Will Kürlich Kerl
Banned
Is it possible, with a POD after 1371 and before 1546, for Serbia to become Catholic?
If Serbs become Catholic, Serbia would only be remembered as a Croat state and its citizens as Croats.
It would take a Western victory against the Ottomans at Nicapolis, I would think.
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.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.
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).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
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.
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.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).