katchen
Banned
You hit the nail right on the head, Mon Angel. They would vassalize them Mongol Khans like vassals. They can call upon them to send knights and other troops to fight battles, even in Mongolia and China.I fully agree with your assessment. They would vassalize them (see OTL Rus principalities) rather than directly ruling them.
. And what is the best way to vassalize the conquered lords of the Holy Roman Empire?
By being crowned Kaiser by the Pope.
To do that, Batu Khan must convert to Christianity.
Is that a problem?
Maybe not.
Batu's Golden Horde successor, Birkei Khan, IOTL led the Kipchak Golden Horde to convert to Islam less than a hundred years later. Apparently, the Kipchak are not terribly wedded to Tengriism.
So? Is Germany and Italy worth a Mass to Batu Khan?
Maybe so. And crowning Batu Khan Kaiser is definitely worth it to the Pope, since this gives him the chance to begin with, to bring Russia into the Catholic fold and beyond that, who knows about the rest of the Mongol Empire.