AHC: Orthodox Christian Dominance

How do you make the Eastern Orthodox Church dominant over Christianity?
Is it even plausible?
What are the earliest and latest PODs this is plausible?
How would this affect the culture of Europe and the world?
 

Deleted member 67076

Byzantine Empire wank is the easiest way to do so.
 
Combined Byzantine and Russia wank, with the added bonus of greater fragmentation in the west, likely due to an alt-reformation, just to be safe. Note that to have Orthodoxy as we know it, we probably need a post great schism PoD, so Byzantium is going to be starting this with, at best, OTL Turkey, Greece, Syria, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania and some of Serbia and Ukraine. That's plenty to build off of mind you, but for Orthodoxy to become dominant we need them to take some more lands. Egypt, the Levant, Italy (or at least a good portion of it) and maybe some colonies by way of the red sea will be a good start, while Russia can do its part by taking more of the Americas, avoiding some of their demographic disasters, and possibly making some gains in eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Even then, we might not have the majority of Christianity being Orthodox (depending on how well the west does), but we can likely have them as the largest denomination by a long margin.
 
I would imagine that Rome (eastern) holding the city of Rome itself would help. The Pope can't get as uppity when the Emperor rules above him.
 
I would imagine that Rome (eastern) holding the city of Rome itself would help. The Pope can't get as uppity when the Emperor rules above him.

He managed to do it several times during Byzantine Papacy. While the Byzzies eventually deposed, exiled or else popes that challenged their authority, these didn't felt too much loyal by default (and more or less favoured Exarchates with autonomous or independent impulses).

Now, there's many possible ways to deal with.

The easier would be a surviving WRE in Italy and Africa that would be sooner or later integrated into ERE, runiting the Empire. Associated with a no-Islam (maybe an higher Persian dominance on Arabia after shorter Persian Wars with a small victory for Sassanids), you really increase the odds of an equivalent of Greek rites being the orthodox norm (in the early-medieval meaning) : probably a mix of Eastern Christianity and Roman liturgy.
 
Well, if we want it to be Orthodoxy approaching the OTL one, a PoD closer to the schism might be best. Let's see; strengthening the Byzantines would be a good idea. Say, it regains the size it had under Basil II and keep it at that level somehow. This empire could convert the Turks when they come knocking and if the eastern front remains stable, it might crawl towards the Levant and Egypt at some point (or is that ASB at this stage?)

The Macedonian dynasty was a time when the Empire had a resurgence not just territorially, the surrounding polities were heavily influenced in a cultural sense as well. Bulgaria and Serbia were for instance by and large christianised in the 9th century. This was a time when, while the schism hadn't happened yet, Rome and Constantinople fought for conversion to their line of the supposedly united church. Now, Great Moravia had been receptive to the overtures made by Constantinople (look up the request of Prince Rastislav); this was the case for many Slavic peoples, in no small part due to the alphabet Cyril and Method brought them and the fact that the Constantinopolean line allowed for national churches to be established. If we can prevent the fall of Great Moravia to the Magyars, we have a rather large state north to the Balkans which will most likely go orthodox once the schism comes. The Croats had a pro-Byzantine faction too, so with a stronger Byzantine empire, it will be more likely to go Orthodox. Now, if Great Moravia is an orthodox state, this could make it easier for the Byzantines, in conjunction with the Moravians, to convert the Poles: there is after all the succesful example of Moravia just to the south, with its own alphabet, church language and Byzantine political support. Christianisation of the Rus could go ahead right on schedule as well.

Simultaneously, the Orthodox inclinations could be made stronger by weaking the Catholic ones. The best way to achieve that IMO is to butterfly Charlemagne and not have Francia expand into eastern Germany. A lot of soft power would go lost that way, making the Orthodox option politically more attractive too. The Saxons, Thuringians and Bavarians could go orthodox to counter attempts at conquest from the west, where the more deveoped states laid. The eastern brand of Christianity could be seen as the less threatening one. Having an orthodox southern Baltic coast would lead to orthodox Baltic states and - especially with a somewhat weaker west in the absence of the Franksih juggernaut - could take charge in converting Scnadinavia.

While the west would still have a lead in colonising the Americas, this would make orthodoxy be on a more equal footing and visible (perhaps in an alt-Reformation, more will turn towards it?). Then, you could have the Russians be more successful in converting a part of the East Asian populace or a Byzantine empire which controls the Red Sea do the same in India and Indochina, not to mention East Africa.
 

katchen

Banned
Let's have a POD in 1500. John Cabot, finding only fish in Newfoundland, attempts the NorthEAST Passage ---and like Chancellor 50 years later IOTL, discovers a trade route to Muscovy. Warm trade relations are opened up between England and Muscovy. Royal Duke Henry Tudor even visits Moscow for a year before his brother Arthur dies and he gets called back to England to take on the duties of Crown Prince. Then Henry's father passes away and Crown Prince Henry becomes Henry VIII and marries Catherine of Aragon.
When Henry VIII has only the one daughter, Mary and needs a son and Catherine cannot provide him with one--and the Pope will not provide Henry with a divorce, ITTL, Henry has an alternative to creating his own Church. Henry is familiar with the Eastern Orthodox Church and instead of creating the Anglican Church which is Catholic except for English liturgy and not recognizing the Pope and having the Archbishop of Canterbury, appointed by the King at it[s head, creates the Anglican Orthodox Church with liturgy in Greek, priests and monks brought in from Russia initially and the Archbishops of Canterbury and York becoming the Metropolitans of Canterbury and York under a Patriarch of London appointed by the King. Eventually, after Ivan IV takes on the title of Tsar, Henry, before his death, takes on the title of Caesar of Britainia. He ultimately marries a Russian princess. Elizabeth still inherits the throne, taking on the title Empress. And the British Empire is Eastern Orthodox, ensuring as it grows, that Orthodox Christianity is the dominant form of Christianity in the world.
 
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