies that might flutter away the Russian Revolution or any significant American presence in the Pacific (especially if the USA doesnt have a Pacific Coast). However, if there was anything at all like OTL Russian Revolution I could certainly see the US (and Britain/Canada) invading and occupying Russian California and Alaska to eliminate the potential for revolutionary communist regimes there...either to support their eventual independence as non-communist states or absorb them.

Weirdly shaped butterfly net, with a PoD in 1492 (or later) there is nothing to say if there would ever be a revolution (and even if there is, there is nothing to say if its republican or what), if there ever would be an expanding USA (or even a unified USA).

And even then there is no reason why a Red Scare are impossible to dodge even if Commmunism got going somewhere.
 
OK, since you won't give us Alaska, I'll take "California" There were Russian settlements and Russian interest in Northern California. Just accelerate settlement of these and find a way to slow down US Manifest Destiny to the Pacific and could have a substantial Russian-speaking Orthodox colony in California by the 1860's. Withe the discovery of gold in the 1840's, Russia won't sell to US or anybody.

Hawaii might be another option. Have Russian whalers and economic interests become dominant in the Kingdom. More Russian settlers. (Frankly, I'd skeptical either Britain or (if its still a Pacific power in the TL) the US would tolerate this.

One other option would be a possible Russian conquest of the Philippines from Spain, but in order for this to be accomplished, the Russians need to have an earlier presence in the Far East. Of course, the Philippines under Russian rule would not meet the requirements that the OP wanted.
 
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