Surviving Western Roman Empire, What happens to Christianity beyond the Rhine ?

[walmart]

Say the Western Roman Empire somehow survives with it's border on the Rhine river. What happens to the Christianity beyond the Rhine river ?

Does Arianism survive among the Germanic tribes or do they still end up converting to Chalcedonian Christianity ?

What happens to the various Pagan German tribes further East such as the Saxons ?

 

[cmakk1012]

Economic pressure makes it highly likely, although not for absolute certain, that the Germans eventually convert to Chalcedonian Christianity like the Visigoths did IOTL. If they didn’t for some reason, it’s possible we get a fascinating, early alt-Crusade up there eventually.

 

[Lalli]

I bit doubt that Western Rome can keep these borders very long. But I am quiet unsure that Arianism would survive. Wasn't it already declining at end of 4th century?

 

[Evil Crusader]

It's one of those, 'it wildly depends' questions. The West was comparatively amenable to Arianism than the East, so it may well end up adopting that and enlisting the barbarians against their Eastern counterpart. Or maybe not, but still, however the WRE survives will by necessity impact how is Christianity viewed outside the Roman borders.

 

[Mikestone8]

It will probably still spread, but more slowly, if adopting a Roman religion is seen as increasing Roman power over them.

I suspect it is no accident that the spread of Christianity made only slow progress until after the WRE's fall. Even the Irish didn't adopt it until after the legions had left Britain.

 

[Darzin]

The Saxons had to be forcefully converted IOTL. And Prussia and Lithuania held out for a while. Without the Holy Roman Empire, and Frankish kingdom it's highly possible these places don't convert.

 

[Mikestone8]

The Saxons had to be forcefully converted IOTL. And Prussia and Lithuania held out for a while. Without the Holy Roman Empire, and Frankish kingdom it's highly possible these places don't convert.

Won't the Saxons probably convert a century later than OTL, along with the Danes and Norwegians?

As for Lithuania, if it still expands into Russia in the 13C, it will be majority/Orthodox, so most likely adopts that if Catholicism has made slower progress.

 

[cmakk1012]

Won't the Saxons probably convert a century later than OTL, along with the Danes and Norwegians?

As for Lithuania, if it still expands into Russia in the 13C, it will be majority/Orthodox, so most likely adopts that if Catholicism has made slower progress.

Europe would be utterly unrecognizable by the 13th century, we can’t say what would happen.