Germanic Balkans

Imagine that instead of the Slavs, Germanic tribes settled down the Danube and moved into the Balkans. Is this possible? How would it affect the region? What would these nations look like?
 
The most migratory Germanic groups during this time were the East Germanic peoples. If any Germanic group were to settle the Balkans it would be those tribes. Unfortunately, we do not know very much about them. They sort of faded away after the Slavic migrations began. They were never very numerous to begin with either.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Germanic_languages
 
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The Ostrogoths occupied the place, maybe if the remain in power the Balkans would become Germanic speaking? Maybe you could have the Lombard migrate there.
 
I always thought it would be interesting if the Lombards moved into the Balkans and made themselves a permanent fixture in the region, rather than moving into Italy.
 
Why and how did portions of the Balkans become Slavic in the first place? If we take a look at that question we might find something applicable toward how a Germanic Balkans could come about.
 
If the Gothic settlement had been handled differently then the Danube could have become a "Gothic Wall" for the Romans and expand that as Roman administration declines.
 
Imagine that instead of the Slavs, Germanic tribes settled down the Danube and moved into the Balkans. Is this possible? How would it affect the region? What would these nations look like?
There was a big difference between Germanic Barbarians and Slavs in the pattern of their migrations.
While Slavs migrated in familial groups, relatively homogeneous; Germanic Barbarians were importantly composed by whatever they found in the way especially provincial Romans.
Furthermore, while Barbarians were quite early on associated then integrated within Roman cultural-political features, Slavs were settling on largely deserted lands without much institutional backbone from Byzzies to build themselves on (and rather out of the complex chiefdoms of Avars and Bulgars, as amorced/ sattelized entities).

Note that they were Germans/Sarmatians settled along the Lower Danube even in the VIth, such as Goths and Huns, but they were in relatively few numbers and at the current borders of the empire.
Some peoples that came late to the general share for western Romania were let with Middle-Danube areas such as Heruli, Gepids and Lombards but the ones that survived the Avar takeover in the VIIth century went for Italy.

In short, to keep Barbarians along the Danube, you need to butterfly away Byzantines destroying the Ostrogothic regional hegemony, then prevent the Avar takeover of the Pannonian Plain, and you might have some Germanic isolates (not unlike Vlachs) in the Balkans and possibly some Barbarian kingdom along the Danube.

Or, if you prefer an earlier PoD, make Western Romania surviving but being growingly estrangered from Eastern Romania, forcing the establishment of some Barbarian foedi in Illyricum.

It could give something such as described there.
 
Imagine that instead of the Slavs, Germanic tribes settled down the Danube and moved into the Balkans. Is this possible? How would it affect the region? What would these nations look like?
Why and how did portions of the Balkans become Slavic in the first place? If we take a look at that question we might find something applicable toward how a Germanic Balkans could come about.
Proto Indo European you may have answered this question in another thread.
In places where Roman institutions remained (France, Iberia, Italy) the barbarians simply formed an elite on top of the existing structure. There they gradually assimilated into the post-Roman cultures of the peoples they conquered.

In places where Roman institutions collapsed (Britain, the Balkans, Hungary) barbarians replaced them with wholly new institutions, and their languages were able to spread to the masses.
 
Imagine that instead of the Slavs, Germanic tribes settled down the Danube and moved into the Balkans. Is this possible? How would it affect the region? What would these nations look like?
What about avoiding the Lombard and Avar vanquisinging the Gepids.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gepids#Fall_and_last_records

What about the Lombards not going to war with the Gepinds for some reason? Then the Avars can also fail in their own war or never get into conflict with the Gepids for some reason?'
gepids.png

Could the Gepids stay where their kingdom was or would they have to move to fullfill your objective?
 
What about avoiding the Lombard and Avar vanquisinging the Gepids.
Gepids had a relatively weak domination north of Danube (it's worth noting this map is as accurate as a broken compass : there's too much mistakes, especially in the borders regions and Northern Gaul), which was basically inheriting Hunnic hegemony but with a lesser authority; and a good part of their strength came from the territories they took south of it (not represented on the map). After Ostrogoths and Lombards (in the service of Constantinople on this regard) chased off Gepids (which took it back after Ostrogoths), it didn't leave them with a lot of powerbase.

What about the Lombards not going to war with the Gepinds for some reason?
Then Constantinople send someone else. Who exactly is a good question : maybe Avars directly as Justinian proposed them to do IOTL.

Then the Avars can also fail in their own war or never get into conflict with the Gepids for some reason?
Well, the best way would be Constantinople not calling Avars in Central Europe to deal with Kurtigurs, Utigurs and Antes. With some chance, these peoples would be content raiding and settling Lower Danube, especially if Byzzies doesn't crush Gothic Italy (I know I repeat myself, but that's really a problem on this regard), with the maintain on a relative authority on the region (or at the very least, having Byzzies taking back Pannonia and settling it with Lombards as IOTL) but it would still make Gepids a relatively weak player in Middle Danube.
 
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