AHC Russia Different Christianity

Is there a way to make Russia Catholic?

Bonus points, is there a way to make Russia Coptic (the Byzantines kind of repressed the Oriental Orthodox since they were viewed as borderline heretics, so the Coptic Pope might not even be able to send a representative)?
 
Russia is rather far away from the Catholic powers, though, whilst Constantinople is just a (relatively) short boat trip to Kiev.

That's exactly the problem and why it's a "challenge." The Pope from Rome and a Jewish community near the Tigris (apparent they were still alive) both managed to dispatch envoys to Kiev, but honestly it doesn't look too great for the envoys and if Byzantium didn't send anyone, they might have remained Pagan until they became Glad Princes of Vladamir
 
That's exactly the problem and why it's a "challenge." The Pope from Rome and a Jewish community near the Tigris (apparent they were still alive) both managed to dispatch envoys to Kiev, but honestly it doesn't look too great for the envoys and if Byzantium didn't send anyone, they might have remained Pagan until they became Glad Princes of Vladamir

That would require the Byzantines to be in *serious* trouble, though, since Russia was right next door.

I would suggest that either the Persians or Arabs succeed in conquering Constantinople, but that would either result in Russia turning Zoroastrian/Nestorian/staying pagan, or turning Muslim respectively.
 
If Bizantines are screwed Russia is going to convert to Catholicism sooner or later. Islam is out of question due to dietary laws-ban of pork and alcohol is not good idea in Eastern European forest zone.
 
No split between Catholic and Orthodox.

This seems being only way keep Russia as Catholic. But how avoid the split? Coptic Christianity seems for me pretty impossible when Alexandria is quiet far from Russia. Or how plausible is that someone Byzantine emperor would convert to Coptism? If it is possible then Russia might convert too.
 
This seems being only way keep Russia as Catholic. But how avoid the split? Coptic Christianity seems for me pretty impossible when Alexandria is quiet far from Russia. Or how plausible is that someone Byzantine emperor would convert to Coptism? If it is possible then Russia might convert too.

Avoiding the split disqualifies Catholicism, sorry I should have made that clear

If Bizantines are screwed Russia is going to convert to Catholicism sooner or later. Islam is out of question due to dietary laws-ban of pork and alcohol is not good idea in Eastern European forest zone.

Possibly... the Pope's OTL envoy wasn't very persuasive and he got to kiev within 3 years of his eastern counterpart. As I said, if the Byzantines are screwed and the Pope sends his OTL envoy (and remember, he's got bigger fish to fry), proto-Russia (Kiev) is likely to remain pagan at least until they are no longer Princes of Kiev but Pirnces of Vladamir

How about if Persia goes Coptic for whatever reason, enabling missionaries to be sent northwards?

If you can make Perisa go Coptic while still under muslim rulers, I'm willing to hear your story.
 
I *could* see some of the western Russian princes going Catholic, whilst the rest either going Orthodox or staying pagan. Then a Catholic one unites the Russian principalities, and spends several decades/centuries forcibly converting its conquests.

I would like to read such a TL, but lack the knowledge to write it.
 
The problem is that the Pope's envoy wasn't really inspiring to the person it mattered the most: the ancestor of the future princes of Vladamir/ Moscovy
 
The problem is that the Pope's envoy wasn't really inspiring to the person it mattered the most: the ancestor of the future princes of Vladamir/ Moscovy

Russia could have been unified under a different principality, you know, like Tver or Smolensk. Muscovy becoming top dog was built on a whole lot of other developments in the meantime.
 
If they were Oriental Orthodox, wouldn't they be more akin to the Armenians than the Copts? Armenians are closer.

The problem is that the Pope's envoy wasn't really inspiring to the person it mattered the most: the ancestor of the future princes of Vladamir/ Moscovy

That man was also the ancestor of most all of the other princes too.
 
Wouldn't Nestorian Persia be more plausible than Coptic Persia?
Almost certainly - unless Coptic Christianity is chosen as a sort of compromise between not wanting to go for the same as the Byzantines and not wanting to go Nestorian due to the history of persecution. It's a bit of a long shot, but not entirely out of the question - especially if a new dynasty came into power, as that would have justified the sudden conversion to an extent.

If you can make Perisa go Coptic while still under muslim rulers, I'm willing to hear your story.
Going from Islam to Copticism would be extremely unlikely, but what if Persia went Coptic in the 6th or early 7th centuries - perhaps as a result of a new dynasty overthrowing the Sassanids, revitalising Persia and avoiding (at least in part) the ruinous conflicts with Byzantium? This Coptic dynasty would then work alongside the growing force of Islam, forming an alliance against their mutual enemy in Byzantium and allowing missionaries to be sent in both directions. Although such an alliance may well break down eventually, and Islam would become increasingly widespread in Persia, Coptic missionaries would head northwards to convert the lands north of the Caucasus, and Copticism may become established as a significant minority religion in Persia even if an Islamic dynasty takes over. The Coptic presence north of the Caucasus would thus continue, and would eventually lead to some of the Russian kingdoms adopting it.
 
Ok, so far the most plausible shot I've seen for the challenge is if some Coptic dynasty rising in Persia and not wanting to go Nestorian. They avoid ruinous conflicts with the Byzantines.

Later on, they make a short lived alliance with rising Islam forces. By this by, the Oriental Orthodox is an established religion in the region. Islamic forces later start to dominate and the Christian kings are reduced from kings to vassals to keep their heads, but they stay true to their beliefs. Coptic Christianity remains a major minority even though the leaders in charge are Muslim. Coptic missionaries head to the caucuses and appeal to several Russian Kingdoms adopting Christianity, including the ancestor of the Prince of Muscovy.

He'll have to be better than OTL Pope's envoy which was described as speaking "politely and boring"
 
Coptic literally means Egyptian. If Persia converts early enough it'll surely have an independent patriarch. Even the Armenians have one. Now, if the OP is really talking about Oriental Christianism...
 
Livonian Order wank anyone?

Maybe I've been playing too much EU4 but I mean is it at all plausible to have a series of successful Russian "crusades"?
 
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