Plausibility Check: Roman Catholic Serbia

Or have the Franks expand into the Balkans. It's very hard with a 1371 PoD though since Orthodoxy is well entrenched in Serbia, and any signs of Catholicization would have the Byzantines (and maybe the Bulgarians) stop the Serbs from going Catholic.
 
If Serbs become Catholic, Serbia would only be remembered as a Croat state and its citizens as Croats like what happened to Slavonija.
 
If Serbs become Catholic, Serbia would only be remembered as a Croat state and its citizens as Croats.

Not necessarily. Serbia vacillated between Catholicism and Orthodoxy in OTL prior to gaining autocephaly within the Orthodox Church and still maintained a separate identity from Croatia.
 
Prior to 1371? Quite plausible, there was more than one opportunity for conversion to Catholicism.
After that it's trickier because, as of 1371, Serbia has unofficially disintegrated into a loose coalition of nobles - that is, has no strong central authority which could enforce Catholicism on the whole state. And a conversion which isn't even enacted by a Serbian ruler but completely forced by a foreign conqueror (Hungary) would be met with large-scale resistance from the entire Serbian population.
 
It would take a Western victory against the Ottomans at Nicapolis, I would think.

Basically this. It wouldn't be easier, critically seeing that Serbians were on Ottoman side at this battle, but that's your best chance to have eventually a Catholic Serbia.

However, I think it wouldn't be a catholicism as you had in Italy or Croatia, but a sort of Uniat equivalent or a Catholic church of Greek rite.
 

katchen

Banned
Basically this. It wouldn't be easier, critically seeing that Serbians were on Ottoman side at this battle, but that's your best chance to have eventually a Catholic Serbia.

However, I think it wouldn't be a catholicism as you had in Italy or Croatia, but a sort of Uniat equivalent or a Catholic church of Greek rite.
If they were not conquered by the Ottomans (and especially if the Ottomans were finally ejected from Europe by say, 1500 or even 1600), I would expect Serbia's "liberators", ie. mainly Hungary becoming the Austrian Empire) to attempt to enforce Catholicism on Serbia much as the French did Occitania . Which would likely include an Inquisition since the South Slavs include the Bosniaks, who at this time are largely Bogomils, meaning that they follow roughly the same beliefs as the Cathars in Occitania. IOTL, the Bogomils were able to escape persecution after the Ottoman conquest by becoming, at least outwardly, Sunni Muslims--easy since Islam was never as highly policed as Christianity was during the Early Modern Period, at least not until very recently. Not so if the Ottomans are driven out and Bosnia and Albania are HRE occupied. And not for the Greek Orthodox either, when lands and churches and monasteries are all given to the Roman Catholic Church. Frankly, though they'll never admit it, when the Ottomans conquered the Serbs, the Serbs dodged a very large bullet.
 
I would expect Serbia's "liberators", ie. mainly Hungary becoming the Austrian Empire) to attempt to enforce Catholicism on Serbia much as the French did Occitania
That's particularly ill-fitting. Even at the peak of Catharism in southern France, it didn't concerned more than 10% of urban population in a quarter of the region (and far less on countryside).

Greek rites in Serbia were the crushing main norm and couldn't be crushed without provokating a huge reaction (most likely to put Serbia in Turkish influence).
 
If they were not conquered by the Ottomans (and especially if the Ottomans were finally ejected from Europe by say, 1500 or even 1600), I would expect Serbia's "liberators", ie. mainly Hungary becoming the Austrian Empire) to attempt to enforce Catholicism on Serbia much as the French did Occitania . Which would likely include an Inquisition since the South Slavs include the Bosniaks, who at this time are largely Bogomils, meaning that they follow roughly the same beliefs as the Cathars in Occitania. IOTL, the Bogomils were able to escape persecution after the Ottoman conquest by becoming, at least outwardly, Sunni Muslims--easy since Islam was never as highly policed as Christianity was during the Early Modern Period, at least not until very recently. Not so if the Ottomans are driven out and Bosnia and Albania are HRE occupied. And not for the Greek Orthodox either, when lands and churches and monasteries are all given to the Roman Catholic Church.

Would Austrian guidance be required to get this type of Inquisition going, or would an independent Hungary be likely to try as well? I thought medieval Hungary was relatively tolerant towards the Orthodox.
Frankly, though they'll never admit it, when the Ottomans conquered the Serbs, the Serbs dodged a very large bullet.

...and took some different but also very large bullets instead.
 
What were the major influence that the Ottoman Turks brought to Serbia and the rest of the Balkans besides the obvious Islamic cultures?
 

katchen

Banned
That's particularly ill-fitting. Even at the peak of Catharism in southern France, it didn't concerned more than 10% of urban population in a quarter of the region (and far less on countryside).

Greek rites in Serbia were the crushing main norm and couldn't be crushed without provokating a huge reaction (most likely to put Serbia in Turkish influence).
As far as crushing the rites of the People, I have seen estimates that the areas Castile and Aragon and Portugal conquered during the Reconquista were over half Muslim and perhaps 15% Jewish. Faced with unremitting pressure over a period of several hundred years or more, most of both converted to Catholicism. Remainders were expelled in 1492-1520, including Muslim "Moriscos". The Inquisition policed the conversion of the conversos.
So I think for what you say to be true, Greek Constantinople--and it's Patriarchate--have to survive. If the Austrians try to forcibly convert the Serbs and the Eastern Roman Empire still survives, Serbs and Bulgarians alike will rally around Constantinople and in place of an Ottoman Balkans, we will have a revived Eastern (Greek) Roman Empire extending all the way to Romania and then the Pontic Steppe that will gradually over the next few centuries, Hellenize--learn to speak and after the 18th Century, read and write Greek and identify not only religiously but nationally as Greeks---a Greater Greece.
If on the other hand, Constantinople winds up in Austrian Catholic hands, the Balkans will become outwardly Catholic--at least until the Reformation, when a form of Protestantism using Greek ---perhaps a Lutheran Greek Church---becomes popular and a rallying point for revolt against the "Saxons". And Albania will stay Bogomil, at least secretly until Albania can make Bogomilism a form of Protestant Christianity. Nobody controls the Albanians in their mountains. Nobody.
 
How about some Serbian leader makes a deal with, say, Austria for support, on condition they become Roman Catholic. Since going Latin Rite would go over like a lead balloon, the compromise is they go Greek Rite, and become another Uniate church, like the western Ukrainians. Heck, this could actually net them a national church with their own Patriarch earlier than otl.
 
simple have the rhomans rather than support the conversion of serbia and the balkans focus on turning great moravia into orthdox. Big reason for balkans going orthdox was because earlier on the byzantines were faced with a choice beetween Bulgaria or great moravia. They chose bulgaria and so great moravia went catholic. if they instead focus on great moravia and not bulgaria and animosity continues beetween the bulgarians and rhomans then you can see a bulgaria adopting latin rite and in response great moravia adopting orthdox right.
 
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