What if Ottoman Empire was Christian?

[Apple3169]

Oghuz Yagbu State converted to Orthodox Christianity, there for after it's fall, the new state that took it inheritance The Seljuk Empire also dominated the region as a Christian Empire.

After the fall of Seljuks, the Ottoman Empire has established and reigned as a Christian Empire. (All the events are same besides the religion) They Christianized the lands that they are ruling over. (Including North Africa, Mesopotamia, Levant etc)

What would change? What kind of a world we are living right now?

PS: The name of the empire would probably be different in this scenario.

 

[Sevarics]

Assuming the Oghuz even converted to Christianity at all (a stretch I believe) wouldn’t the most likely denomination be Nestorian not Orthodoxy ?

 

[Apple3169]

Assuming the Oghuz even converted to Christianity at all (a stretch I believe) wouldn’t the most likely denomination be Nestorian not Orthodoxy ?

So be it.

 

[Doctor Proctor]

Assuming the Oghuz even converted to Christianity at all (a stretch I believe) wouldn’t the most likely denomination be Nestorian not Orthodoxy ?

I seriously wonder what kind of POD would result in something like that, although the ramifications would be probably be pretty insane

 

[Apple3169]

I seriously wonder what kind of POD would result in something like that, although the ramifications would be probably be pretty insane

Oghuzs were Tengrist in the first place.

They converted to Christianity under a yabgu like Vladimir I.

 

[DanMcCollum]

I mean, assuming that they still become the regional hegemonic power and unite Anatolia and the Balkans, people are going to take their claims to be the successor of Rome MUCH more seriously.

I'm not sure if being Christian (even Nestorian) will help them grecify any more than in OTL, but I do suspect they may maintain more of a continuity between themselves and the Byzantines. And you can bet that some imperial marriage at some point qill be used to strengthen the claim.

 

[Erizium]

Would the cultural definition of the European Continent (bordered by the Sea of Marmara, Ural Mountains, and tbe Caucasus) be changed by this? AFAIK people saw European boundaries as the extent of Christianity, so might we see a larger "Europe" that encompasses parts of thr Middle East and North Africa?

 

[Elfwine]

If - somehow - you have Christian Turks here, they're probably more comparable to "Are Armenia and Georgia part of Europe or Asia?" than to OTL.

I suspect the concept of "the Middle East" is going to be rather different in this world, if it is used at all. Not sure how you're getting Christianized North Africa, Mesopotamia, Levant, etc. here though - how that goes that may influence how people talk about these things.

 

[TheDeveloper]

Assuming the ITTL Ottomans still conquer much of what they did OTL, I wonder how strong their likely denomination of Christianity (Nestorianism) would be; would it perhaps supplant Orthodoxy? Would it be strong enough to roll back some of Islam’s progress in the Levant and other areas?

 

[cmakk1012]

It might be easier to take a much later PoD, where Osman I converts to Christianity as a turcopole and then establishes a Turkish Anatolian state. Put simply it is highly unlikely that the Oghuz Turks would choose Christianity over Islam; there’s no advantage to the former and in fact could make them a target of jihadis.

 

[Elfwine]

It might be easier to take a much later PoD, where Osman I converts to Christianity as a turcopole and then establishes a Turkish Anatolian state.

I wonder if that version of Osman would accept Constantinople's rule, and his dynasty rise as another "being a successful general is a legitimate claim to the throne.", vs. minting their own coins and otherwise being independently sovereign.

 

[Chercha]

It might be easier to take a much later PoD, where Osman I converts to Christianity as a turcopole and then establishes a Turkish Anatolian state. Put simply it is highly unlikely that the Oghuz Turks would choose Christianity over Islam; there’s no advantage to the former and in fact could make them a target of jihadis.

If Osman does convert to Christianity, the Ottomans will be seen as simply the next dynasty taking over the Romans, in the same way as how Nicaea taking Constaninople represented continuation. The Balkans are arguably going to be even more important for the Ottomans than IOTL, seeing as they are liable to have more trouble conquering Anatolia. As for how hellenised the Turks become, it depends on whether an autocephalous Turkish Orthodox church gets established.

 

[Duke_of_Darkness]

Like in similar threads I have seen, the Ottomans would have an easier time holding onto the Balkans but face a lot more resistance conquering the Middle East and Northern Africa.

 

[Avrorrange]

They will need to find a way at finding reverse ghazis,since that was the recipe to early Ottoman success.

 

[Elfwine]

Being a leader capable of bringing victory and booty is not a bad way to acquire a following, whether done in the name of the Emperor, of Islam, or something else.

 

[Lothal]

Tzachas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

not implausible. I think a good POD is for the Abbasids to avoid becoming a just a guy in the Mamluk court, this gave the Ottomans the Caliph title which gave them political clout and made Sunni states have to recognise them as superior.

 

[Sarufiyyun]

It probably would be given more recognition as a successor state to the Roman Empire by the West, though that isn't to say the OTL Ottomans weren't. The Turks in any case would have a much more extensive Byzantine influence, similar to the South Slavs.