Christian Nomadic Empire?

[Gasmask134]

Is it possible to take the nomads of the Eurasian steppes and have one group of them form a nomadic empire or state while being predominantly Christian or having Christianity as the state religion (kind of like how the Golden Horde became Islamic)?

(Are there examples already?)

 

[Drakon-of-China]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keraites

 

[Gasmask134]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keraites

oh, thanks! This is what I was looking for!

All that said, the question still interest me of the possibility of additional Christian-Nomad states.

 

[LSCatilina]

@Gasmask134
It's quite hard to think of an Eurasian super-complex chiefdom adopting a state religion, without adopting the structures of region they conquered : while the main political center, in its strictest sense, might adopt a more or less exclusive religious policy (possibly more trough antagonism than mission, IMO), the subordinated centers and families usually didn't followed much or at all (especially in furthest ones, would it be direct or indirectly dominated).
Even when establishing imperial states (Yuan China, Timurid Persia, etc.), yasak practices on religion (coming from a much earlier tradition of religious tolerence, as long it wasn't politically adverse) played strongly enough to generally delay a total identification of ruling dynasties on local religious practices if not exclusiveness, with a long held belief that most of religions were true eventually.

It's why khaganates as Khazars or Uyghurs generally didn't really enforced a religion, even when the main families and rulers converted : we could see a Golden Horde ruler converting to Christianity (it was generally more true of elite's women, tough) thanks to a really active Fransiscan presence in the region, but I don't think it would mean that the Horde would become a Christian state, especially if the ruler would try to impose it imploding his chiefdom in the process.

 

[Gasmask134]

@Gasmask134
It's quite hard to think of an Eurasian super-complex chiefdom adopting a state religion, without adopting the structures of region they conquered

Yeah, I figured that an issue on how nomadic states don't seem to enforce the rulers religious beliefs on the locals, but I never thought about how they would possibly have to "settle" in a sense to make use of the religious buildings if they did.

we could see a Golden Horde ruler converting to Christianity

In a scenario that the ruler of the Golden Horde converted from Islam to Christianity would other big names in the Horde be upset? Or was even the Islamic Golden Horde pretty lenient towards religion?

 

[LSCatilina]

I never thought about how they would possibly have to "settle" in a sense to make use of the religious buildings if they did.

I was less thinking about litteral physical structures as temples, churches or mosquees than having conquered regions where religion was a social, political and identitarian institution that formed a basic regional structure. Turko-Mongols generally went with whatever predominantly existed.

In a scenario that the ruler of the Golden Horde converted from Islam to Christianity would other big names in the Horde be upset? Or was even the Islamic Golden Horde pretty lenient towards religion?

I was more thinking about a khan converting to Christianity from tengri beliefs, a more natural move than it would have been from Islam. It would certainly upset some Mongol-dominated peoples, such as Bulgars, and possibly make the ruler not being that warmly considered by his subordinated (especially if they converted themselves) but what mattered uttermost was the political loyalty (in both directions of the hierarchical organisation) to the Mongol institutions and chiefdom, at least until the XIVth century.

I do think, tough, that conversion to Islam makes more sense for the Golden Horde overall, since they were at the direct contact of the prestigious Arabo-Islamic world, that an important part of their submitted steppe peoples already converted (and the need for Turkic troops may have helped the succession of Islamicized Mongols rulers) or having served traditionally as mercenaries.
Not that it was impossible, but sub-entities as the historical "Right Wing"/"Blue Horde", and the allohistorical "Khanate of the Kipchaks" would be a safer bet, and maybe a way for a deeper Christianisation eventually.

 

[Gasmask134]

snip

Ah, thank you for the information, I've been interested in possible reading on the Mongols, is there any books, articles, websites, etc you'd recommend on them?

 

[Alex Zetsu]

Would you be satisfied with a more limited goal with a Christian Kahn, his family Christian, and everyone subordinate to him by three layer Christian and the top man putting some effort into converting local elites? These hordes don't really have a state religion, but it's possible to make some vconversion efforts without there being a clear cut state religion forced upon them.

 

[Gasmask134]

Would you be satisfied with a more limited goal with a Christian Kahn, his family Christian, and everyone subordinate to him by three layer Christian and the top man putting some effort into converting local elites? These hordes don't really have a state religion, but it's possible to make some vconversion efforts without there being a clear cut state religion forced upon them.

Yeah, that's fine, I'm not looking for a big mongol empire sized Christian empire, just a state that can be pointed out on a map if you know what I mean.