1200AD Maps
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Observations of the past few two centuries:
  • North America: We can observe a Viking Christian settlement of Newfoundland, called Vinland. The area is still not thoroughly Christianized, so as colonization would progress, a few Norse colonies may emerge indeed.
  • The Mayan and Andean civilization spheres progressed a little southwards.
  • East Africa experiences the spread of Nestorianism (akin to OTLb spread of islam, but at a slower pace. Similarly, Zorostrianism also began to spread in a few areas along the coast.
  • The Ethiopian Church has spread in Adal
  • Caravan routes from Maghreb have resulted in spread of Catholicism first among the Tuareg, and subsequantly among the peoples of the Sahel. Kanem Bornu was first reached by Chrisitians from the Nile Valley, hence it has become Myaphysite, but subsequently turned Catholic.
  • Martanian (post-Roman Morroccan) colonization of the Canarias.
  • German Ostsiedlung: involves German settlers in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Brandenburg, Styria and German settlement of Transylvania.
  • The Chrisitening of Russia is almost complete, and a part of eastern Latvia is Orthodox as well. Sweden has established a foothold in Finland. The Russians are expanding northwards again.
  • The Vlachs have settled most of Wallachia, and are being pushed north of the Danube by the Bulgarians.
  • Let us nor forget the settlemnet of Nestorian Oghuz Turks in Anatolia and Azerbaijan.
  • A large part of the Cumans and Kipchaks have become Myaphisite, which is the result of Caucasian and Armenian missionaries , who manged to convert Kazan first. A leftover of Jewish Khazars can be still seen.
  • Oman has become Zoroastrian, and Yemen a bastion of Judaism.
  • Decline of Jainsm in western India. Nestorian missionaries in southern India and the Maldives
  • Chinese settlement of the south.
  • The Tanguts have converted to Buddhism
  • Uzbeks are the only Manicheans left
 
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It might be a bit mental, but it'd be interesting to see a Christian Mohammed joining the Romans. Start off as an Orthodox philosopher, and spread the ideas of Islam as a philosophy rather than as a faith, or comes up with an equally compelling philosophy that supports Warrior-Priests and Arabian unification. That way he might still gain traction enough to gather some strength - and then start taking over central Arabia, with an envoy sent to Constantinople basically asking to be an ally/client - to get material aid as well as an agreement that Mohammed can keep Persian territories in Arabia unchallenged.

Having him basically form a federation of Rome-aligned client states would be interesting, and he could legit then retire from secular leadership to become the Metropolitan, or even Patriarch, of Mecca. (The latter might be hard to have recognised for a long time. Potentially after his death).

Actually, that could make the Great Mosque an interesting location. If the whole idea is that Mohammed goes out, and forces the groups he defeats to make him their leader, but doesn't dissolve them, instead making them join a conclave in the Great Mosque, he could set up a Federation where he leads every member (until he dies/resigns). (Side Note: Technically you can be governor of every US state, have fun with that TL). Set it up so that the Council of Tribes is presided over by the Metropolitan/Patriarch of Mecca, and you've got a Theocratic Republic in Mecca, both as ally of Rome, and well placed to dominate Middle Eastern and Indian Ocean politics.

Heck, you don't even need to change the TL that much, you could still have him and his Christians chased to Axum, who'll probably still be willing to assist a Christian Priest and his flock. You just need to have him convert to Christianity, and develop his philosophy.

(Side Note : Warrior Priests of Mecca sounds like an awesome group or an arabian heavy metal band. I'd prefer the warband.)
My guts tell me that Ghassanid and Lakhmid states / federations in Arabia worked pretty much along such lines initially. We shouldn`t underestimate how much of a philosophical and/or religious effort state / dynasty founders often had to undertake when rallying a large movement to overthrow the existing order and replace it with one headed by themselves.
So you`d simply have created another Byzantine client state in Arabia. Warrior priests / monks would be an interesting anticipation and indeed somewhat new.
But still, such a state would get thrown against the Sassanids by Byzantium, and worked into the ground in this process in the long run.
 
My guts tell me that Ghassanid and Lakhmid states / federations in Arabia worked pretty much along such lines initially. We shouldn`t underestimate how much of a philosophical and/or religious effort state / dynasty founders often had to undertake when rallying a large movement to overthrow the existing order and replace it with one headed by themselves.
So you`d simply have created another Byzantine client state in Arabia. Warrior priests / monks would be an interesting anticipation and indeed somewhat new.
But still, such a state would get thrown against the Sassanids by Byzantium, and worked into the ground in this process in the long run.

It depends on how strong it is. IOTL, Mohammed/His Successors were able to take on the Romans and Persia. That I don't see as impossible. As a result, it is completely possible IMO for them to assert their own independence. I'm not sure, once unified, they'd be so willing to be ordered around, but assert themselves as an equal partner. I think if this was "thrown against the Sassanids", it could well take Mesopotamia for itself. Leaving Persia in a bad spot, and the Romans with a now too-large-to-control ally in Arabia.
 
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