Challenge: Preserve Christianity in the Caucasus

Before the rise of Islam, the Caucasus had been pretty thoroughly Christianized, at least in the south, and numerous petty Christian (well, at least nominally) states had popped up. Georgia and Armenia are two that survive to this day, but there was also Alania, Sarir, and Caucasian Albania, to name a few. Furthermore, many if these states survived well past the rise of Islam into the 12th and 13th century, sucummbing only to the Seljuks or Mongols.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to keep the Caucasus majority Christian. The easiest way would be to butterfly Islam away, which could have some interesting results, but a true challenge would be to do it after the rise of Islam. I'll accept either.
 
Last I checked Armenia and Georgia remained Christian. While Turkey and Azerbaijan went Muslim.
 
Hmm, perhaps I should have put more emphasis on the states themselves, cause that's what really interests me.

Yeah, the Ossetians are still around, though Alania is not (not officially, anyway). However, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya all became Muslim, some fairly late in history. The challenge is prevent that, and keep the Christian states, in some form or another, afloat.
 
Maintain Byzantine (and thus: Christian) dominance in Asia Minor and the Caucasus will always have a very powerful, densely populated Christian neighbor to keep the Muslims from becoming overly dominant in the Caucasus.

While you could turn the clock back to say: Yarmuk, I think keeping Manzikert from happening effectively ensures the Caucasus stays a dominantly Christian land.
 

Keenir

Banned
However, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya all became Muslim, some fairly late in history. The challenge is prevent that, and keep the Christian states, in some form or another, afloat.

"afloat"?

as in not in anyone's orbit?

nuke Byzantium.
 
Another couple of variations:

Some conversions are as late as the 16th/17th c. esp. with the rise of the Shamkhalate. Russia's failures against it probably didn't help. Changing that could have a smaller, later effect.

A better one would be to mess with the Mongols. Having them turn Christian, show up at different dates, or not show up at all, would all be decent PODs.
 
Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to keep the Caucasus majority Christian. The easiest way would be to butterfly Islam away, which could have some interesting results, but a true challenge would be to do it after the rise of Islam. I'll accept either.

Another option would be to have the remainder of the Caucasus swallowed up by either the Georgians or Armenians. A wank, yes; close to ASB, yes; but that's probably the best way to get the Caucasus to be majority Christian until the Russians and Ukrainians enter the picture.
 
Well couldn't you have it so the two kingdoms of Georgia and Armenia inter marry and unite into a single kingdom, then they fortify and conquer the Caucasus ( or atleast part of them from the black sea to the Caspian ). If they truly specialize in mountain warfare and correctly fortify the region and become bloody stubborn they can stick around for some time and be the Ottomans pissy neighbour. Then in I dunno 1830 they have a huge fight with the Russian Empire who wishes to expand into the region and they give them some good beatings and the Cossacks rebel and join them maybe for a nice population boost or a client state to their north.
 
Another option would be to have the remainder of the Caucasus swallowed up by either the Georgians or Armenians. A wank, yes; close to ASB, yes; but that's probably the best way to get the Caucasus to be majority Christian until the Russians and Ukrainians enter the picture.

To be honest, under David and under Tamar that really was the case...it's not ASB.

Without the Mongols and with a good alliance with the Cumans and some other friendly force (Byzantines, Rus?) Georgia could continue to dominate the Caucasus. But the Mongols, as usual, spoiled everything.
 
Well couldn't you have it so the two kingdoms of Georgia and Armenia inter marry and unite into a single kingdom, then they fortify and conquer the Caucasus ( or atleast part of them from the black sea to the Caspian ). If they truly specialize in mountain warfare and correctly fortify the region and become bloody stubborn they can stick around for some time and be the Ottomans pissy neighbour. Then in I dunno 1830 they have a huge fight with the Russian Empire who wishes to expand into the region and they give them some good beatings and the Cossacks rebel and join them maybe for a nice population boost or a client state to their north.
One problem is that Armenia was Monophysite and Georgia Orthodox...
 
Top