alternatehistory.com

The Cumans were a large steppe confederacy which played a great role in medieval Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. They were destroyed by the Mongol invasion, which supplanted them on the steppe. Many Cumans (tens of thousands) settled in Hungary and eventually converted to Catholicism. Two regions of Hungary, Great Cumania and Little Cumania, were so named because of their large Cuman population which was afforded various rights until the 19th century.

Linguistically, the Cumans in Europe died out, and culturally they blended into the European nations they settled. So what I'm asking is how do we get a large Cuman population--at least as big as the Gagauz (who if they aren't descendents of the Cumans, probably have Cuman ancestry amongst other Turkic groups) of Moldova. There should be at least one region of some European country where the majority of the population is Cuman. If there can be a Cuman country, that would be even better.

My thought is that a stronger Mongol invasion of Europe (where they conquer Hungary) could depopulate a portion of Hungary--ideally Transylvania, and the area settled by Cumans as well as other steppe peoples like Tatars. Over time, the population of Cumans, who adopt Christianity, assimilate the other groups and eventually settle down (as the OTL Cumans in Hungary did). The region is thus majority Cuman, and may or not form the core of an independent Cuman-speaking country at some point in the future.

Thoughts?
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