Christian Anatolia

Would it be possible if Anatolia or OTL Turkey would be a christian country till modern times
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
Somehow avoid the collapse of the Byzzies. There are several PoDs, some lead to all Anatolia being Christian, while others lead to just the western parts remaining in Roman hands.
 
Would it be possible if Anatolia or OTL Turkey would be a christian country till modern times

I think if the Byzantines were still around or if the majority of Turks converted to christianity before arriving in Anatolia. That is all i know.
 
Latest PoD that doesn't involve a period of more than a hundred years of Christianization that would probably be silly is during the 1110s. The Turkish identity didn't really get formulated until the fall of the Byzantines. Until then, almost all literature was still in Greek and the lack of real Muslim construction or scripture tells us that the plateau was still only superficially Turkish. It was only with the rise of Suleyman in 1197, the appearance of the Sufis, and a general cultural revival in this area due to the end of any Crusader or Byzantine tensions that allowed the Turks to solidify their hold over the area. Until then, a Byzantine army can retake the area, and not suffer any real problems with a muslim population.
 

PhilippeO

Banned
Did it have to be with Byzantine survival ? Armenia, Cilicia, and Mount Lebanon managed to have christian population despite hundred of years under Ottoman.


Christian population in Anatolian Highland become depopulated because repeated raid by Turkic Seljuk. If Byzantine perform worse against Seljuk, Christian peasant might survive in Anatolia under Muslim rulers.
 
Did it have to be with Byzantine survival ? Armenia, Cilicia, and Mount Lebanon managed to have christian population despite hundred of years under Ottoman.

Christian population in Anatolian Highland become depopulated because repeated raid by Turkic Seljuk. If Byzantine perform worse against Seljuk, Christian peasant might survive in Anatolia under Muslim rulers.

If Byzantines perform worse against the Seljuks, it's more likely that Christian peasants will convert, not less.
 

PhilippeO

Banned
If Byzantines perform worse against the Seljuks, it's more likely that Christian peasants will convert, not less.


Isn't Central Anatolia lost to Muslim because :
1) Byzantine not strong enough to prevent turkish raid
2) christian peasant evacuate central anatolia to safer land
3) central anatolia re-settled by nomadic turkish tribe

???

without raid and evacuation, anatolia would become land under muslim rule, but majority of peasant still christian. some might convert, but many area managed to retain christianity among peasantry, despite paying taxes to Muslim lords.
 
Isn't Central Anatolia lost to Muslim because :
1) Byzantine not strong enough to prevent turkish raid
2) christian peasant evacuate central anatolia to safer land
3) central anatolia re-settled by nomadic turkish tribe

???

without raid and evacuation, anatolia would become land under muslim rule, but majority of peasant still christian. some might convert, but many area managed to retain christianity among peasantry, despite paying taxes to Muslim lords.

And Byzantium being weaker means less raid and evacuation how?
 

PhilippeO

Banned
isn't raid because byzzies strong enough to prevent occupation, but not strong enough to prevent raiding ? if turks can rule and tax christian peasant, they will no longer bother with raid.
 
isn't raid because byzzies strong enough to prevent occupation, but not strong enough to prevent raiding ? if turks can rule and tax christian peasant, they will no longer bother with raid.

Given the lifestyle of the Turcomen nomads, I'm not sure that ruling over and taxing was ever a priority for that part of the Turkish migration.

And given a stronger Muslim presence in Anatolia, there's going to be more inclination towards conversion.
 
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