Crusading remains popular: earliest viable Christian control of Jerusalem

IOTL it seems as if, when Europe was in favour of crusading, they lacked the ability to set up a viable state in the Holy Land, and when they were able to, crusading had gone out of fashion so nobody really wanted to. ITTL crusading remains popular after the end of the Middle Ages for whatever reason. When is the earliest that a viable Christian control of the Holy Land could be established? I'm guessing sometime during the 18th century, as this was the period when the balance of power tipped decisively against the Ottomans. So 1750, maybe?
 

ben0628

Banned
Best bet would be a British or Russian Levant. Earlier construction of a Suez Canal (debated by the Ottoman government) could lead to more British interest in the Mediterranean and Lead to the annexation of coastal cities in Egypt and the Levant. Or just have Catherine the Great destroy the Ottomans, set up a new Byzantine Empire (this was considered, whether or not it was serious consideration, idk), and the have this new Greek state colonize Palestine under the condition of joint rule with Russia.
 
IOTL it seems as if, when Europe was in favour of crusading, they lacked the ability to set up a viable state in the Holy Land, and when they were able to, crusading had gone out of fashion so nobody really wanted to. ITTL crusading remains popular after the end of the Middle Ages for whatever reason. When is the earliest that a viable Christian control of the Holy Land could be established? I'm guessing sometime during the 18th century, as this was the period when the balance of power tipped decisively against the Ottomans. So 1750, maybe?
Even if it was planned, we'd need two hundred years of later history to make it last as long as the first try...

But I think, realistically, 1750 or 1800 (there about) are the best bet. Before then the Ottomans could and would stop it. A wacky alternative might be convincing Venice it would be profitable sometime just after the fall of Timur. The Mamelukes aren't yet in as dire straits as when the Ottomans barged in, but compared to Venice in its heyday they're still very weak. Of course I have no idea how to sell it as profitable, and there would be a significant risk that the Ottomans (or whoever rises in Anatolia, Egypt or Persia) eventually come back for it, especially as I don't think a Venetian Jerusalem would stretch over Damascus/Aleppo and the other bases Saladin used for his victories against Jerusalem.
 
The paradox here is you'd probably need more successful Crusades to keep crusading popular. You'd almost need a more permanent Kingdom of Jerusalem in the first place to make it work.
 
Best bet would be a British or Russian Levant. Earlier construction of a Suez Canal (debated by the Ottoman government) could lead to more British interest in the Mediterranean and Lead to the annexation of coastal cities in Egypt and the Levant. Or just have Catherine the Great destroy the Ottomans, set up a new Byzantine Empire (this was considered, whether or not it was serious consideration, idk), and the have this new Greek state colonize Palestine under the condition of joint rule with Russia.

Russia I'd definitely expect to get involved, given their self-image as protector of the Orthodox Church and the fact that they already had strategic reasons for wanting to get Constantinople. Not so sure about Britain -- maybe if the Suez Canal is build earlier and India is as important to the British Empire as IOTL, but if one of those conditions isn't fulfilled I'm not sure they'd be particularly interested. France, on the other hand, had trading interests in the Levant, IIRC. Historically they tended to ally with the Ottomans against the Emperor, although with the Turks on decline such an alliance would be less attractive, and the French might instead decide to get a piece of the action. And of course, Spain was always up for a spot of crusading against the Turk.

The paradox here is you'd probably need more successful Crusades to keep crusading popular. You'd almost need a more permanent Kingdom of Jerusalem in the first place to make it work.

Maybe the success of the Holy League at Vienna and in Hungary could lead to a revival of crusading sentiment?
 
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