With a POD no later than 1000 AD what events would have needed to transpire to have Islam become the dominate faith of all the Middle East, Africa and Europe?
Where would this lead?
Where would this lead?
More Arabo-Berber victory in western Europe can't really change something : they had at best 20 000 fighters in the VIII century, and hardly one real garrison north of Pyrenees.I think that this requires several things to happen, namely a much earlier fall of Constantinople, say to one of Arab sieges, coupled with more Moorish victories in Iberia/France, and a more chaotic continental western Europe subsequent to that. Even then though it's hard.
The institutional role of papacy really became important with Charlemagne : before the IX century, papacy did had a moral and spiritual first place but much of the religious policy was ruled by "national" councils led by the king and upper clergy.Maybe a collapse of the Papacy? An earlier Avignon type split that leaves Catholicism permanently split weakening Christian resolve?
I'd say a good POD for this to happen would be an Islamic victory at Tours followed by a conquest of the entire Frankish realm and an invasion of Italy.