Plausibility Check: "Pagan Bastion" Britain

In this thread, we discussed the possibility of a pagan England that never goes catholic.

Is this possible? The idea would be that the channel separates them from the holy wars of Europe, and they end up as the last great bastion of paganism in Europe, preferably up into the modern day.

Once could guess how many invasions they would have to throw back, but if any European pagans could do it, it would be Britain. It would be interesting to see how this affects the thinking of Christians.
 
Highly improbably, but if it /does/ hold out, it's better suited for it then pretty much anywhere else. One of the problems is that the non-English occupants (Gaels, Picts, Britons, ect.) are all fully Christianized. Another problem would be the obvious crusade that would eventually go up the channel, either to dispel the heathens of the relieve the Christian Britons, whichever one suits the fancy of whoever wants to justify it. I mentioned before that its likely that Vikings would, especially as Scandinavia is absorbed into the Christian world, settle and assimilate into Anglo-Saxon England. I can see large hosts of warriors and servants coming across with dispelled Pagan lords. This combined with the fact that (generally speaking, especially in the Pagan days) the Anglo Saxons were fairly grounded as a warrior culture, would really help as far as it goes for keeping the Europeans out.
 
We discussed it merely days ago.

Allow me to copy-paste my answer.

Most probably not.

Inner pressure was probably an important factor, in spite of what Bede argued. While the post-Roman urban network in Britain was significantly weaker than in continental Europe, Irish missions and monasteries presences managed to maintain (and probably strengthen) a popular Christianism, while topped out by Anglo-Saxons rulers (maybe due to the political opposition between native and germanic entities that didn't really helped much to cultural mixing).

Anglo-Saxon Britain wasn't isolated from Europe either and ties over the Channel reappeared around the late VIth century (for what concerns eastern Britain, it can be argued they never really disappear for the western parts) : the presence of strong Christian entities on the continent (especially Francia for what concern southern kingdoms as Kent, Wessex, Sussex and East-Anglia, that were probably the most Christianized already) and their growing influence provided a diplomatic motivation, and therefore everything related (such as trade).

A bit more on the ideological side, Christian conception of the world allowed the strengthening of the germanic royal position, from a mix to priestly/warrior duties to a kingship associated to overlordship over a people, as God had on Earth; as well managing to swallow up more easily the Brittano-Roman population.

Giving these, both inner and outer pressures would probably be too strong to allow a long term pagan Anglo-Saxon ensemble, critically when hugely divided.

It doesn't mean that it could be delayed : Aethelbert's conversion didn't launched a deep christianisation of Anglo-Saxons and pagan resurgences happened regularly.
With a Frankish-screw TL, maybe you could have a Christianisation of Anglo-Saxons happening rather in the VIIIth century, or even later.

But the lack of Anglo-Saxon political, but as well ritual, unity is going to be the main obstacle over this, when it'd come to face aformentioned pressures : if not Franks, then whoever would take their places (Goths, Gallo-Romans, etc.)
 
Why does no one ask about Celtic pagan Britain? Maybe the Romans don't slaughter the Druids so they remain much more powerful in their culture. Even if the Saxons still come it would be a battle between pagan societies. Staying for long though, would be an AHC.
 
Why does no one ask about Celtic pagan Britain? Maybe the Romans don't slaughter the Druids so they remain much more powerful in their culture. Even if the Saxons still come it would be a battle between pagan societies. Staying for long though, would be an AHC.

Problem with Druids is that they were a social elite (arguably, a declining one), and it's why Romans crushed them : no rivals, no counter-power, no problem. (Of course with a Ist century PoD, Saxon takeover of Britain may as well be replaced by something else).

Eventually it all comes down, for what matter a TL with Roman hegemony established in Europe, if the empire adopts or not an exclusive religion as the imperial cult.
 
Top